View Full Version : In just 17 more days in Little Rock...
austinl01
03-01-2009, 06:31 PM
The musa basjoo will be sprouting again!!! This marks the beginning of the banana season for the mid-south.
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c2/austinl01/Bananas/March2006014.jpg
And in 41 days, it should look like this.
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c2/austinl01/Bananas/April2006012.jpg
And just 13 days later...
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c2/austinl01/Bananas/April2008016.jpg
I'm ready for spring!
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c2/austinl01/Bananas/DSCN0483_07312008_083.jpg
r3tic
03-01-2009, 06:58 PM
I hear ya on that one
hammer
03-01-2009, 10:25 PM
I really like the garden that you have set up. Those are some really pretty banana plants. My brother lives in White Hall and works in North Little Rock at Gander Mountan . He really likes it down there. We try to visit him at least once a month.
austinl01
03-01-2009, 10:58 PM
Thanks, Shannon. I have put 5 years into the garden to make it what it is. It's always a work in progress in my opinion. I live about 10 minutes away from Gander Mountain. I sure do like that store; they have a lot of cool stuff. Bring on spring!
51st state
03-02-2009, 04:34 PM
Bring on spring!
absolutely...bring on spring
it's been a cold one and I've lost more than a few, but we'll learn and try again.
I think we're about 3-4 weeks behind you though.
what do you reckon are your 1st and last frost dates over there?
saltydad
03-02-2009, 04:35 PM
Amen Austin
adrift
03-02-2009, 06:18 PM
Lovely.
And it looks like what happened to you happened to me... except you expanded to the right and I expanded to the left. Are the little fans Medit. palms? I've got a pair of those.
In addition to the expansion, I've been opening a gap in the middle that will become a shallow stream.
austinl01
03-02-2009, 07:07 PM
Lovely.
And it looks like what happened to you happened to me... except you expanded to the right and I expanded to the left. Are the little fans Medit. palms? I've got a pair of those.
In addition to the expansion, I've been opening a gap in the middle that will become a shallow stream.
KJ, I guess we both had to expand our garden beds, huh? That's what happens when we get more and more nanners! :goteam: The small palms are trachycarpus fortunei (windmill palms), and they seem to go nicely with bananas. I've been thinking about putting in a small pond with some goldfish, but I'm reconsidering since it would take up a lot of space where I could grow some more bananas and tropicals. I'd like to see pics of your shallow stream when you start working on it or when you get it done.
hammer
03-02-2009, 08:37 PM
cant wait thursday temp going to be in the 70s give my heaters a rest in my greenhouse my banana tress really started growing about febuary due to cloudy wheater and a ice storm it is getting better with sunshine
austinl01
03-03-2009, 01:42 PM
Shannon, have you gotten any edible bananas to mature in Paragould? I haven't yet, but I'm still trying with raja puri! This one seems to overwinter nicely in the cold/cool garage. The spear leaf is still green if you can believe it.
saltydad
03-03-2009, 11:12 PM
Austin, take a look at my small pond and stream. I grow bananas around it (lasiocarpus, sikkim, Siam Ruby) and windmill palms. They go great together. Pix at my Flickr site. Flickr: hgorinson's Photostream (http://flickr.com/photos/saltydad/page10/)
austinl01
03-05-2009, 07:25 PM
Howard, I like those pics of your water garden. Beautiful fish and neat waterlilies. Bananas, palms, and water features sure do go together! I guess I'll see what happens this year!
hammer
03-05-2009, 09:29 PM
my cavendish did not over winter well. I have had to learn alot this winter. They really started doing well when I got the greenhouse. I am fairly new to this whole banana growing, but I have learned alot from the internet. I have yet to have any fruit, but the guy down the road has had 3 South African Golds mature every year. My orinco has to be one of my favorites, if it is possible to have a favorite! I would love to have a Raja Puri. I am trying to get my collection built into a various one. I think that all bananas are beautiful. I am really excited about the warn weather coming in over the weekend. :woohoonaner::0519:
austinl01
03-05-2009, 09:40 PM
Shannon, has your neighbor gotten the fruits to ripen on the S. African Golds? If so, I think I'll give them a try too. You must get Raja Puri this year--it has a great shape with nice, big fronds. Much more attractive than Orinoco in my opinion although Orinoco is good too. :)
hammer
03-05-2009, 09:58 PM
He has had the fruit rippen and brought them to the store down the road and they taste good. It took him 3 years to get the first one started and noe he has them staged to have 3 trees to fruit every year. I think that I have a South African Gold but I am not for sure.
austinl01
03-05-2009, 10:06 PM
Okay, I've got to try one now! I assume he digs them and stores them under a crawl space for the winter. Do you know? I'd be willing to purchase a pup from your neighbor if he's interested to sell one.
I've never gotten edible fruit yet after 4 years, but I'll keep trying new varieties until I'm successful!
If you want to check out my pics, here's my website: Pictures by austinl01 - Photobucket (http://s24.photobucket.com/albums/c2/austinl01/?mediafilter=images)
Click on Bananas on the left.
hammer
03-05-2009, 10:18 PM
He keeps them in the spare bedroom in his trailer. He makes it dark and turns down the heat. I know that the only fertilizer that he uses is 13,13,13 and he plants them in red clay. He don't use compost or any other fertilizer. I have posted a picture on the identification board of the same banana plant that he has and I am pretty sure that they are south african gold. You might want to keep an eye on that site to see if they are the south african gold. When I asked him what kind of banana it was his reply was "banana". Can you tell me a good place to get the raja pari? If you have any extra that you might want to sell this year let me know.
saltydad
03-05-2009, 11:48 PM
Austin- Wow! You have some collection of palms and bananas! Congrats...now I'm jealous.:bananabeard:
austinl01
03-07-2009, 01:46 PM
He keeps them in the spare bedroom in his trailer. He makes it dark and turns down the heat. I know that the only fertilizer that he uses is 13,13,13 and he plants them in red clay. He don't use compost or any other fertilizer. I have posted a picture on the identification board of the same banana plant that he has and I am pretty sure that they are south african gold. You might want to keep an eye on that site to see if they are the south african gold. When I asked him what kind of banana it was his reply was "banana". Can you tell me a good place to get the raja pari? If you have any extra that you might want to sell this year let me know.
Cool! Thanks for the info. Bananas really grow great here in the summer with the high humidity and hot temps. I'll keep an eye on the ID post, but I think you'll need a pic of the bloom and bananas before anyone can say for sure. I'll look up S. African Gold and do a little research to learn more about it. I got my Raja puri from Going-Bananas last year. I'd share a pup with you, but I only have the mother plant and a small pup right now. It doesn't seem to send out many pups (at least so far in its growth).
hammer
03-07-2009, 11:09 PM
austin i am going to this guys house week or two and try to get some of those banana plants i will try to get some small ones and i will send you one he bought them at local nursery you might call midsouth nursry jonesboro they only have one fruit bering kind thats where he got his
hammer
03-07-2009, 11:35 PM
i went to store and got some muriateipotash 0-o-60 i was told to add one teaspoon one for my banana plants once a month could some one please info i would appriciate it
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