View Full Version : Zone 8: can I order bananas now, or do I need to wait?
Clark
12-17-2017, 03:37 PM
I will be keeping them indoors during the winter, and putting them outside in the summer. Is it ok to order them now, or will the cold hurt them in transit?
eddiewit
12-17-2017, 07:06 PM
I ordered a Dwarf Namwa and a Dwarf Iholena from sddarkman619 over Thanksgiving and they're doing just fine. I am considering ordering a Novak and a Dwarf Green in the next week or so. Maybe we should both wait until after Christmas, so we don't have to deal with slow shipping due to the increased holiday mail load.
Clark
12-17-2017, 07:46 PM
Yeah, definitely waiting until after Christmas is a good idea! Was it freezing temperatures outside where you lived when you ordered? I'm a little concerned about the cold in transit.
eddiewit
12-17-2017, 08:01 PM
No, I don't think there were any freezing temperatures when I ordered. I think if we watch the weather and order on a Monday, when there are no freezing temperatures in the forecast, we might be okay, but I'm a newbie, too. I would like to hear from an experienced banana grower, too.
edwmax
12-17-2017, 08:05 PM
I suggest you wait until spring. The plants could encounter freezing temps in shipping: ether by ground or air. ... Local pickup would be OK.
I had 3 plants shipped the 1st week of November. From tracking the plants had to be air freighted to a regional USPS mail hub. When the plants arrived the leaves were dark, wilted, & mushy like frost burn. I suspect high altitude freezing in an unheated cargo hole. ... I know they were not that way when packaged. So after a little more than a month, they are just now starting to recover.
Tytaylor77
12-19-2017, 09:50 PM
I agree. I would 100% for sure wait until spring. I sell corms and i won’t be shipping any until spring.
Clark
12-20-2017, 10:27 AM
Sounds like I'll be waiting until spring then. I'll have to practice some patience!
beam2050
12-20-2017, 11:52 AM
Sounds like I'll be waiting until spring then. I'll have to practice some patience!
you are absolutely doing the right thing............ but......................
there are nurseries in your area that might want to move some excess stock. might could make a sweet deal. and then there's craigslist..... might not get what you want............but...............
at the same time overwintering is not that hard but it can be tricky. give you some practice for next year..........for a few bucks investment you will have a better idea of how to keep what you do want alive next year.
just a thought.
edwmax
12-20-2017, 03:59 PM
Sounds like I'll be waiting until spring then. I'll have to practice some patience!
Try Dr. Beam's Rx prescription:
eat a banana, cover your face with fresh banana leaves for an hour. mist often.
it helps.
Anyway ... a beer can help.
:nanadrink:
beam2050
12-21-2017, 09:09 AM
Try Dr. Beam's Rx prescription:
Anyway ... a beer can help.
:nanadrink:
I got kicked out of the medical profession for selling fertilizer to little bananas.
beer foliar spray now your thinking :nanadrink: er drinking
eddiewit
12-21-2017, 05:31 PM
I will be keeping them indoors during the winter, and putting them outside in the summer. Is it ok to order them now, or will the cold hurt them in transit?
Hey Clark,
There is a thread that has good recommendations of where to order. I started the thread, but the guys here at bananas.org had some great recommendations that I thought you would like to see:
http://www.bananas.org/f3/want-feedback-website-i-am-considering-47875.html#post311861
Clark
12-21-2017, 06:44 PM
Hey Clark,
There is a thread that has good recommendations of where to order. I started the thread, but the guys here at bananas.org had some great recommendations that I thought you would like to see:
http://www.bananas.org/f3/want-feedback-website-i-am-considering-47875.html#post311861
Yes, I'm definitely ordering from Ty- he's been super helpful. I just have to be patient and wait for spring :)
eddiewit
12-21-2017, 09:29 PM
Yes, I'm definitely ordering from Ty- he's been super helpful. I just have to be patient and wait for spring :)
He sure has been! I was planning on ordering from Ty this spring, too! Also, don't forget sddarkman619. If you're looking for dwarf varieties, he has a Dwarf Iholena that I got over Thanksgiving and it has already put out three more leaves (six total). By the way, guys, is that a good pace for bananas? If it isn't, then I need to increase my lighting.
Also, sddarkman619 had a Dwarf Namwa that I took a chance with, because it gets 8-10 feet and I only have 8 foot ceilings! I'm kinda planning on tilting it and propping it up, if I have to, to get it in, if it hasn't already finished fruiting. However, if it is finished fruiting before next winter, then the follower pup shouldn't be a problem, once the spent main pstem is cut down.
Does that sound about right, guys? If they both have six leaves, now, then they should fruit before this time next year, with proper care.
Clark
12-21-2017, 10:49 PM
...
Also, sddarkman619 had a Dwarf Namwa that I took a chance with, because it gets 8-10 feet and I only have 8 foot ceilings! ....
That brings up a question for me- when people say a banana gets x feet tall, I've been assuming that means that's as tall as the pseudostem gets, but is that instead how tall the new leaves will be when they emerge?
beam2050
12-22-2017, 01:02 AM
That brings up a question for me- when people say a banana gets x feet tall, I've been assuming that means that's as tall as the pseudostem gets, but is that instead how tall the new leaves will be when they emerge?
p-stem heighth
Tytaylor77
12-25-2017, 01:29 PM
Pstem height. Roller leaves coming out the top can be massive! They just bend around the greenhouse roof during the winter for me. Also if grown in a pot or even planted inside a greenhouse they usually are a little shorter. You could also try to dig down like a “pit” inside the greenhouse. A couple extra feet would help a lot!!
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