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Patty in Wisc
10-20-2008, 05:39 PM
Ordered a Siam Ruby & Raja Puri on Ebay from Wellspring last night. Anyone hear of them or ordered from them? I blame my weakness all on this forum after seeing pics of Siam Ruby & ppl here saying how good Raja Puri tastes! I really don't have room for more nannas but I am so excited about them. They will be small starter plants, but S.R. was $8.99 & R.P. was $5.99 & $7.49 S&H.
Does SR produce edible fruit or just showy leaves?
Can anyone tell me how big these will get? I also have 2 I.C, a Dbl Mahoi & a Truly Tiny (so cute!) Thanks for any info.
Patty

capthof
10-20-2008, 06:41 PM
I have yet to hear or see fruit from Siam Ruby.
The Siam I have has slowed it's growth due to cooler temperatures and shorter days.
Maybe next year we'll see if the ruby fruits.
My Mahoi's can get 6 to 7 foot, some times they fruit at 5 feet.
They are like Dwarf Cavendish.

Patty in Wisc
10-20-2008, 07:12 PM
Thanks Captain, every little bit of info helps.
I'm still wondering how big the Siam & Raja Puri will get. Hopefully not as big as my Ice Cream!!
Another Question... how is the fruits on Mahoi?

Worm_Farmer
10-20-2008, 07:37 PM
I love Wellsprings!!

I was told Siam Ruby will be dark red when it is hot and very bright outside. They do make fruit, I was told the fruit has large black, very hard seeds. You would not really want to eat the fruit.

Patty in Wisc
10-20-2008, 07:45 PM
Thanks Worm Farmer, nice to know that Siam can fruit!
I got your PM but it wouldn't let me respond to you (?) Somehow you are set up not to receive any.

sunfish
10-20-2008, 08:04 PM
I have purchased many plants from wellsprings , always nice plants,but they will be small.

capthof
10-20-2008, 08:48 PM
My Ruby is 5 foot to where the leaves come out.
We'll see how much bigger it gets I've had it almost six months.
I can't say about the height of Raja Puri.
As far as the taste of Mahoi they are very good!
When our relatives come down they prefer them to store bought.
I have started growing the Nam Wah, Manzano and Brazilian because I hear the taste is better. The proof is in the pudding.......

MediaHound
10-20-2008, 09:21 PM
Musa Rajapuri - Bananas Wiki (http://www.bananas.org/wiki/Musa_Rajapuri)
Musa Siam Ruby - Bananas Wiki (http://www.bananas.org/wiki/Musa_Siam_Ruby)

BIGDAWG69
10-20-2008, 09:38 PM
Wellspring is great to order from - fast shipping - good price - BUT.....the plants are always very small 3"-4" TCs

Patty in Wisc
10-20-2008, 10:38 PM
Thanks all & Jarred for those links. I was at Wiki but have to get more familiar with it.
I figured they have to be TC's to be so small, but my IC were 2 inch TC in June '06. I can't wait to get them!

Worm_Farmer
10-20-2008, 10:50 PM
I am pretty sure everything I have gotten from him is TC. But everything I have gotten from him grows fast.

Chironex
10-21-2008, 01:20 AM
Hi Patty, I have many banana plants from Wellspring, fertilizer too. Their "Banana Fuel" has great N-P-K ratios and micronutrients. All of my TC's from them have done well and are growing strong. I have no hesitation in recommending them.

Patty in Wisc
10-21-2008, 01:43 AM
This is nice to hear. I gotta get me some "banana fuel"!!

Worm_Farmer
10-21-2008, 07:50 AM
Yes, by Feb I will need to order another 3lb of it. His Banana Fuel is 15-5-30, from what I understand this rating is what commercial farms and nurseys use.

stumpy4700
10-21-2008, 07:58 AM
anyone know their website address or are they only on ebay?

sunfish
10-21-2008, 08:17 AM
www.wellspringarden.org.

sunfish
10-21-2008, 08:20 AM
Wellspring Gardens Home Page (http://www.wellspringgardens.org)

Patty in Wisc
10-21-2008, 09:42 AM
I found them at wellspringgardens.com

harveyc
10-21-2008, 11:38 AM
I have bought things a few times from Wellsprings on eBay and they have good prices and do a great job of packing/shipping. However, as can be seen in my old threads on a couple of bananas, I believe that at least one of my two surviving plants (Ice Cream died in January 2007), was mislabeled. It is supposed to be Dwarf Orinoco but fruited at 11' and I don't know what it is. The Raja Puri I bought from them is also questionable as well, though it does look somewhat like it (don't know how well fruit will ripen since it's getting cool here). The mix-up on the D.O. must have been at an early stage as the tiny pots have the variety printed right on them. I don't know what I have at this time, but it might be better than D.O., but was slow to fruit since it's such a tall plant.

How many people have fruited plants bought from Wellspring? I'm just wondering if my problem was a fluke or not. I still have Sugarloaf pineapple and a T.R. Hovey papaya from them that are small so the jury is out on those.

Worm_Farmer
10-21-2008, 02:43 PM
I have bought things a few times from Wellsprings on eBay and they have good prices and do a great job of packing/shipping. However, as can be seen in my old threads on a couple of bananas, I believe that at least one of my two surviving plants (Ice Cream died in January 2007), was mislabeled. It is supposed to be Dwarf Orinoco but fruited at 11' and I don't know what it is. The Raja Puri I bought from them is also questionable as well, though it does look somewhat like it (don't know how well fruit will ripen since it's getting cool here). The mix-up on the D.O. must have been at an early stage as the tiny pots have the variety printed right on them. I don't know what I have at this time, but it might be better than D.O., but was slow to fruit since it's such a tall plant.

How many people have fruited plants bought from Wellspring? I'm just wondering if my problem was a fluke or not. I still have Sugarloaf pineapple and a T.R. Hovey papaya from them that are small so the jury is out on those.

The Bananas and Pineapples I got from him are not of age to fruit yet, still need some time. The Pomegranate's are all more then trippled in size in one year, and currently have TONS of flowers and buds on them. They are also been flowering throught out the year. I did have one Pomegranate make a small fruit but the rain pulled it off the plant. I have 8 Dwarf Pomegranate from him.

adrift
10-21-2008, 06:16 PM
I also have had good luck with wellspring. As others have said, small but healthy plants ready to grow. I got an Ice Cream from him in January, kept it inside in a 1 gal pot because we get frosts in February. The cat ate it back to a stump. Put it outside, hoping to remember to bring it in on cold nights. Put it in the ground ~March 15. Today it is about 9' tall (or more), with a 5' pup, a 4' pup, and a 2' pup.

I got 2 Siam from him a month or two ago. Were already red at 3-4". Today they are about a foot tall.

austinl01
10-21-2008, 06:31 PM
Harvey, I had the same problem with my D.O.'s from Wellspring. He evidently had a mix-up after they went through TC. I waited two to three years for my D.O. to flower. It kept getting taller and taller and then I realized it wasn't D.O. at all--it was regular Orinoco. I thought what wasted time growing this banana for two years just to discover it was the wrong type. I wanted a dwarf because they are much more manageable. So I contacted Wellspring, and he offered to make it right by sending two real D.O.'s if I ordered something so he could combine the shipping. I do think they were D.O. the second time.

Patty in Wisc
10-21-2008, 09:28 PM
Wow Adrift, that is a fast growing I.C.!!!
It was nice that Wellspring tried to fix the mixup on the DO's.
I emailed him & asked if he could ship the fert with my 2 nannas & give me a lower rate for shipping all 3 together. The fert was another $9.95 S&H so he lowered that to $4.00 - plus nannas S&H. I thought that was nice.
I'm glad I asked this...hearing all good things about them. Thanks for replys.

harveyc
10-21-2008, 10:26 PM
Thanks, Austin, I guess that may have been the same batch for both you and me. I think that was about 2005 when I got these. The big freeze we had in January 2007 killed both of the D.O. from Wellspring down to the ground (we got to 20F for several days) but this past winter only got down to about 30F so I finally go one of my several plants to bloom. I kind of like these tall plants, though I don't really know that they are Orinoco either. The fruits are pretty round. I'd post an updated photo to my thread but the bunch is now covered with a bag and, being high up, it's a hassle to shoot a photo.

Good deal they worked with you on that. I figured it wasn't worth complaining to him since I'd rather try other varieties at this point now. I'm happy just staring at my Ae Ae plants and my 3 bunches (counting Raja Puri (?) and Dwarf Brazilian)! lol

Patty in Wisc
10-21-2008, 10:37 PM
Harvey, where is your thread? I'd love to see your pics.

harveyc
10-22-2008, 12:14 AM
Harvey, where is your thread? I'd love to see your pics.

Okay, I'm glad that the b.org allows me to check my profile for threads I've started. Here are two threads I started on the Raja Puri and Dwarf Orinoco (not) which I bought from Wellspring back in 2005, I believe.

http://www.bananas.org/f12/rajapuri-ice-cream-5406.html
http://www.bananas.org/f2/my-mystery-busy-bee-banana-5917.html

I gave a pup from the imposter D.O. to someone on the citrus forum but never heard back from him, so I don't know that he minds having the wrong plant. I think he's from New York! Also, I gave one to my sister and she knows where to get replacements! LOL

I do also have a thread with my fruiting Dwarf Brazilian given to me by Joe Real, but that's off the subject of this thread.

Good luck with yours!!!

Patty in Wisc
10-22-2008, 01:40 AM
Was going to go to sleep but I read both threads thru. Thanks for the links. Wow...how are they now? Ready to chop off & ripen inside soon?
The more I learn, the more questions I have LOL. Now, I want to know about the male & female flowers / fruits. (??) Where do I learn about that?
I think yours is IC being so tall. I also think the reddish tinge is from a lot of sun. I could be wrong, but my dbl mahoi gets reddish tinges in summer when in full sun, but not in winter.
I can't believe you got them to fruit this fast from small TC's couple years ago! But then, you are in better climate than me.
Can you post more pics?? :) and...thanks for the info.

harveyc
10-22-2008, 02:13 AM
Hi Patty,

My bananas are cloaked by plastic bags right now so no sense in taking photos of that. I think my Dwarf Brazilian will be ready to cut in a month or so, though things are pretty cool at night now. My supposed Raja Puri is a little behind that, but I think the fruits are large enough that they could both mature okay inside if I had to cut them now. Usually we don't get frosty weather until sometime in December or January, maybe later (February for last winter). The plant I bought from Wellspring and labeled as Ice Cream died in our 20F freeze of January 2007. The label was lost but it was either labeled Raja Puri or Ice Cream and I'm pretty sure that the one that died was Ice Cream because the surviving plant clearly is not Ice Cream. The tall plants I have never did have lost labels and I have two of them and they are both tall. Both were labeled as Dwarf Orinoco and, according to Austin's report, there apparently was some recognition of the mix-up later on which I am now only aware of.

I'll post photos when it comes time to cut them and have to remove the bags.

In some thread I started (maybe one of those two, even) Gabe explained the transition of female to male flower thing. I am now experienced with three bunches this summer and each bunch has a hand that ends up with some fingers that never develop and the next hand is entirely male flowers that usually drop off on their own.

I've got 20 or so varieties now. These two are the survivors of the first bananas I bought! :)

Patty in Wisc
10-23-2008, 09:05 PM
My order was shipped yesterday from Lakeland FL. I thought FL can't ship any plants out of state...or is it just citrus?

D_&_T
10-23-2008, 09:43 PM
They can't ship to some states, but believe cause of our cold winters its not a big deal!

harveyc
10-23-2008, 10:21 PM
Patty, I suspect you're thinking of citrus (since I know you're a member of the citrus forum) which the state of Florida is under a Federal quarantine for. But nurseries there can ship other plants, though shipping to some states can be restricted due to nematode quarantines, etc. But since these are TC plants, they can be shipped to any state, I believe. However, I do think they are supposed to be accompanied with a phytosanitary certificate and/or nematode certificate to some states (such as California). However, when I received my various orders from them there was no such documentation so I'm not sure if the rules are different for TC plants than I remember.

Worm_Farmer
10-24-2008, 09:33 AM
Patty, I suspect you're thinking of citrus (since I know you're a member of the citrus forum) which the state of Florida is under a Federal quarantine for. But nurseries there can ship other plants, though shipping to some states can be restricted due to nematode quarantines, etc. But since these are TC plants, they can be shipped to any state, I believe. However, I do think they are supposed to be accompanied with a phytosanitary certificate and/or nematode certificate to some states (such as California). However, when I received my various orders from them there was no such documentation so I'm not sure if the rules are different for TC plants than I remember.

Everything I order from Wellspring has a sticker on the side of the box for the agriculture department.

The whole Citrus thing is bogus!! I personal believe it is just another way to stop us from making our own food. They came through my neighborhood and Cut down / kill ever citrus tree they found. I was told my tree had can cor when it did not show any signs of this and was only a year old. Ever tree I seen them take down did not show any signs of what they claimed was wrong with the tree. It is all a scam to help the citrus industry make more money!! That is just what I personal believe based on what I seen them cut down. Its not like they only tried to take sick tress, they took everything they could find, new, old, in great shape or not. They took out a tree down the street that was AWESOME! The guy dave gave all of us oranges, perfect looking ones and great tasting. They took his tree and NOTHING was wrong with it, other then the fact Dave has not brought an orange in 6 years.

Patty in Wisc
10-24-2008, 09:52 AM
Sorry about your citrus Worm Farmer...I'd be angry too.

harveyc
10-24-2008, 10:06 AM
I believe all nurseries are supposed to show the sticker/stamp on the outside of the box I believe, but phyto requirements and nematode quarantine certificates are an even more specific requirement for some locations (some states receiving shipments, Ohio is one of them that I know of, don't require a phyto). For instance, if I buy a bare root tree from Washington and have it shipped to California, all it needs is that red stamp on the outside of the box. If I buy a tree from Florida it is supposed to have a phyto (the State of Florida charges the nursery $50 for the certificate whereas many states are less than half the price) as well as a nematode free certificate. If I buy something from Pine Island Nursery there in Florida, they not only collect the $50 fee from me, but also charge an extra 50% on the plant costs to comply with the requirements. I've considered ordering from them several times but just have not beeen able to bite the bullet on all of those charges yet!

I don't believe for a minute the whole citrus quarantine in Florida was bogus but I don't doubt that they went overboard and cut down way more trees than they should have.

Patty in Wisc
10-25-2008, 03:20 PM
Got my trees yesterday -5 & 8 inches. There are 2 stickers on box saying this nursery stock has been visually inspected for plant pests.

Worm_Farmer
10-25-2008, 04:36 PM
I believe all nurseries are supposed to show the sticker/stamp on the outside of the box I believe, but phyto requirements and nematode quarantine certificates are an even more specific requirement for some locations (some states receiving shipments, Ohio is one of them that I know of, don't require a phyto). For instance, if I buy a bare root tree from Washington and have it shipped to California, all it needs is that red stamp on the outside of the box. If I buy a tree from Florida it is supposed to have a phyto (the State of Florida charges the nursery $50 for the certificate whereas many states are less than half the price) as well as a nematode free certificate. If I buy something from Pine Island Nursery there in Florida, they not only collect the $50 fee from me, but also charge an extra 50% on the plant costs to comply with the requirements. I've considered ordering from them several times but just have not beeen able to bite the bullet on all of those charges yet!

I don't believe for a minute the whole citrus quarantine in Florida was bogus but I don't doubt that they went overboard and cut down way more trees than they should have.

I am in FL, it might be cheaper for you to ship what you want to me, then I will send them to you overnight in descret packaging.