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Mikako
07-24-2009, 05:18 PM
Hi everyone,

I am so excited to find this group exists! In early April I adopted a small little banana plant at a flea market in Santa Cruz, CA. The previous owner did not know what kind of banana plant it is or how to best take care of it. It had 7 leaves when I got it and was in a small pot. I re-potted it using a 80:20 balanced potting soil to pearlite mixture. Within a couple weeks I saw a little sprout coming out of the top most leaf and since then three others (great big ones!) have sprouted and unfurled. This is very exciting to me because I have never had my own plant before and this one really seems to be doing well.

I love this little banana plant and want to care for it as best as I can but I do not even know what variety it is. From photos I have seen online it looks a little bit like a Musa Basjoo but I am not sure. Are there identifying marks to look for? Is there an easy way to tell? Once I know what it is I can make decisions on how to care for it but right now feel a little lost.

I look forward to reading and learning about banana plants here and already feel like I have some support in caring for my new best friend.

saltydad
07-24-2009, 05:34 PM
Hi Mikako, and welcome to the org. Its kind of hard to tell species when the nana is still small. That said, Musa basjoo tends to have a reddish midrib, and as it gets bigger the back of the leaves may have a faint reddish flush. This disappears as the leaf gets bigger. Some bananas have a powdery white look to their pseudostems, but not basjoo. Why don't you post a pic or two and we'll give it a try?

alexizhere19
07-24-2009, 07:15 PM
We are glad to have you here.

alex

sbl
07-24-2009, 08:24 PM
Welcome, I hope your banana does really well and you get the "banana bug" like many of us here. As for ID when you get some pics, post them in the forum for Identification and the experts on identification will have a better chance of seeing your post.

In the long run, you may need to have a bloom before it can be positively identified.

CookieCows
07-24-2009, 08:26 PM
Welcome!! It's so fun to hear from an excited banana plant owner that is already doing research.

You're hooked! :goteam:

Deb

LilRaverBoi
07-24-2009, 08:34 PM
Welcome to the site! I hope you learn a lot here. If you have questions, just ask...people are very kind/helpful and knowledgeable. Enjoy your naner!