endeitz
07-03-2008, 02:27 PM
Hello,
This is my first year trying to grow bananas. I did quite a bit of reading on this forum before planting, and have followed many of the basic tenets. I was wondering if the experts out there could help me with some troubleshooting. First, a picture of my little patch:
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=10923&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=10923&ppuser=611)
Question #1: A matter of identification. Is the banana shown in the photo below a Saba? Is it even possible to tell before it flowers (if it ever flowers, of course)?
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=10924&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=10924&ppuser=611)
I ordered it from ebay, and would like to share the pups with others, but since I'm not sure myself that it is actually a saba, I would feel better with some independent verification.
Question #2: What is burning the leaves of my smaller plants? I have small Basjoo and D. Orinoco plants that have yellowing and burning of the leaves. My two thoughts are either over-fertilization, or too much sun (I am in Central Texas, and it has been a brutally hot late-Spring early summer). I fertilize once a month with about 0.1 lb Nitrogen using whatever cheap stuff I have on hand.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=10921&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=10921&ppuser=611)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=10920&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=10920&ppuser=611)
Question #3: Is it normal to have problems with the wind blowing the plants over? I deep water with soaker rings near the base of each plant, but it seems to loosen the soil up so much that strong winds can tilt the whole thing over about 30 degrees. I have had to stake my bananas with rubber rope and rebar:
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=10925&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=10925&ppuser=611)
Question #4: I have D. Brazilian and Brazilian plants, and both have occasionally put out a very "droopy" leaf, one that was hanging down even before it unraveled. They are the leaves nearest the camera in this photo:
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=10922&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=10922&ppuser=611)
Is this a sign of something? I am afraid that I am overwatering by really soaking them a couple times a week, but the weather has been so hot that I'm afraid not to water.
Question #5: Why are the Orinocos growing so slow compared to the Brazilian and Saba? All of the plants in the "patch" (see first picture) were planted at the same time, but you can see that the two leftmost plants, which are regular Orinoco, are much smaller than the back three, which are Saba, D. Brazilian, and Brazilian. Is this normal, or did I mess up the Orinocos somehow?
Sorry for such a long post, but I just happen to have a little time today to put it all together. Any advice anyone can give will be welcome.
Thanks,
Ed.
This is my first year trying to grow bananas. I did quite a bit of reading on this forum before planting, and have followed many of the basic tenets. I was wondering if the experts out there could help me with some troubleshooting. First, a picture of my little patch:
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=10923&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=10923&ppuser=611)
Question #1: A matter of identification. Is the banana shown in the photo below a Saba? Is it even possible to tell before it flowers (if it ever flowers, of course)?
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=10924&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=10924&ppuser=611)
I ordered it from ebay, and would like to share the pups with others, but since I'm not sure myself that it is actually a saba, I would feel better with some independent verification.
Question #2: What is burning the leaves of my smaller plants? I have small Basjoo and D. Orinoco plants that have yellowing and burning of the leaves. My two thoughts are either over-fertilization, or too much sun (I am in Central Texas, and it has been a brutally hot late-Spring early summer). I fertilize once a month with about 0.1 lb Nitrogen using whatever cheap stuff I have on hand.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=10921&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=10921&ppuser=611)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=10920&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=10920&ppuser=611)
Question #3: Is it normal to have problems with the wind blowing the plants over? I deep water with soaker rings near the base of each plant, but it seems to loosen the soil up so much that strong winds can tilt the whole thing over about 30 degrees. I have had to stake my bananas with rubber rope and rebar:
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=10925&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=10925&ppuser=611)
Question #4: I have D. Brazilian and Brazilian plants, and both have occasionally put out a very "droopy" leaf, one that was hanging down even before it unraveled. They are the leaves nearest the camera in this photo:
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=10922&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=10922&ppuser=611)
Is this a sign of something? I am afraid that I am overwatering by really soaking them a couple times a week, but the weather has been so hot that I'm afraid not to water.
Question #5: Why are the Orinocos growing so slow compared to the Brazilian and Saba? All of the plants in the "patch" (see first picture) were planted at the same time, but you can see that the two leftmost plants, which are regular Orinoco, are much smaller than the back three, which are Saba, D. Brazilian, and Brazilian. Is this normal, or did I mess up the Orinocos somehow?
Sorry for such a long post, but I just happen to have a little time today to put it all together. Any advice anyone can give will be welcome.
Thanks,
Ed.