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banana jack
01-10-2009, 01:38 PM
Hi banana world. Just joined up and wanted to let you know about my project. Last spring I purchased some seeds and have had relatively good luck as probably one third of them germinated. Lost a few on the way due to getting the range of these things like watering and soil preferences, but seed plants are doing pretty good. I have sikkimensis, daj giants, pink velutinas and three basjoos that I purchesed as starts. The soil that seems to be working best is believe it or not, bird seed mulch that I collected from under my feeders. ( I feed a LOT of birds. ) I closed in my three season porch and insulated ceiling, installed several flourescent lights and put in a small convection heater. It gets down to mid 50s to 60 at night depending on what "ice planet Wisconsin" decides to do at night, and 68 to 72 during the day, warmer if it is a good sunny day. All but the basjoos are growing steadily. The basjoos have been slowing recently and one has stopped completely. The leaves are getting "ratty" looking and I assume this is because they may be normally dormant at this time of year ( please let me know if this is not true. ) The plan is to winter them through inside and then plant them outside in may in a sheltered sunny spot that I have been preparing with yet more seed mulch. We will see how the basjoos do and, learning by my mistakes ( and everybody's expertise ) will get some biggies going outside. I look forward to being part of the banana world and hope to talk to you all soon.

buzzwinder
01-10-2009, 01:52 PM
Welcome to the Org. Banana jack, where in Wisc. are you, I'm in N. Il. about eight miles south of Beloit Wisc. there are several members from the Dairy Land state here on the Org., I also am overwintering Basjoo for the first time this winter, and mine slowed down and started looking shaky back the beginning of Dec. I also have Siam Ruby, Gran nain, Dwarf Cavs and a couple of Maurelli. :bananas_b

banana jack
01-10-2009, 02:22 PM
Hi and thanks for the quick welcome! We live about 20 miles due east of Madison outside a small town called Cambridge. Glad to hear the basjoo situation appears to be normal. Best way I have learned to deal with these kinds of things is to keep hands off and resist the urge to start chopping. Nature has been developing these guys a long time before we were here... I guess she knows what she is doing. Looking forward to hearing from our local banana nuts!

Chironex
01-10-2009, 02:26 PM
Welcome to Bananaland! Strange about the basjoos. I don't believe bananas have a natural dormancy, so perhaps something else is going on. If they look ratty, chances are you have mites or a mineral deficiency. Check them again very closely for critters. If none are found, then post a few pics and let the experts have a look.

frog7994
01-10-2009, 02:37 PM
welcome and good luck

banana jack
01-10-2009, 05:38 PM
Hi CHIRONEX and thanks for the reply. I am an old time entomologist and have been keeping a very close eye out for buggers looking for some free banana juice. Awhile back I had a small group of aphids trying to make a nice winter home out there but easily got rid of them. I have kept a close eye out for spider mites, but have seen none. The aphids seemed to go for the sikkimensis and some cannas, but didn't see them on the basjoos. Being new at this, I was not sure if this is a normal thing for this type or if it is not. I have seen information on this species indicating that it does stop growing if overwintered in a warm, slightly humid environment, but not sure if that is true. (by dormant I meant in it's sleepytime stage in a non lighted, cool, dry environment). The other species I have are all doing great and are not showing signs of slowing, or stress. As I am changing computers, I at this point cannot scan pics to send but the leaves appear to be curling slightly on the edges, and the new or latest leaves are getting brown patches on them and appear to be getting a bit more curl. As mentioned, the mulch I am using seems to agree with the others, and are using miracle gro food at a slightly higher rate than normal plants. There is also a great amount of variation in the size and growth rates between the three... even though environment and care are exactly the same. Weird!!! I hope this helps, and I appreciate your input. The learning curve here is starting at the bottom! Thanks again. Banana Jack

lorax
01-10-2009, 06:55 PM
Welcome aboard! I won't be much use to you on the theme of cold-weather bananas, but I'm curious to see how it works out for you. We have members growing nanners as far north as Edmonton, Alberta and Oslo, Sweden, so I don't imagine you'll have too much difficulty...

D_&_T
01-10-2009, 08:07 PM
Welcome banana jack

You might be giving to much fertilizer, causing salt build up. Also over or under watering them.

banana jack
01-10-2009, 10:04 PM
Thanks for the reply D&T. The fertilizer might be the culprit as maybe the basjoo is a little more sensitive than the others... will throttle back a little on it. The watering situation I know is a touchy one as I have found in the past. The mulch I have them in is very fast draining, however I do know that overwatering is a huge issue as I lost some giants and sikkimensis early on until I seemed to get it right. Two of the basjoos are in peat pots (maybe about 2 gallon) and I usually water them after the first inch or two of soil feels dry. The largest one is in a huge plastic 'laundry basket" type pot with a million drainage holes drilled into the bottom, with the same watering criteria. The biggest thing I am finding out is that this is apparently not a normal response to see in this species under these conditions. The weird thing is all three started showing the same appearance at the same time. I will definitly take your advice and cool down the fertilizer a bit and see what happens. I get the impression that basjoos are tough as nails after a certain point, but I am still in the touchy stage with them. Thank you all for your quick responses and willingness to help!!! Banana Jack.

Richard
01-10-2009, 10:24 PM
I believe the bird poop + the miracle gro + the cool temps is giving you a minor case of root rot. I suspect the miracle grow is a 30-10-10 or similar proportion. For the next two months, switch to either: 2 tablespoons of Sul-Po-Mag (aka K-Mag) per plant per month, or constant-feeding with a 1/4 teaspoon of 10-20-30 water-soluble per gallon.

banana jack
01-10-2009, 11:25 PM
Thanks for the advice, Richard. We will give this a try. You are probably right... it is probably getting a little "hot" down there. thanks again!!! Banana Jack.