View Full Version : Ae Ae Banana for sale
Blake09
09-17-2009, 06:41 PM
For all you ae ae banana lovers heres a chanse to get one...
:woohoonaner:
I found it on ebay :woohoonaner: I hope you have deep enough pockets to buy it. lol :D
Note: I am not selling it, I just knew that there are some Ae Ae lovers who want a plant and thought that this might be a chance for them to get one. :woohoonaner:
Tell me what ya think... :D
Ae Ae Banana Plant Live RARE Hard to find Older plant - eBay (item 350243834202 end time Sep-22-09 20:26:44 PDT) (http://cgi.ebay.com/Ae-Ae-Banana-Plant-Live-RARE-Hard-to-find-Older-plant_W0QQitemZ350243834202QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0 ?hash=item518c28c95a&_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116)
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coast crab
09-17-2009, 06:53 PM
Sweet Mother of Jesus, she's proud of it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I take this seller is not "one of us"?
R
stumpy4700
09-17-2009, 11:04 PM
Actually she is. I have bought some plants from her and they were very good, but not that expensive :) . I can't blame her though because if you watch someone will pay that price for it.
harveyc
09-18-2009, 12:27 AM
I paid about $200 for my first Ae Ae from Stokes a couple of years ago and was happy to get it. Unfortunately, it died. I had one of my next two also die but the survivor is doing well and a subsequent one I bought is also doing well. It seems that prices might be a bit softer now.
IndianaSue
09-18-2009, 07:44 AM
I know this lady and she is Fabulous!! A great ebay seller! Has excellent plants. In the past I've gotten quite a bit of things from her..
damaclese
09-18-2009, 07:52 AM
Lordy shes got some strict shipping policese this is why i only buy and sell to members here we are family and its all good as soon as you go out side the ORG its all up for grabs
some day all have lots of AE AE pups but for now my Ae is just happily growing gigantic leafs i wish i could get it to pup any ideas i tried the high nitrogen thing other then making it grow twice as fast nothin!
they are the most stubborn Musa iv ever had
djmb74
09-18-2009, 08:20 AM
Don't worry folks I have 5 up and coming pups from my Ae Ae's... will let you know when they can be weened from their mother! hehe :03:
Velutina
09-18-2009, 09:21 AM
I remember when Stokes Tropicals was selling Musa basjoo fro $250 each. I waited a year or two and bought a few for $10 a piece. Ae Ae may take a bit longer due to tissue culture issues, but i'll wait for the price to come down before I buy one. I'd much rather have a dark green or red/maroon plant over one with lack of pigmentation. They generally look sick in most situations anyways. They are quite nice when grown in the appropriate climate though :)
Clare_CA
09-18-2009, 09:25 AM
I definitely want more of these, but I would never pay that price that she is asking. I had four, but two didn't make it. The remaining two are questionable for now as to whether they will survive. They were small when I got them in the mail. I paid $100 each for them, and I know I paid too much. I won't pay that much again for them. I'll wait until I can find some for around $50 each before I buy them again. I do understand the rules of supply and demand so I don't fault the seller for asking that much. She will probably get what she is asking.
djmb74, I would buy some from you if I can meet your asking price.
cherokee_greg
09-18-2009, 10:06 AM
Don't worry folks I have 5 up and coming pups from my Ae Ae's... will let you know when they can be weened from their mother! hehe :03:
Maybe someday I will give it a try. I just have runts right now :02:
LOL but I love them any how. :woohoonaner:
IndianaSue
09-18-2009, 03:27 PM
I hope I can afford one of your pups, Martin. We'll have to see when the time comes!
Jananas Bananas
09-18-2009, 03:32 PM
Martin those 5 pups will go quickly! Are you making a list? If a slot is still open put me down for one! :) ~JaNan
djmb74
09-18-2009, 03:39 PM
nah I don't have a list yet...
They do grow slowly, have other banana plants with pups that just spurt right past the Ae Ae's in growth...
Clare_CA
09-18-2009, 03:44 PM
I'll start a new thread for my question.
adrift
09-18-2009, 03:49 PM
Sweet Mother of Jesus, she's proud of it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I take this seller is not "one of us"?
R
"Proud of it?" I don't get what you mean.
What price of admission does it take to be, "one of us?" Martha IS a member here, she just doesn't hang out to BS, participate in the organic wars, or make a pest of herself. She is a nice lady and sells good plants. I've gotten a few from her.
While people in CA have been finding sub-$50 plants recently, domestic Ae Ae typically has cost $150-$175 for most of last year from commercial places. And if someone wants to pay it...
Recently I saw someone pay $122.50 on eBay for something, an electronic device, claimed new, but out of original packaging. The surprising part: The item was available new and in stock, from the manufacturer for $60-$65 plus a few $ for shipping. Go figure.
Blake09
09-18-2009, 03:55 PM
Well that listing has ended, but heres anther one...
Ae Ae Banana Plant Live RARE Hard to find Older plant - eBay (item 390095712188 end time Oct-18-09 13:15:38 PDT) (http://cgi.ebay.com/Ae-Ae-Banana-Plant-Live-RARE-Hard-to-find-Older-plant_W0QQitemZ390095712188QQcategoryZ25463QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trks idZp4340.m263QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DSIC%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA %252BUA%252BFICS%252BUFI%26otn%3D10%26ps%3D63)
Richard
09-18-2009, 03:57 PM
Well that listing has ended, but heres anther one...
Ae Ae Banana Plant Live RARE Hard to find Older plant - eBay (item 390095712188 end time Oct-18-09 13:15:38 PDT) (http://cgi.ebay.com/Ae-Ae-Banana-Plant-Live-RARE-Hard-to-find-Older-plant_W0QQitemZ390095712188QQcategoryZ25463QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trks idZp4340.m263QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DSIC%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA %252BUA%252BFICS%252BUFI%26otn%3D10%26ps%3D63)
Price: US $179.99 :lurk:
adrift
09-18-2009, 04:00 PM
Lordy shes got some strict shipping policese
?eh?
Middle 48 states and not in freezing weather. That isn't unreasonable for a tropical plant.
they are the most stubborn Musa iv ever had
Yeah. That's why I'm not Jonesing for one myself. Fussy. (And my soil is white sugar sand with leftover rock phosphate.) Get tall. (And I have lots of leaf shredding wind.) Frost sensitive. (And I get lows of 25 to 27F)
Sometimes there's a lot to be said for Raja Puri's and Dwarf Orinocos!
Richard
09-18-2009, 04:15 PM
Not to mention steep pricing. That's a bubble that needs bursting. Maybe next year I'll start offering them at $40 each on my web site.
planetrj
09-18-2009, 04:46 PM
See, the thing is, I can completely understand pricing on a plant that is truly "rare", but I have 2 issues with this plant (sort of like Siam Ruby) when you go to certain places in Hawaii and you see them growing by the grove and sell for $10 each like it's no big deal, ya gotta think.. is this really such a big deal? Plus, the fact that this and SR are such finicky, fussy plants, don't we want to move forward with musa and not backward? Seems so interesting that a civilized mind would pay HUNDREDS more for a mutated and genetically deficient plant, isn't it? :ha:
Not to mention steep pricing. That's a bubble that needs bursting. Maybe next year I'll start offering them at $40 each on my web site.
djmb74
09-18-2009, 05:51 PM
Its a regal banana and I love them! Don't knock em until you have had one!
Isn't most royalty expensive and got some kind of genetic something or other going on?
damaclese
09-18-2009, 06:20 PM
?eh?
Middle 48 states and not in freezing weather. That isn't unreasonable for a tropical plant.
Yeah. That's why I'm not Jonesing for one myself. Fussy. (And my soil is white sugar sand with leftover rock phosphate.) Get tall. (And I have lots of leaf shredding wind.) Frost sensitive. (And I get lows of 25 to 27F)
Sometimes there's a lot to be said for Raja Puri's and Dwarf Orinocos!
adrift if you read the hole shipping policy you would see she absolves her self of allmost all responsibility for getting it to you hole which you cant do in the USA there are sunshine laws
and what! she may be be nice I'm not saying she isn't
where you insulted by my opinion?
mjdsinsacto
09-18-2009, 06:32 PM
Not to mention steep pricing. That's a bubble that needs bursting. Maybe next year I'll start offering them at $40 each on my web site.
Amen!
Personally, I'm not up to the challenge and expense.
I'm perfectly happy to tend my 4 young ensete maureliis--hoping to get a zebrina pup sometime soon. (fingers crossed)
planetrj
09-18-2009, 06:34 PM
Its a regal banana and I love them! Don't knock em until you have had one!
Isn't most royalty expensive and got some kind of genetic something or other going on?
you're right...I would never comment if I hadn't tried it. In fact, when I was in Hawaii, I shipped 1 to myself and 1 to my sister. She hated it and I fussed with mine for 11 months in shade... semi... sun... shade again... adjust fert... water less...water more... wind.... sun again... fuss fuss fuss fuss fuss....
Yeah.. I did try, and me no likey... lol... Agreed! Rajapuri, Orinoco and FHIAs won my heart over long ago. I'll get some variegated Clivias and Cannas if I wanna see some variegation. lol!!!
damaclese
09-18-2009, 06:45 PM
i have just not had the same experiences you all have iv found my Ae Ae to be just as ease as any other Musa to grow maybe its the heat and low humidity i don't know any way I'm sorry to hear that so many people don't like them there such beautiful plants
Rmplmnz
09-18-2009, 07:54 PM
See, the thing is, I can completely understand pricing on a plant that is truly "rare", but I have 2 issues with this plant (sort of like Siam Ruby) when you go to certain places in Hawaii and you see them growing by the grove and sell for $10 each like it's no big deal, ya gotta think.. is this really such a big deal? Plus, the fact that this and SR are such finicky, fussy plants, don't we want to move forward with musa and not backward? Seems so interesting that a civilized mind would pay HUNDREDS more for a mutated and genetically deficient plant, isn't it? :ha:
Where in Hawaii are there groves of this plant?
For $10??
Is this a mutated and genetically deficient plant?
The description I have read for this plant often mention that in early times it was reserved for Hawaiian Royalty and was Kapu for commoners. Did the mutation occur naturally?
This plant is different than Basjoo, Siam Ruby or Musella lasiocarpa, all of which have sold for very high price at one time or another, in that it has maintained this rarity and been priced very high (in relation to other bananas at the time) for over 25 years (to my recollection...maybe longer as this is when it first appeared on my radar)....
Rmplmnz
09-18-2009, 08:11 PM
i have just not had the same experiences you all have iv found my Ae Ae to be just as ease as any other Musa to grow maybe its the heat and low humidity i don't know any way I'm sorry to hear that so many people don't like them there such beautiful plants
My experience is that this is an excellent plant; but not easy to grow in comparison to other species. I do not use chemical fertilizers (strictly organic)..so this may add to my difficulties. Good drainage is key (most people that lose this plant over-water it or fail to control the moisture and it will turn to mush) ..so yes in a lower humidity environment this plant may do better.
NANAMAN
09-18-2009, 08:58 PM
Not to mention steep pricing. That's a bubble that needs bursting. Maybe next year I'll start offering them at $40 each on my web site.
I understand people not wanting to pay that much for an Ae Ae, that's why I sold a few of mine for considerably less.
IndianaSue
09-18-2009, 09:19 PM
I think the AeAe is a beautiful plant and wish that I could afford to purchase one!! Martha has always packed her plants well and I have NEVER had any issues with any of the ones that she has sent me.. I have not seen any nicely varigated ones like this one she has for any less.. And the size is good, I only wish I had the funds to purchase one..
NANAMAN
09-18-2009, 09:24 PM
My experience is that this is an excellent plant; but not easy to grow in comparison to other species. I do not use chemical fertilizers (strictly organic)..so this may add to my difficulties. Good drainage is key (most people that lose this plant over-water it or fail to control the moisture and it will turn to mush) ..so yes in a lower humidity environment this plant may do better.
Mine seem to grow as fast and as easily as any other musa Im growing. In fact, it suffered zero damage from three frosts in my yard last season. I'm also fertilizing mine with organics. I think keeping them growing at a fast pace, and growing them in full sun helps quite a bit. Probably doesn't hurt to have S.Fl. climate either.
Rmplmnz
09-18-2009, 09:34 PM
Mine seem to grow as fast and as easily as any other musa Im growing. In fact, it suffered zero damage from three frosts in my yard last season. I'm also fertilizing mine with organics. I think keeping them growing at a fast pace, and growing them in full sun helps quite a bit. Probably doesn't hurt to have S.Fl. climate either.
Kudos...on your Ae Ae success!
What do you use for fertilizer?
Frequency?
Quantity?
Thanks:bananas_b
Richard
09-18-2009, 09:37 PM
I think the AeAe is a beautiful plant and wish that I could afford to purchase one!! Martha has always packed her plants well and I have NEVER had any issues with any of the ones that she has sent me.. I have not seen any nicely varigated ones like this one she has for any less.. And the size is good, I only wish I had the funds to purchase one..
IndianaSue, my understanding is that these plants are about 20 inches? Is this considered a "good size" for this plant?
NANAMAN
09-18-2009, 09:50 PM
Prepaired soil with shrimp shell meal, bone meal, and blood meal. Also added Azomite, K-mag, concentrated humus, and beneficial bacteria. I fertilize monthly using irrigation injector- fish emulsion, liquid kelp, K-mag, worm tea, ect. I add composted horse bedding for mulch about three times per year! Can't give you quantities, I tweek them based on how they look, that's where the fun is!
Rmplmnz
09-18-2009, 10:04 PM
Prepaired soil with shrimp shell meal, bone meal, and blood meal. Also added Azomite, K-mag, concentrated humus, and beneficial bacteria. I fertilize monthly using irrigation injector- fish emulsion, liquid kelp, K-mag, worm tea, ect. I add composted horse bedding for mulch about three times per year!
Nice job..thanks..
My source for shrimp Meal stopped carrying it...although I did get about 1/2 ton of actual shrimp shells once (17 years ago) and those bananas grew like never before....I had a Red Iholene that looked like a Saba..Don Chafin did not believe it until I gave him a picture which he still had in his little photo book the last time I saw him (15 years after I gave him the picture).
Ok, I need to step it up and score some kelp meal & shrimp meal (locally; shipping is outrageous).
Thanks for the information; I will need to keep the squirrel patrol (Rat Terrier & Toy Fox Terrier) outa the organic fertilizer.
Amen!
Personally, I'm not up to the challenge and expense.
I'm perfectly happy to tend my 4 young ensete maureliis--hoping to get a zebrina pup sometime soon. (fingers crossed)
...not intending to hijack the thread but mjdsinsacto, the home depot in Vallejo has Zebrina in 1 gal that are very well established $5.95
No affiliation with home depot
Ray
NANAMAN
09-18-2009, 10:32 PM
I know that that the amendments can get expensive, but it's my hobby! If I were growing this stuff for sale, I'd have to charge a lot more than they're worth! But I eat all this stuff, so I'd rather not use the chem. Ferts. Besides, the fruit I get are plumper, tastier, and probably more full of nutrients, and enzymes than chem.ferted bananas. The use of added beneficial bacteria and microbes has really made a Big difference!
Rmplmnz
09-18-2009, 10:39 PM
I am with you Nanaman and you echo my sentiments....I am just lamenting that I had some inexpensive local sources for some of these items and they disappeared....I need to find suitable replacements;-0
IndianaSue
09-18-2009, 10:48 PM
Richard,
Considering I don't have one at all, I do think it is a good size.. I've seen others not to long ago as starter plants maybe 6 inches tall and they are close to that price.. Don't you think this plant looks healthy vs. a tiny starter plant? At any rate, I couldn't afford it anyway with the house rebuild, so unless someone gives me one, I won't have one in the near future.
NANAMAN
09-18-2009, 10:48 PM
I've thought about going into business as a supplier of organic amendments, just so I could get large quatities of this stuff! I knew that Im not the only one who wants it.
Rmplmnz
09-18-2009, 11:18 PM
I've thought about going into business as a supplier of organic amendments, just so I could get large quatities of this stuff! I knew that Im not the only one who wants it.
Cool...you should do that..just think of the positive impact on the environment.
If you have ever seen a shrimp processing plant in action you would know that they send tremendous waste to landfills and use significant amounts of water.
Coffee grounds...etc., Charge the dump fee on the receiving end and sell the product on the retail end.
Ex-Borrow Pit To Get New Use As Compost Farm
News - Mother's Organics (http://www.mothersorganics.com/about-us/060824-Tampa-Tribune.html)
Mother Nature is best friend for our yards (http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jul/26/pa-mother-nature-is-best-friend-for-our-yards/news-opinion-commentary/)
Richard
09-18-2009, 11:23 PM
Richard,
Considering I don't have one at all, I do think it is a good size.. I've seen others not to long ago as starter plants maybe 6 inches tall and they are close to that price.. Don't you think this plant looks healthy vs. a tiny starter plant? At any rate, I couldn't afford it anyway with the house rebuild, so unless someone gives me one, I won't have one in the near future.
I would think for the asking price it would be at least 3 feet tall with a football size corm.
IndianaSue
09-18-2009, 11:46 PM
Richard,
I'm curious... What size would your plants be if you were to sell them for $40 next year?
Richard
09-19-2009, 12:06 AM
Richard,
I'm curious... What size would your plants be if you were to sell them for $40 next year?
At least a baseball-size corm with a 3-inch diameter p-stem at the base and 30-inches of p-stem height.
And yes, I sell plants for a living too.
IndianaSue
09-19-2009, 12:09 AM
I'd be interested it that if the price was right.. Please keep me posted when you have some ready next season..
Richard
09-19-2009, 12:19 AM
I'd be interested it that if the price was right.. Please keep me posted when you have some ready next season..
I'll post some sort of availability list when I start offering plants from my web site next year.
Clare_CA
09-19-2009, 01:53 PM
All you people in Florida should get on the waiting list here: My Ae Ae's Brother (http://togofcoralgables.com/MyAeAesBrother.aspx) What a super thing. God Bless this person.
I think the price is pretty much determined by whatever someone is willing to pay for it. That's free enterprise, but it doesn't mean that everyone has to pay that price. There are good deals popping up all over the place. My friend found one at a nursery last year for under $50. It was huge in a five-gallon container, and he planted it in the ground, but it died over the winter. Some people here on this forum got some for under $50 at a local nursery last month. The going price locally seems to be $50 even if EBay doesn't reflect that. They are about that same price or cheaper in Florida, and they are even cheaper in Hawaii.
A couple of years ago, people were paying huge amounts for a purple-flowered plumeria. I sent one to a friend a couple of years ago who sold it on EBay for over $400. I just sold one this year for $35. The U.S. market was flooded with them really quickly as people bought and imported them from Thailand, which is the plumeria capital of the world right now. I believe as the supply goes up, the price will come down.
Clare_CA
09-19-2009, 01:54 PM
Richard, I would buy from you also. Please keep me in mind when you're ready to sell.
djmb74
09-19-2009, 03:38 PM
$40 is a great price wish I could of paid that small amount for the ones I got. I was thinking of charging more in the range of $75 a plant. I guess I will just tell me kids to stick to e-bay instead of trying to compete with guys like Richard.
They are about ready to start selling their mint plants on e-bay here soon as well...
Richard
09-19-2009, 03:54 PM
Richard, I would buy from you also. Please keep me in mind when you're ready to sell.
I'll post some sort of availability list when I start offering plants from my web site next year.
The basic story is that if you work with a wholesale nursery in Hawaii or similar, the Ae Ae's are shipped 120 to 190 per pallet depending on the source. The shipping works out to $1 or $2 per plant. If the source nursery has a standard U.S. nursery stock certificate and the shipping destination is in the U.S., then there is no need to pay for a phyto-certificate. The wholesale cost of the plants is currently under $20 each. It would be easy to flood the market with inexpensive Ae Ae's, and anyone here who sells plants is welcome to give it a try. The odds are better than blackjack.
Blake09
09-19-2009, 08:27 PM
Is a Musa 'Florida Variegate' a cheeper verson of the Ae Ae?
Or would it be worth more because of the red edges??
harveyc
09-19-2009, 11:23 PM
I have a friend that operates a nursery near Hilo who once said he could get Ae Ae easy for $10 but another friend in Kona that said they get snatched up quickly when offered for $50 and that they were scarce. The Hilo friend later said that our Mainland crazy had apparently dried up supplies and he doesn't see any around now. When Andrew when to Hawaii earlier this year he didn't find any at the nurseries he visited. Richard, have you actually confirmed that a wholesale source has the sort of quantities of Ae Ae that you are mentioning? It just doesn't agree with what others have told me. I'd love to get a few more at a cheap price to feel more comfortable about leaving my big Ae Ae outdoors this winter unprotected (it's over 20' tall now to leaf tips).
Richard
09-20-2009, 12:23 AM
I have a friend that operates a nursery near Hilo who once said he could get Ae Ae easy for $10 but another friend in Kona that said they get snatched up quickly when offered for $50 and that they were scarce. The Hilo friend later said that our Mainland crazy had apparently dried up supplies and he doesn't see any around now. When Andrew when to Hawaii earlier this year he didn't find any at the nurseries he visited. Richard, have you actually confirmed that a wholesale source has the sort of quantities of Ae Ae that you are mentioning? It just doesn't agree with what others have told me. I'd love to get a few more at a cheap price to feel more comfortable about leaving my big Ae Ae outdoors this winter unprotected (it's over 20' tall now to leaf tips).
Yes, I back-tracked through the distributors in California.
harveyc
09-20-2009, 12:30 AM
wow
Clare_CA
09-20-2009, 04:37 PM
Richard, how would you feel about buying a pallet wholesale and then selling to all of us, making a nice profit for yourself, of course, for your time and trouble. I am positive that you would sell them all. There are a whole bunch of folks over at Dave's Garden that would buy them if the price was reduced. I could help with shipping, distribution, whatever. I could even buy them up front and then re-sell, but I don't have a nursery license. Let me know if this interests you...
Clare_CA
09-20-2009, 04:47 PM
If we could just buy from here: Landcraft Environments Wholesale Tropical Plants for Temperate Climates: Green & White Foliage (http://www.landcraftenvironment.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=LANDCRAFT&Category_Code=GREENWHITE&usg=__O19lMzqfqXSxS7PIwUXrWtkL9mk=&h=200&w=150&sz=23&hl=en&start=8&sig2=kYLraPJJlWEo0S-_fVdLeg&um=1&tbnid=axy1bfoCWCF9UM:&tbnh=104&tbnw=78&prev=/images?q=Agave+angustifolia+variegata+Stripe+Caribbean+Agave&hl=en&sa=N&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=oMCtSqaqApKyswPLvOycBQ)
Rmplmnz
09-20-2009, 05:36 PM
I have seen many posts over the years predicting a precipitous drop in Ae Ae prices, personally I do not see this happening anytime soon. Some of the posts compare Ae Ae’s to Musella Lasiocarpa or Basjoo. This plant is different than Basjoo, Siam Ruby or Musella lasiocarpa, all of which have sold for very high price at one time or another, in that it has maintained this rarity and been priced very high (in relation to other bananas at the time) for over 25 years (to my recollection...most likely longer as this is when it first appeared on my radar).
Some posts have stated that there are groves of these bananas in Hawaii and that they are available for $10.
I have been to many of the large public gardens and many smaller gardens in Hawaii and the only garden I saw Ae Ae’s at was Waimea Falls on the North Shore of Hawaii and they were in a secured area behind a fence.
Where in Hawaii are there groves of this plant?
If I ever see a grove of Ae Ae's I am taking a picture so fast...
What nursery sells them for $10??
Post from 2007:
http://www.bananas.org/f3/ae-ae-banana-arrived-2867.html
This banana is rare even in Hawaii.
This is evidenced by the fact that someone broke in to the Maui Nui Botanical Garden and stole some of them:
Rare Hawaiian banana plants stolen from garden
By LILA FUJIMOTO, Staff Writer
POSTED: September 13, 2006
KAHULUI – After losing about $1,000 in landscaping tools and supplies during break-ins over the Labor Day weekend, Maui Nui Botanical Gardens was hoping Tuesday to get back a half-dozen rare native Hawaiian banana plants.
The keiki plants of the manini variety, which has green-and-white striped leaves and fruit, were dug up from the garden at Keopuolani Park during the first break-in on Sept. 4, said Executive Director Lisa Schattenburg-Raymond.
After spreading the word about the thefts, she said she learned Tuesday that someone had sold similar plants to a local business. She spoke with a Maui police officer who planned to investigate further and recover the plants Tuesday afternoon.
“They are just so ornamental. People just go crazy over it,” Schattenburg-Raymond said. “They are the Hawaiian variety, which makes it even more interesting. It was reserved for alii.”
The garden had offered limited quantities of the banana plants for sale for the past three years, Schattenburg-Raymond said. She estimated the thefts had set back the sale production for two years.
The plants are difficult to grow, with some plants not surviving and others turning albino or all green, she said.
“What we’re trying to do is preserve these rare Hawaiian plants,” she said. “Even though we’re trying to make these available, people are stealing them.”
Because the rare and valuable banana variety was targeted, along with hand tools and pesticides, Schattenburg-Raymond said she suspects the thief was someone familiar with the garden and involved in the landscaping industry.
Also taken during the first break-in were five 70-pound bales of Sunshine No. 4 potting mix, some large pots and a large container of Roundup herbicide.
The following night, thieves broke through the doors of the garden pesticide shed and the tool shed, damaging the security gates, and stealing herbicide and pesticides, a drill, a new LL Bean camouflage wind-up radio and a wagon. An alarm at the gardens went off at 3 a.m.
Some of the stolen items were found in the wagon in bushes near Keopuolani Park and the Maui Arts & Cultural Center the next day, Schattenburg-Raymond said.
She said she has heard about other thefts of plants taken from homeowners as well as businesses.
Anyone with information on the break-ins and thefts is asked to call Maui Nui Botanical Gardens at 249-2798 or Maui police at 244-6400.
Lila Fujimoto can be reached at lfujimoto@mauinews.com.
Rare Hawaiian banana plants stolen from garden - Mauinews.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Visitor's Information - The Maui News (http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/23228.html)
The nurseries that grow these bananas know the value.
I have contacted several Hawaiian nurseries that advertise them ($125 to $175 over the last 20 years and they rarely if ever have stock and when they put me on the wait list I never heard from them again. In 1994 I purchase an Ae Ae ($150 or so..can’t quite recall) from Pacific Tree Farm just outside of San Diego (it met a dire end from my dog). In 1995 I purchased an Ae Ae from Gong Bananas ($150 or so can’t quite recall). At the time they had a nice planting in a raised bed; they have since removed the Ae Ae from their catalog and reduced their planting to one large matte. In speaking with Don Chafin he has said that they are just too difficult to grow and that many of the pups turned green. Don actually gave me a green Ae Ae that I potted up and amazingly it went variegated. In 1998 I made a trip to San Diego and visited the only two nurseries that I knew of that currently or had stocked Ae Ae, Pacific Tree Farm and Exotica. All of the Pacific Tree Farm’s bananas were in pots, they had just one Ae Ae matte growing in a single pot. The person I spoke with said that they did better in the pots due to the poor drainage of the soil where the nursery was located (California clay). Exotica did not have any Ae Ae’s. Yes I know this was a loooonnng time ago and there are other Southern California nurseries that offer them (kudos to Andrew for his awesome fund!); they are just not commonly for sale at nurseries (California, Hawaii or Florida).
Going Bananas Ae Ae matte (April 2008).
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=9202&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=9202)
Going Bananas Raised Ae Ae bed (Fall 1994)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=23661&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=23661)
My first Ae Ae pup
Going Bananas Homestead, FL Fall 1994
Going Bananas had a raised bed with Ae Ae's. They actually still had them in their catalog with a manageable wait list (about a tenth of the size of today's Viente Cohol list). Each pup was labeled with nursery tape with the future owner's name on it.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=23664&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=23664)
Ironically all of the Ae Ae’s I have purchased (three) died. I have had the most success with the two that were given to me. The green one Don gave me eventually died (it made it through several generations over six years the last plant had bananas and no pups). The one I am currently growing I need to return a pup (or two/three) to the member that passed it on to me and hopefully one day participate in the expansion of the plant within board membership.
I hope the board members’ successes continue (come on Richard and JNS!!) and that every board member that wants to grow one has the opportunity to. I just do not see this banana becoming readily available in large quantities (at any price) anytime soon.
Thanks to all the great tips (Richard, Nanaman, JNS and others) that I have recently read on the board I am hoping to improve my plants and expand the planting of this great plant.
djmb74
09-20-2009, 06:16 PM
Just look it up on Snopes... The Ae Ae $10 myth. lol
Richard
09-20-2009, 06:18 PM
Richard, how would you feel about buying a pallet wholesale and then selling to all of us ...
I am currently in the process of buying trays and pallets of wholesale plants and other products to sell next spring. My thought is that bananas and perhaps other plants will be sold at a discount to bananas.org members. When I have that working (months away) I'll post something about it on bananas.org. From the business point of view, note that Ae Ae's are a good product but pale in comparison to several other fruits -- for example, a high-quality low-chill Persimmon tree.
Just look it up on Snopes... The Ae Ae $10 myth. lol
If you are an established distributor of nursery stock and have solid account references with wholesalers, you can talk directly firms that buy and sell plants as commodities. From there, the view is quite different.
djmb74
09-20-2009, 06:25 PM
Richard that was a joke... no need for a rebuttal. lol
Blake09
09-20-2009, 06:56 PM
If we could just buy from here: Landcraft Environments Wholesale Tropical Plants for Temperate Climates: Green & White Foliage (http://www.landcraftenvironment.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=LANDCRAFT&Category_Code=GREENWHITE&usg=__O19lMzqfqXSxS7PIwUXrWtkL9mk=&h=200&w=150&sz=23&hl=en&start=8&sig2=kYLraPJJlWEo0S-_fVdLeg&um=1&tbnid=axy1bfoCWCF9UM:&tbnh=104&tbnw=78&prev=/images?q=Agave+angustifolia+variegata+Stripe+Caribbean+Agave&hl=en&sa=N&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=oMCtSqaqApKyswPLvOycBQ)
It dosent show a price, and I dont fell like joining... What is the price?
I have seen many posts over the years predicting a precipitous drop in Ae Ae prices, personally I do not see this happening anytime soon. Some of the posts compare Ae Ae’s to Musella Lasiocarpa or Basjoo. This plant is different than Basjoo, Siam Ruby or Musella lasiocarpa, all of which have sold for very high price at one time or another, in that it has maintained this rarity and been priced very high (in relation to other bananas at the time) for over 25 years (to my recollection...most likely longer as this is when it first appeared on my radar).
Some posts have stated that there are groves of these bananas in Hawaii and that they are available for $10.
I have been to many of the large public gardens and many smaller gardens in Hawaii and the only garden I saw Ae Ae’s at was Waimea Falls on the North Shore of Hawaii and they were in a secured area behind a fence.
Where in Hawaii are there groves of this plant?
If I ever see a grove of Ae Ae's I am taking a picture so fast...
What nursery sells them for $10??
Post from 2007:
http://www.bananas.org/f3/ae-ae-banana-arrived-2867.html
This banana is rare even in Hawaii.
This is evidenced by the fact that someone broke in to the Maui Nui Botanical Garden and stole some of them:
Rare Hawaiian banana plants stolen from garden
By LILA FUJIMOTO, Staff Writer
POSTED: September 13, 2006
KAHULUI – After losing about $1,000 in landscaping tools and supplies during break-ins over the Labor Day weekend, Maui Nui Botanical Gardens was hoping Tuesday to get back a half-dozen rare native Hawaiian banana plants.
The keiki plants of the manini variety, which has green-and-white striped leaves and fruit, were dug up from the garden at Keopuolani Park during the first break-in on Sept. 4, said Executive Director Lisa Schattenburg-Raymond.
After spreading the word about the thefts, she said she learned Tuesday that someone had sold similar plants to a local business. She spoke with a Maui police officer who planned to investigate further and recover the plants Tuesday afternoon.
“They are just so ornamental. People just go crazy over it,” Schattenburg-Raymond said. “They are the Hawaiian variety, which makes it even more interesting. It was reserved for alii.”
The garden had offered limited quantities of the banana plants for sale for the past three years, Schattenburg-Raymond said. She estimated the thefts had set back the sale production for two years.
The plants are difficult to grow, with some plants not surviving and others turning albino or all green, she said.
“What we’re trying to do is preserve these rare Hawaiian plants,” she said. “Even though we’re trying to make these available, people are stealing them.”
Because the rare and valuable banana variety was targeted, along with hand tools and pesticides, Schattenburg-Raymond said she suspects the thief was someone familiar with the garden and involved in the landscaping industry.
Also taken during the first break-in were five 70-pound bales of Sunshine No. 4 potting mix, some large pots and a large container of Roundup herbicide.
The following night, thieves broke through the doors of the garden pesticide shed and the tool shed, damaging the security gates, and stealing herbicide and pesticides, a drill, a new LL Bean camouflage wind-up radio and a wagon. An alarm at the gardens went off at 3 a.m.
Some of the stolen items were found in the wagon in bushes near Keopuolani Park and the Maui Arts & Cultural Center the next day, Schattenburg-Raymond said.
She said she has heard about other thefts of plants taken from homeowners as well as businesses.
Anyone with information on the break-ins and thefts is asked to call Maui Nui Botanical Gardens at 249-2798 or Maui police at 244-6400.
Lila Fujimoto can be reached at lfujimoto@mauinews.com.
Rare Hawaiian banana plants stolen from garden - Mauinews.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Visitor's Information - The Maui News (http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/23228.html)
The nurseries that grow these bananas know the value.
I have contacted several Hawaiian nurseries that advertise them ($125 to $175 over the last 20 years and they rarely if ever have stock and when they put me on the wait list I never heard from them again. In 1994 I purchase an Ae Ae ($150 or so..can’t quite recall) from Pacific Tree Farm just outside of San Diego (it met a dire end from my dog). In 1995 I purchased an Ae Ae from Gong Bananas ($150 or so can’t quite recall). At the time they had a nice planting in a raised bed; they have since removed the Ae Ae from their catalog and reduced their planting to one large matte. In speaking with Don Chafin he has said that they are just too difficult to grow and that many of the pups turned green. Don actually gave me a green Ae Ae that I potted up and amazingly it went variegated. In 1998 I made a trip to San Diego and visited the only two nurseries that I knew of that currently or had stocked Ae Ae, Pacific Tree Farm and Exotica. All of the Pacific Tree Farm’s bananas were in pots, they had just one Ae Ae matte growing in a single pot. The person I spoke with said that they did better in the pots due to the poor drainage of the soil where the nursery was located (California clay). Exotica did not have any Ae Ae’s. Yes I know this was a loooonnng time ago and there are other Southern California nurseries that offer them (kudos to Andrew for his awesome fund!); they are just not commonly for sale at nurseries (California, Hawaii or Florida).
Going Bananas Ae Ae matte (Picture from April 2008).
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=9202&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=9202)
Ironically all of the Ae Ae’s I have purchased (three) died. I have had the most success with the two that were given to me. The green one Don gave me eventually died (it made it through several generations over six years the last plant had bananas and no pups). The one I am currently growing I need to return a pup (or two/three) to the member that passed it on to me and hopefully one day participate in the expansion of the plant within board membership.
I hope the board members’ successes continue (come on Richard and JNS!!) and that every board member that wants to grow one has the opportunity to. I just do not see this banana becoming readily available in large quantities (at any price) anytime soon.
Thanks to all the great tips (Richard, Nanaman, JNS and others) that I have recently read on the board I am hoping to improve my plants and expand the planting of this great plant.
WOW thanks for all that info!!
lol, If I could get one Id try em...
Add CV on the list for getting a pup from her in a couple of years... :D
Clare_CA
09-20-2009, 11:50 PM
Blake09, I think you have to have a nursery license or be a retailer to join, and then they'll let you know what the wholesale price is. It looks like they have some wonderful variegated plants.
Rmplmnz
09-21-2009, 09:21 AM
It would be interesting to see if they have large quantities of Ae Ae available for wholesale distribution (they are based in NY?). To Richard's point the wholesale price of plants is amazingly cheap. No disrespect to any of the board members; but I am skeptical that any nursery has pallets and pallets of Ae Ae and if they did why sell wholesale. I know most wholesalers are adamant that they will not do retail sales; but if the option is to sell 17 plants for $10 each wholesale or one plant retail at $170....
damaclese
09-21-2009, 09:23 AM
It would be interesting to see if they have large quantities of Ae Ae available for wholesale distribution (they are based in NY?). To Richard's point the wholesale price of plants is amazingly cheap. I am skeptical that any nursery has pallets and pallets of Ae Ae and if they did why sell wholesale. I know most wholesalers are adamant that they will not do retail sales; but if the option is to sell 17 plants for $10 each wholesale or one plant retail at $170....
I know which one id do!
hey i forgot to mention that if you add up to 40% vermiculite to your planting mix Ae Ae almost never rot this is what i do and i water my Ae Ae freely no problims what so ever
CValentine
09-21-2009, 09:58 AM
-- for example, a high-quality low-chill Persimmon tree.
Oh Yeah!!! Zone 7-11...That's a winner for me!!
Let me know??!!! :D ~Cheryl
Magilla Gorilla
09-21-2009, 11:28 PM
Wow! This is a good thread. I have 9 in the ground and they are not very hard to care for. If you live where you should not be growing bananas then of course the plant can fail on you. I have them in full sun and part shade and my full sun plants are doing better. My summer is very temperate. We don't have air conditioning. It does not get really hot (over 80).
I go to Hawaii every year and they are not $10.00. If they were all of you would have them! I spent two weeks on the big island last year looking and found one near Hilo for $250. Hawaiians are not stupid and selling them for $10.00.
I don't think this plant can be compared to the other "Rare" bananas many people have stated. These plants are not mass produced by tissue culture. Many people buy them on e-bay or from other members only to kill them. One day they could be cheaper but all of us want to make money and need to provide for our selves or families. I don't fault a seller trying to get top dollar for a plant. I do fault unscrupulous sellers for lying about what they are selling or charging to much for shipping. I have sold many and I bet if I sold them for next to nothing a few of those people would have flipped them for $150.
Hopefully I didn't offend anyone.
Andrew
Clare_CA
09-22-2009, 11:01 AM
I checked with the Landmark supplier and received this response:
"Unfortunately we do not ship to California.
We ship within the Northeast in our own trucks.
Sorry I couldn’t be of more help.
Heather"
Clare_CA
09-22-2009, 11:06 AM
Hi Andrew, I actually grew up in Santa Barbara, and my mom and brother still live there. I go there a few times a year still. You do have a lot of coastal fog there and not a lot of dry heat. I think I am a tad warmer here in Camarillo with less of the overcast weather. I think Santa Barbara does freeze on occasion though in the winter sometimes. Do you protect your bananas with something in the winter? I've seen some burn on the leaves of my AeAe right away, but I have variegated rubber plants, variegated adeniums, and variegated plumerias out in full sun, which do not get burned leaves. I think you're right that they definitely do better in some sun rather than part shade.
Magilla Gorilla
09-22-2009, 11:55 AM
Hi Andrew, I actually grew up in Santa Barbara, and my mom and brother still live there. I go there a few times a year still. You do have a lot of coastal fog there and not a lot of dry heat. I think I am a tad warmer here in Camarillo with less of the overcast weather. I think Santa Barbara does freeze on occasion though in the winter sometimes. Do you protect your bananas with something in the winter? I've seen some burn on the leaves of my AeAe right away, but I have variegated rubber plants, variegated adeniums, and variegated plumerias out in full sun, which do not get burned leaves. I think you're right that they definitely do better in some sun rather than part shade.
I do not protect them. I live on the mountian side of the 101 and am in an area that is warmer by 10 degrees than my friends one exit up. My partial shaded AeAe's are taller than my house. If you are in the area and want to check out some plants, let me know.
Blake09
09-22-2009, 02:37 PM
My partial shaded AeAe's are taller than my house. If you are in the area and want to check out some plants, let me know.
Pictures??
:D
Magilla Gorilla
09-22-2009, 06:03 PM
Pictures??
:D
In the begining I started with three pups. Two were California grown I got in southern CA and the smaller one was from Hilo Hawaii. The photo was taken on 9-27-2008
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l192/YeloZ06/Bananas/AeAe.jpg
The next picture was taken on 06-09-2009
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l192/YeloZ06/Bananas/pict0019-1.jpg
This is what they looked like on 08-03-2009. They are now over my house and the smallest is now the largest with three pups. It is now a jungle on that side of the house. I have Black Bamboo, Purple Sugar Cane, 8 or more Ice Cream bananas, Bromeliads, variegated Clivia and lots of other tropicals.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l192/YeloZ06/Bananas/00001.jpg
Jananas Bananas
09-22-2009, 06:12 PM
Very nice Andrew! ALL of it! ~JaNan
djmb74
09-22-2009, 06:25 PM
great pics!
Blake09
09-22-2009, 07:54 PM
Awsome!
:)
harveyc
09-22-2009, 08:43 PM
Looking great, Andrew, and I'm looking forward to seeing some fruit! :D
Wow Andrew looking at the progression of their growth is most impressive.
Pictures of fruit next year maybe?:woohoonaner:
Rmplmnz
09-22-2009, 09:17 PM
We have always planted the Ae Ae's in full sun.
Old old pics....June 24, 2000
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=23656&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=23656)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=23655&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=23655)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=23654&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=23654)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=23653&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=23653)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=23652&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=23652)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=23651&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=23651)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=23650&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=23650)
Magilla Gorilla
09-22-2009, 09:36 PM
Looking great, Andrew, and I'm looking forward to seeing some fruit! :D
Harvey, you will have to drive down and you will be the first to taste the fruit!
Wow Andrew looking at the progression of their growth is most impressive.
Pictures of fruit next year maybe?:woohoonaner:
I hope they do! They have grown even more since the August photo. The tallest one has 4 pups. I will take a photo tomorrow. I will also take a photo of the two in my front yard and post them.
harveyc
09-23-2009, 01:06 AM
I'd love to have an excuse like that to come down, Andrew.
My tall Ae Ae is a little over 20' tall (leaf tip) and is mostly bet up by the wind like in the photo Chris posted. I'm hoping for a mild winter!!!
Lagniappe
09-23-2009, 01:13 AM
At a glance, Harvey, I thought those were your plants. Great pics, Chris!
Magilla Gorilla
09-23-2009, 08:22 PM
The pictures I promissed. My AeAe canopy. The three plants are over 15 feet tall.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l192/YeloZ06/DSCN0352.jpghttp://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l192/YeloZ06/DSCN0351.jpg
An AeAe with a pup in front of my house.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l192/YeloZ06/DSCN0346.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l192/YeloZ06/DSCN0348.jpg
Jananas Bananas
09-23-2009, 08:39 PM
Gorgeous Andrew! I love that shot up the pstem!!!! Lovely yard too! ~JaNan :goteam:
damaclese
09-23-2009, 09:33 PM
I'd love to have an excuse like that to come down, Andrew.
My tall Ae Ae is a little over 20' tall (leaf tip) and is mostly bet up by the wind like in the photo Chris posted. I'm hoping for a mild winter!!!
havey i was thinking of leaving my ae ae out side this winter what do you do to yours for winter if any thing
Magilla Gorilla
09-23-2009, 10:07 PM
Awesome Andrew!
Are those Queen Palms in close proximity??
We have a few palms...those can be some work as well.
You splitting more wood lately..lol...
Yes they are queens. I will post the before and after front yard photos. I put the retaining walls in and all the plants. I have plumerias, Siam Ruby's, several types of colocasias, triangle palms, giant birds of paradise, Majesty palms, Pony tail palms, Kentia palms, white ginger, red ginger, yellow Christmas heliconias, bromeliads, pineapples plants, red cannas, truly tiny bananas, super dwarf Cavendish bananas, Chinese bananas and a King palm (not like I have a list of the plants :) ).
The 4 chords of wood is stacked and ready for the winter.
Gorgeous Andrew! I love that shot up the pstem!!!! Lovely yard too! ~JaNan :goteam:
Thank you very much!
BadPun
09-24-2009, 11:40 PM
I thought I'd post some pictures of the 3 AE AE bananas I got for the bargain basement price of $49.99 for the largest and $32.99 for the two smaller ones.
I dug out a small patch of yard under an apple tree to try to give them some shade. I took the top 2ft of clay soil out and mixed in around 25 cubic feet of commercially available compost, around 7-8 50 lb bags of sand (before I hear from Richard this may not be the bestest of options for fruiting plants lol), 3 cubic feet of steer manure, and a sprinkling of kelp extract (mixed with water), alfalfa meal, cottonseed meal, green sand, Sul Po Mag, Peat Moss, and a tiny bit of 13-13-13. I planted them each 3-4 feet apart. They're really starting to take off with each having put out 1-2 new leaves.
View from above
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=23795&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=23795&ppuser=5482)
This one has beautiful pink and white variegation on the pseudostem.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=23797&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=23797&ppuser=5482)
New leaf on the 2nd biggest (or 2nd smallest if you prefer). This one has the most striking variegation of the 3.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=23796&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=23796&ppuser=5482)
Flowering AE AE :O Canna-Banana Apple Hybrid... The leaf measures 33 inches so far... gonna be a big leaf, especially since the pseudostem is only around 36 inches.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=23799&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=23799&ppuser=5482)
AE AE Jungle.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=23798&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=23798&ppuser=5482)
Does Ae Ae stand for something? Or is it the actual cultivar name?
Thank you,
Ray
BadPun
09-25-2009, 12:51 AM
Does Ae Ae stand for something? Or is it the actual cultivar name?
Thank you,
Ray
From the Wiki:
Koa'e is the tropic bird and (a'e a'e) means 'hair prematurely graying' and the manini fish has light and dark stripes
damaclese
09-25-2009, 08:05 AM
BadPun your soil mix doesn't sound that bad i think the important part of growing Ae Ae is that they be in vary well drained soil so what if you have to water more often at least they are less likely to rot i put a hole bag of vermiculite in the 36" pot i have my Ae in the water runs out as fast as i can put it in but my plant is strong and healthy and i do have to fertilize pretty often yours looks good to me besides growing Ae is more an exercise in ornamentals then it is for fruit production don't you think?
Jananas Bananas
09-25-2009, 08:15 AM
Beautiful pictures BadPun!
CValentine
09-25-2009, 11:09 AM
Beautiful Ae Ae's BadPun!! :) ~Cheryl
Blake09
09-25-2009, 11:18 AM
WOW, you have such a pretty Ae Ae, and what a great price BadPun :woohoonaner:
Update on the sales...
Ae Ae Banana Plant Live RARE Hard to find Older plant - eBay (item 390095712188 end time Oct-18-09 13:15:38 PDT) (http://cgi.ebay.com/Ae-Ae-Banana-Plant-Live-RARE-Hard-to-find-Older-plant_W0QQitemZ390095712188QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0 ?hash=item5ad3842fbc&_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116)
RARE IRREGULAR variegated banana AE AE 2-3' collectors - eBay (item 300350982034 end time Sep-27-09 18:40:55 PDT) (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300350982034&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:VRI)
From the Wiki:
Koa'e is the tropic bird and (a'e a'e) means 'hair prematurely graying' and the manini fish has light and dark stripes
Thanks for the explanation BadPun
Ray
Dalmatiansoap
09-28-2009, 07:09 AM
Naaaah,
I have changed my mind again while looking this naners here.
I would like to trade this beautifull painting for Ae Ae plant.
This is a realy the best thing I can offer right now.
:drum::drum::drum::drum::drum:
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=23942&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=23942&ppuser=4565)
This is oil on canvas painting.
Dimensions: 50x60cm
Regards from Croatia:nanadrink:
:woohoonaner:
Jack Daw
09-28-2009, 02:27 PM
Naaaah,
I have changed my mind again while looking this naners here.
I would like to trade this beautifull painting for Ae Ae plant.
This is a realy the best thing I can offer right now.
:drum::drum::drum::drum::drum:
This is oil on canvas painting.
Dimensions: 50x60cm
Regards from Croatia:nanadrink:
:woohoonaner:
Don't be silly Ante, it might be worth million in 20 years. :ha:
exovetek
10-23-2009, 08:38 PM
Yes, I back-tracked through the distributors in California.
Richard. I have yet to be one of the lucky ones to find an AEAE at a local nursery for $50. If you know of any retailers in the San Diego Area that do carry them at a reasonable price. Please share the info.
Richard
10-23-2009, 08:57 PM
Richard. I have yet to be one of the lucky ones to find an AEAE at a local nursery for $50. If you know of any retailers in the San Diego Area that do carry them at a reasonable price. Please share the info.
Seth, in the posts below you'll see I was discussing wholesale nurseries that deal in pallets of plants. In the case of Ae Ae, they are overseas.
exovetek
10-23-2009, 11:16 PM
Seth, in the posts below you'll see I was discussing wholesale nurseries that deal in pallets of plants. In the case of Ae Ae, they are overseas.
OK, Thanks for the clarification. Harvey specifically asked about wholesale AeAes when you mentioned backtracking through California distributors. That's how I got confused I guess.
I have a friend that operates a nursery near Hilo who once said he could get Ae Ae easy for $10 but another friend in Kona that said they get snatched up quickly when offered for $50 and that they were scarce. The Hilo friend later said that our Mainland crazy had apparently dried up supplies and he doesn't see any around now. When Andrew when to Hawaii earlier this year he didn't find any at the nurseries he visited. Richard, have you actually confirmed that a wholesale source has the sort of quantities of Ae Ae that you are mentioning? It just doesn't agree with what others have told me. I'd love to get a few more at a cheap price to feel more comfortable about leaving my big Ae Ae outdoors this winter unprotected (it's over 20' tall now to leaf tips).
Yes, I back-tracked through the distributors in California.
Richard
10-23-2009, 11:48 PM
OK, Thanks for the clarification. Harvey specifically asked about wholesale AeAes when you mentioned backtracking through California distributors. That's how I got confused I guess.
O.K., in terms of the nursery industry, there are:
retail nurseries -- e.g., Armstrong and Green Thumb.
distributors and wholesalers -- e.g., Hines nursery in Fallbrook.
seed and plant start suppliers -- e.g., Ball Seeds and Agristarts.
brokers -- buy, sell, import shipping container loads of plants.
For example, Armstrong obtains plants from their own wholesale growing grounds and wholesalers like Hines. Hines obtains plant material via seeds, TC's, and brokers. A broker's expertise is in who all the wholesale buyers and sellers are in their industry, and not in the product itself.
Rmplmnz
10-28-2009, 09:22 PM
Seth, in the posts below you'll see I was discussing wholesale nurseries that deal in pallets of plants. In the case of Ae Ae, they are overseas.
What country has a wholesaler selling pallets of Ae Ae?
Juts curious as it will rapidly move up on my travel list.
Thanks
Vickie H.
10-29-2009, 12:37 PM
I have 2 Ae Ae's I bought off ebay in March. I am zone 6. So far they are doing okay. I paid $150 each. Now lets see if 8 months of Fall and Winter and early Spring inside will have them survive. I found spider mite so far and have sprayed them. Good thing I had that on hand. I do not over water them while they are inside. And they are in a west window. We do not have a lot of sunny days here in winter. I also mist them about every day. If they die I will not try this again. It was my 28th anniversary present.
Jack Daw
10-29-2009, 02:53 PM
I have 2 Ae Ae's I bought off ebay in March. I am zone 6. So far they are doing okay. I paid $150 each. Now lets see if 8 months of Fall and Winter and early Spring inside will have them survive. I found spider mite so far and have sprayed them. Good thing I had that on hand. I do not over water them while they are inside. And they are in a west window. We do not have a lot of sunny days here in winter. I also mist them about every day. If they die I will not try this again. It was my 28th anniversary present.
Good luck, Vickie!
mjdsinsacto
10-29-2009, 04:27 PM
I have 2 Ae Ae's I bought off ebay in March. I am zone 6. So far they are doing okay. I paid $150 each. Now lets see if 8 months of Fall and Winter and early Spring inside will have them survive. I found spider mite so far and have sprayed them. Good thing I had that on hand. I do not over water them while they are inside. And they are in a west window. We do not have a lot of sunny days here in winter. I also mist them about every day. If they die I will not try this again. It was my 28th anniversary present.
Fingers crossed!
PR-Giants
09-05-2015, 07:45 AM
I have seen many posts over the years predicting a precipitous drop in Ae Ae prices, personally I do not see this happening anytime soon. Some of the posts compare Ae Ae’s to Musella Lasiocarpa or Basjoo. This plant is different than Basjoo, Siam Ruby or Musella lasiocarpa, all of which have sold for very high price at one time or another, in that it has maintained this rarity and been priced very high (in relation to other bananas at the time) for over 25 years (to my recollection...most likely longer as this is when it first appeared on my radar).
Some posts have stated that there are groves of these bananas in Hawaii and that they are available for $10.
I have been to many of the large public gardens and many smaller gardens in Hawaii and the only garden I saw Ae Ae’s at was Waimea Falls on the North Shore of Hawaii and they were in a secured area behind a fence.
Where in Hawaii are there groves of this plant?
If I ever see a grove of Ae Ae's I am taking a picture so fast...
What nursery sells them for $10??
Post from 2007:
http://www.bananas.org/f3/ae-ae-banana-arrived-2867.html
This banana is rare even in Hawaii.
This is evidenced by the fact that someone broke in to the Maui Nui Botanical Garden and stole some of them:
Rare Hawaiian banana plants stolen from garden
By LILA FUJIMOTO, Staff Writer
POSTED: September 13, 2006
KAHULUI – After losing about $1,000 in landscaping tools and supplies during break-ins over the Labor Day weekend, Maui Nui Botanical Gardens was hoping Tuesday to get back a half-dozen rare native Hawaiian banana plants.
The keiki plants of the manini variety, which has green-and-white striped leaves and fruit, were dug up from the garden at Keopuolani Park during the first break-in on Sept. 4, said Executive Director Lisa Schattenburg-Raymond.
After spreading the word about the thefts, she said she learned Tuesday that someone had sold similar plants to a local business. She spoke with a Maui police officer who planned to investigate further and recover the plants Tuesday afternoon.
“They are just so ornamental. People just go crazy over it,” Schattenburg-Raymond said. “They are the Hawaiian variety, which makes it even more interesting. It was reserved for alii.”
The garden had offered limited quantities of the banana plants for sale for the past three years, Schattenburg-Raymond said. She estimated the thefts had set back the sale production for two years.
The plants are difficult to grow, with some plants not surviving and others turning albino or all green, she said.
“What we’re trying to do is preserve these rare Hawaiian plants,” she said. “Even though we’re trying to make these available, people are stealing them.”
Because the rare and valuable banana variety was targeted, along with hand tools and pesticides, Schattenburg-Raymond said she suspects the thief was someone familiar with the garden and involved in the landscaping industry.
Also taken during the first break-in were five 70-pound bales of Sunshine No. 4 potting mix, some large pots and a large container of Roundup herbicide.
The following night, thieves broke through the doors of the garden pesticide shed and the tool shed, damaging the security gates, and stealing herbicide and pesticides, a drill, a new LL Bean camouflage wind-up radio and a wagon. An alarm at the gardens went off at 3 a.m.
Some of the stolen items were found in the wagon in bushes near Keopuolani Park and the Maui Arts & Cultural Center the next day, Schattenburg-Raymond said.
She said she has heard about other thefts of plants taken from homeowners as well as businesses.
Anyone with information on the break-ins and thefts is asked to call Maui Nui Botanical Gardens at 249-2798 or Maui police at 244-6400.
Lila Fujimoto can be reached at lfujimoto@mauinews.com.
Rare Hawaiian banana plants stolen from garden - Mauinews.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Visitor's Information - The Maui News (http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/23228.html)
The nurseries that grow these bananas know the value.
I have contacted several Hawaiian nurseries that advertise them ($125 to $175 over the last 20 years and they rarely if ever have stock and when they put me on the wait list I never heard from them again. In 1994 I purchase an Ae Ae ($150 or so..can’t quite recall) from Pacific Tree Farm just outside of San Diego (it met a dire end from my dog). In 1995 I purchased an Ae Ae from Gong Bananas ($150 or so can’t quite recall). At the time they had a nice planting in a raised bed; they have since removed the Ae Ae from their catalog and reduced their planting to one large matte. In speaking with Don Chafin he has said that they are just too difficult to grow and that many of the pups turned green. Don actually gave me a green Ae Ae that I potted up and amazingly it went variegated. In 1998 I made a trip to San Diego and visited the only two nurseries that I knew of that currently or had stocked Ae Ae, Pacific Tree Farm and Exotica. All of the Pacific Tree Farm’s bananas were in pots, they had just one Ae Ae matte growing in a single pot. The person I spoke with said that they did better in the pots due to the poor drainage of the soil where the nursery was located (California clay). Exotica did not have any Ae Ae’s. Yes I know this was a loooonnng time ago and there are other Southern California nurseries that offer them (kudos to Andrew for his awesome fund!); they are just not commonly for sale at nurseries (California, Hawaii or Florida).
Going Bananas Ae Ae matte (April 2008).
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=9202&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=9202)
Going Bananas Raised Ae Ae bed (Fall 1994)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=23661&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=23661)
My first Ae Ae pup
Going Bananas Homestead, FL Fall 1994
Going Bananas had a raised bed with Ae Ae's. They actually still had them in their catalog with a manageable wait list (about a tenth of the size of today's Viente Cohol list). Each pup was labeled with nursery tape with the future owner's name on it.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=23664&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=23664)
Ironically all of the Ae Ae’s I have purchased (three) died. I have had the most success with the two that were given to me. The green one Don gave me eventually died (it made it through several generations over six years the last plant had bananas and no pups). The one I am currently growing I need to return a pup (or two/three) to the member that passed it on to me and hopefully one day participate in the expansion of the plant within board membership.
I hope the board members’ successes continue (come on Richard and JNS!!) and that every board member that wants to grow one has the opportunity to. I just do not see this banana becoming readily available in large quantities (at any price) anytime soon.
Thanks to all the great tips (Richard, Nanaman, JNS and others) that I have recently read on the board I am hoping to improve my plants and expand the planting of this great plant.
Very Interesting :lurk:
Thanks for sharing
tanfenton
09-05-2015, 08:43 AM
If I'm ever able to coax life out of an A'ea'e, I'll be mailing out the pups for a sum dramatically less than that discussed in this thread.
N.
edzone9
09-06-2015, 09:18 AM
My Manini Should arrive this Tuesday Cant wait to observe its growing habit, I will be putting it up against the NE winter to see how it does, Once i harvest a few pups from the mother plant, Will be planted in the front of my property :08:.
Ed
PR-Giants
09-06-2015, 12:04 PM
My Manini Should arrive this Tuesday Cant wait to observe its growing habit, I will be putting it up against the NE winter to see how it does, Once i harvest a few pups from the mother plant, Will be planted in the front of my property :08:.
Ed
Plan on Monday Manini Man
harveyc
09-06-2015, 12:26 PM
Monday is Labor Day and no packages are being delivered.
When is mine coming?? :)
PR-Giants
09-06-2015, 12:47 PM
Monday is Labor Day and no packages are being delivered.
When is mine coming?? :)
I thought I was going to the beach after meeting with some government officials on Monday now it's a Day of Labor, and Tuesday is beach day.
Thanks
Rmplmnz
12-17-2015, 10:25 PM
PR Giants....looks like you have some competition on your Island:
Two Hawaiian Variegated Banana Plants - Very Rare & Beautiful tree
Price:US $249.99
Shipping: Free Local Pickup | See details
Item location: Palmas del Mar, Puerto Rico, United States
Ships to: Local pick-up only
Two Hawaiian Variegated Banana Plants - Very Rare & Beautiful tree (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Two-Hawaiian-Variegated-Banana-Plants-Very-Rare-Beautiful-tree-/252149542299?hash=item3ab548ad9b:g:VDsAAOSwAYtWJ7W~)
or a Single for: Price:US $124.99
A'ea'e Hawaiian Variegated & Kokopo Banana Plant - Very Rare & Beautiful tree (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aeae-Hawaiian-Variegated-Kokopo-Banana-Plant-Very-Rare-Beautiful-tree-/252135401299?hash=item3ab470e753:g:VDsAAOSwAYtWJ7W~)
These are the only listings currently on EBay...looks like we will have to wait a while for the big price drop.
PR-Giants
12-18-2015, 07:51 AM
Bump :lurk:
PR Giants....looks like you have some competition on your Island:
Two Hawaiian Variegated Banana Plants - Very Rare & Beautiful tree
Price:US $249.99
Shipping: Free Local Pickup | See details
Item location: Palmas del Mar, Puerto Rico, United States
Ships to: Local pick-up only
Two Hawaiian Variegated Banana Plants - Very Rare & Beautiful tree (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Two-Hawaiian-Variegated-Banana-Plants-Very-Rare-Beautiful-tree-/252149542299?hash=item3ab548ad9b:g:VDsAAOSwAYtWJ7W~)
or a Single for: Price:US $124.99
A'ea'e Hawaiian Variegated & Kokopo Banana Plant - Very Rare & Beautiful tree (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aeae-Hawaiian-Variegated-Kokopo-Banana-Plant-Very-Rare-Beautiful-tree-/252135401299?hash=item3ab470e753:g:VDsAAOSwAYtWJ7W~)
These are the only listings currently on EBay...looks like we will have to wait a while for the big price drop.
PR-Giants
12-19-2015, 10:09 AM
:woohoonaner:
Chris, great eBay find... Thanks for Sharing
I don't even try to compete with those Manini Mutts. Ever since that Hairy Hawaiian took over on January 10, 2015 they've been running a 24/7/365 operation. They have a crew of a few dozen, all equipped with 4-PawDrive making that steep mountain work seem like play time. Every night they dig up hundreds of dem variegated naners and then spend all day haulin'em away.
Just emerged from the jungle a few minutes ago.
Possible Hairy Hawaiian Goldfinger or Fudd's Wabbit.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=57095 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=57095)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=50787 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=50787)
PR Giants....looks like you have some competition on your Island:
Two Hawaiian Variegated Banana Plants - Very Rare & Beautiful tree
Price:US $249.99
Shipping: Free Local Pickup | See details
Item location: Palmas del Mar, Puerto Rico, United States
Ships to: Local pick-up only
Two Hawaiian Variegated Banana Plants - Very Rare & Beautiful tree (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Two-Hawaiian-Variegated-Banana-Plants-Very-Rare-Beautiful-tree-/252149542299?hash=item3ab548ad9b:g:VDsAAOSwAYtWJ7W~)
or a Single for: Price:US $124.99
A'ea'e Hawaiian Variegated & Kokopo Banana Plant - Very Rare & Beautiful tree (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aeae-Hawaiian-Variegated-Kokopo-Banana-Plant-Very-Rare-Beautiful-tree-/252135401299?hash=item3ab470e753:g:VDsAAOSwAYtWJ7W~)
These are the only listings currently on EBay...looks like we will have to wait a while for the big price drop.
Rmplmnz
12-19-2015, 09:30 PM
:woohoonaner:
Chris, great eBay find... Thanks for Sharing
I don't even try to compete with those Manini Mutts. Ever since that Hairy Hawaiian took over on January 10, 2015 they've been running a 24/7/365 operation. They have a crew of a few dozen, all equipped with 4-PawDrive making that steep mountain work seem like play time. Every night they dig up hundreds of dem variegated naners and then spend all day haulin'em away.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=50787 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=50787)
Ha ha..too funny....you have certainly expanded the member population growing Ae Ae....we are all grateful for the time and effort you put in to the board and the favorable pricing to members!!
And you are a dog lover!
All of our plants are inspected!:nanadrink:
You can see Hector "K4YD" (from PR) holding a Dwarf Brazilian corm and the banana inspectors!
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=33988&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=33988)http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=33941&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=33941)http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=34017&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=34017)http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=34393&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=34393)http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=34394&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=34394)http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=34400&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=34400)
PR-Giants
12-20-2015, 12:05 PM
Ha ha..too funny....
And you are a dog lover!
Most of what I wrote was serious and the Manini Mountain Sanctuary 4 Mutts wasn't by design.
Puerto Rico has a huge Sato (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sato_(dog)) problem and the Government is issuing steep fines for dumping dogs in public, so folks try to avoid detection by dumping them up in the mountains.
The little guy on the left was dumped about a month ago in the middle of the night and just kept crying.(why do people slam their doors after illegal dumping?) Lucky for him, he was a leg lifter and gained immediate entrance. Come to find out in the morning the lifter was dumped with 4 squatters that have not gained entrance and are still on the street.
The pup on the right was part of a 3 pack a few months ago (2 lifters & 1 squatter). I didn't want to leave the squatter solo, so all 3 were denied entrance. They circled the farm for about a month before deciding on the Patrick Henry strategy.
http://s19.postimg.org/mtg2j4e4z/010_900x675.jpg (http://postimage.org/)
Below, is the squatter of that 3 pack. vb probably thinks it's an Orinoco pup because of the $95 worth of stitches it took to fix'it.
Congratulations on your first bunch!
Your plant isn't Namwah. That "stitching" (the tan cracks/lines on the fruit peel) is very typical of Orinoco and close relatives, but this bunch doesn't perfectly fit Orinoco to my eye. I'm not sure what you have.
http://s19.postimg.org/pot5pzi4z/080_900x674.jpg (http://postimage.org/)
PR-Giants
12-20-2015, 05:45 PM
http://s19.postimg.org/42iqmp8yb/025_900x506.jpg (http://postimage.org/)
http://s19.postimg.org/vbu417a1f/027_900x506.jpg (http://postimage.org/)
Rmplmnz
12-20-2015, 10:53 PM
Very sad....you are a generous person!
PR-Giants
12-22-2015, 08:32 PM
Very sad....you are a generous person!
It definitely is sad and no one person will ever make a difference.
In Puerto Rico, most consider feral dogs like rats.
Lucky, the little puppy was playing with his 4 siblings on the road, it was his first time on the road and he got run over by the first car.
Anyway, here is the third of this last 3 pack.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=57055 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=57055)
PR-Giants
12-31-2015, 04:37 PM
There were a few inquiries about Lucky, so here's an update.
Lucky got his name after the car encounter, and he obviously had the crap knocked out of him. Fortunately the driver was only able to accelerate up to 35 or 40 and by aiming for a center strike was unable to get a tire on the little guy. He went for quite a ride before sliding under the car and bouncing a few times.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=56224&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=56224)
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