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View Full Version : Intro: Mickie (Banana Nut)


BananaNut
09-23-2009, 04:54 PM
Ok, Hello all,
I will start by telling the truth --- I know nothing about bananas, except that I love to eat and to bake with them. I am 63 this week. :woohoonaner: I am solo. :boohoonaner: I moved here to Ecuador three months ago and hope to remain here as long as I am able. My family says "Mom - you are nuts". And, maybe I am, but I feel better here, my money definitly goes farther, I am healthier and happier here. NO stress makes life better. I am making friends and learning the language. I have discovered there are many differrent kinds of bananas growing here on this land and everybody seems to grow bananas down here. One kind or another and some people are growing several different kinds. So I just want to learn about bananas and HOW to grow them and WHAT KIND I want to grow for myself. Also, how long do the tree have to grow before they produce edible fruit. There are many other kinds of fruit growing here. So I have a lot to learn.....Never to old to learn. How do I start new trees....plant a piece of the banana? a tiny black seed out of the middle of the banana? or what??? HELP!!!!! Please, please, please!!!!!

LilRaverBoi
09-23-2009, 05:04 PM
Welcome to the site! Sounds like you'll enjoy it here and learn a lot! There are lots of types of edible bananas you can grow in your area (most anything actually!). As far as how to get plants started, you can separate pups (baby plants that grow off the base of other plants...directions in the forums on how to separate), or plant seeds if the banana is a seeded variety (so that's a NO for edible types....so stick to pups). Bananas can also be tissue cultured, but that's a much more complicated process you might not want to get into right off the bat. I would recommend watching the classified for plants for sale, or find some friends in the area with bananas you can get pups from. Hope that helps! ENJOY THE SITE!

CValentine
09-23-2009, 05:42 PM
Welcome Mickie!!
Good to have you with all us Banana Crazies!! :ha:

Happy Birthday to You ALSO!!!

Just start roaming around here on the Org & you'll pick stuff up quick!!
I've only been growing bananas 3 months & I'll love it forever!!!

Hope all goes well & you can stay in paradise!!
Post often & remember to HAVE FUN with it!! :) ~Cheryl

MediaHound
09-23-2009, 07:00 PM
Welcome! We have a dear member of ours, Lorax, there in Ecuador as well. I am sure she will get wind of this thread and be your best buddy soon enough.
Welcome aboard!

bencelest
09-24-2009, 12:59 AM
Do you live in the country or in the city? Is your yard going to be big enough for your banana plants? I am curious because you can grow any type of bananas there so you'll need a lot of space.
And welcome!
Benny

Eric
09-24-2009, 04:00 AM
:nanerwizard: Happy Birthday, Mickie :), & Welcome aboard! :nanerwizard:
Remember, you're only as old as ya feel SO you must be pretty young! We're all just a little Bananas here, anyway! Bryan's got it pegged. If a banana does have seeds, it's not very edible & the seeds are usually 1/4-1/2" wide & like little rocks. Best way to get a nanner plant is, like Bryan said, to find a big plant that seems to have littler ones around it's trunk. Just be sure & cut a small piece of that trunk & get some roots to go with it.
Like Jarred said, Lorax is here (Quito Ecuador) and will definitely want to meet you, too! She grows Giant Sweet plantain & other nanners down there.
There's lots of great info & lots of nanner specialists here! It's a very friendly forum with lots to do & lots to learn. Hope ya have a great time :) ! If ya have any questions about using the forum, just ask.
Enjoy!

Dalmatiansoap
09-24-2009, 05:33 AM
Welcome from Croatia!
:woohoonaner:

damaclese
09-24-2009, 06:56 AM
welcome to are Nutty World

cherokee_greg
09-24-2009, 08:03 AM
Mickie
Welcome from California. :woohoonaner: Im happy you found this great group. Donot feel bad there is allot of us learning. Thats ok. Have fun. I know soon you will have lots of bananas growing. I know for me I started with two when I first joined I think I been here for about a month now. I now have about 11 banana plants and two coming . I had to thin out a bunch of cannas I dug more beds and thinking of were I can put some more. Bananas are very adicting :woohoonaner: But thats ok.
Again welcome and have fun
Greg :birthdaynana: and happy birthday to you :02::0517:

lorax
09-24-2009, 10:34 AM
w00t! Another Ecuadorean! Welcome aboard, Mickie!

I started in Vilcabamba when I moved down (at age 25, my friends all said ''Beth, you're nuts!''), and it is absolute heck trying to keep the bananas alive during the dry season there - the wind just robs them of all moisture. Where in the valley are you? Up on the slopes of Mandango is the hardest place in the valley to grow, but if you're in the basin or in one of Miguel's houses in the greener valley towards Yanganá you've got a much better chance. If you're ever up towards Izhcayluma, say hi to Peter and Dieter for me.

Most of what was growing in Vilca when I left was Dwarf Cav, Platano Macho, and Orito, but if you take the bus in to Malacatos you should also be able to find plants of Rosado or Morado and possibly also Maqueño. DC is the standard grocery store banana you're used to from North America. Orito are the teeny little fingers you can usually get at tienda Marisol in the village proper, and definitely at the weekend market in the bus station square. Rosados, as the name implies, have red skins, and Maqueños are unmistakeable since they're gigantic. They will all grow in the valley provided that you water them and plant them in a fairly wind-sheltered location. The fastest to fruit at about 1 year from planting the pup are the Oritos. The slowest are the cooking plantains at nearly 2 years; those plants get really big, though. Start your plants from offshoots, called ''pups'' in English and ''plantas pequeñas de banano'' in Spanish. Edibles don't have seeds.

Most people in the valley are very friendly and will gladly sell you pups - ask Vicente at Hostal Pinar del Rio which is down by Casa Tinku on the Rio Vilcabamba; if he doesn't have Orito pups at the moment, he will be able to point you in the right direction (and send my best wishes!). Ditto Gerry at the book exchange. Alcides, who is one of the taxi drivers for the cooperative at the bus station, will likely also know who to ask if he doesn't sell you DC pups himself.

And Eric, I'm in Puyo now - the move went through. It's better for bananas all round - you would not believe the soil difference!

BananaNut
09-25-2009, 10:36 AM
Hola Beth,

Thanks for the quick and nice response. Very helpful.....now if I can just remember all of it. I don't get into town often and I do not know very many people because I so not speak spanish very well...in fact hardly at all.

I moved here three months ago and did not speak any spanish beyond the usual Buenos Dias and Hola. I am very slightly better now. I moved into one of the apartments at La Molienda de El Atillo. It is very beautiful here, but also very expensive. So my eyes are open for something more in my budget.
But, who knows when I will move. I would love to just house sit for someone and save some money for my residency visa.

I still do not know what kind of bananas are growing here....not very tasty, rather short (about 5 or 6 inches) and have a rather rough thick skin. They seem to grow in rather small bunches. Maybe it is because the gardner never waters them. He waters everything else, but never the bananas. I thought maybe the bananas were not supposed to be watered..???? I have so much to learn.

Thanks again Beth for your help.
Mickie






w00t! Another Ecuadorean! Welcome aboard, Mickie!

I started in Vilcabamba when I moved down (at age 25, my friends all said ''Beth, you're nuts!''), and it is absolute heck trying to keep the bananas alive during the dry season there - the wind just robs them of all moisture. Where in the valley are you? Up on the slopes of Mandango is the hardest place in the valley to grow, but if you're in the basin or in one of Miguel's houses in the greener valley towards Yanganá you've got a much better chance. If you're ever up towards Izhcayluma, say hi to Peter and Dieter for me.

Most of what was growing in Vilca when I left was Dwarf Cav, Platano Macho, and Orito, but if you take the bus in to Malacatos you should also be able to find plants of Rosado or Morado and possibly also Maqueño. DC is the standard grocery store banana you're used to from North America. Orito are the teeny little fingers you can usually get at tienda Marisol in the village proper, and definitely at the weekend market in the bus station square. Rosados, as the name implies, have red skins, and Maqueños are unmistakeable since they're gigantic. They will all grow in the valley provided that you water them and plant them in a fairly wind-sheltered location. The fastest to fruit at about 1 year from planting the pup are the Oritos. The slowest are the cooking plantains at nearly 2 years; those plants get really big, though. Start your plants from offshoots, called ''pups'' in English and ''plantas pequeñas de banano'' in Spanish. Edibles don't have seeds.

Most people in the valley are very friendly and will gladly sell you pups - ask Vicente at Hostal Pinar del Rio which is down by Casa Tinku on the Rio Vilcabamba; if he doesn't have Orito pups at the moment, he will be able to point you in the right direction (and send my best wishes!). Ditto Gerry at the book exchange. Alcides, who is one of the taxi drivers for the cooperative at the bus station, will likely also know who to ask if he doesn't sell you DC pups himself.

And Eric, I'm in Puyo now - the move went through. It's better for bananas all round - you would not believe the soil difference!

BananaNut
09-25-2009, 10:56 AM
Thanks Greg,

Are you Cherokee? I am part - also part Choctow and Blackfoot. Lived in Oklahoma for 35 years. Family comes from all over OK.

Anyway, Thanks for the encouragement. I do not have any land of my own yet. Where I am renting there are about a dozen tree in my front yard. But, I want to get somewhere that I can grow what I would like to have. And have fun with it. I may even try some ornamentals....who knows. My kids say -Mom your too old to be galivanting around the world alone doing stuff like that....my answer is "hide and watch...I am just getting started". :woohoonaner: :goteam:

I have already started some little lemon and limes trees in pots, alongs with some peppers ( hot and bell both). I want to grow things. Edibles. Just have a lot to learn. But, here in Ecuador everything seems to grow wonderfully except for sweet corn...not enough sunlight in the day. Only 12 hours as opposed to 18 hours in the mid-west states.

Anyway, thanks for the note and the BD wishes. I plan to relax and enjoy.
Mickie (63 tomorrow) :birthdaynana: :bed:




Mickie
Welcome from California. :woohoonaner: Im happy you found this great group. Donot feel bad there is allot of us learning. Thats ok. Have fun. I know soon you will have lots of bananas growing. I know for me I started with two when I first joined I think I been here for about a month now. I now have about 11 banana plants and two coming . I had to thin out a bunch of cannas I dug more beds and thinking of were I can put some more. Bananas are very adicting :woohoonaner: But thats ok.
Again welcome and have fun
Greg :birthdaynana: and happy birthday to you :02::0517:

cherokee_greg
09-25-2009, 11:20 AM
Thanks Greg,

Are you Cherokee? I am part - also part Choctow and Blackfoot. Lived in Oklahoma for 35 years. Family comes from all over OK.

Anyway, Thanks for the encouragement. I do not have any land of my own yet. Where I am renting there are about a dozen tree in my front yard. But, I want to get somewhere that I can grow what I would like to have. And have fun with it. I may even try some ornamentals....who knows. My kids say -Mom your too old to be galivanting around the world alone doing stuff like that....my answer is "hide and watch...I am just getting started". :woohoonaner: :goteam:

I have already started some little lemon and limes trees in pots, alongs with some peppers ( hot and bell both). I want to grow things. Edibles. Just have a lot to learn. But, here in Ecuador everything seems to grow wonderfully except for sweet corn...not enough sunlight in the day. Only 12 hours as opposed to 18 hours in the mid-west states.

Anyway, thanks for the note and the BD wishes. I plan to relax and enjoy.
Mickie (63 tomorrow) :birthdaynana: :bed:

O'siyo ( Hello in Cherokee)
Im mixed blood cherokee,choctaw and irish. What a combination ! Mom and Dad are from Oklahoma. Moms from Atoka and Dads from Allen. I been there once and love it. But im Californian all the way love it here the only way I would move is to San Diego are Florida are my other favorite place Hawaii ! I always ask mom if she wants to go to Oklahoma she says no way LOL. She loves the weather here to much.
Wow I thinks thats great your doing the travel thing. I would if I could. Take care and nice to meet you
Greg

BananaNut
09-25-2009, 11:20 AM
Wow, Thanks for information...I always thought that those tiny little black dots in the center of the banana were seeds. See, I told you'll how dumb I am. I KNOW NOTHING. Well, not as true now. Thanks to everybody. I am learning some.

It is nice to know that there are others here in Ecuador that I can meet one day and will have a common interst. It is so good to meet everyone. And, a BIG THANKS to all who have written to say welcome. You are all so nice. :birthdaynana: This is a good Birthday Party right here, meeting new friends. Thanks all.
Mickie




:nanerwizard: Happy Birthday, Mickie :), & Welcome aboard! :nanerwizard:
Remember, you're only as old as ya feel SO you must be pretty young! We're all just a little Bananas here, anyway! Bryan's got it pegged. If a banana does have seeds, it's not very edible & the seeds are usually 1/4-1/2" wide & like little rocks. Best way to get a nanner plant is, like Bryan said, to find a big plant that seems to have littler ones around it's trunk. Just be sure & cut a small piece of that trunk & get some roots to go with it.
Like Jarred said, Lorax is here (Quito Ecuador) and will definitely want to meet you, too! She grows Giant Sweet plantain & other nanners down there.
There's lots of great info & lots of nanner specialists here! It's a very friendly forum with lots to do & lots to learn. Hope ya have a great time :) ! If ya have any questions about using the forum, just ask.
Enjoy!

lorax
09-25-2009, 11:53 AM
Mickie, if they're short and gold with thick bumpy skins, they're Orinocos. This being the case, given where you are in the valley, they don't need a whole lot of care. A bit of mulch and water will up the size of your bunches, but if you're a single person you might actually want to keep the bunches small so that you can eat them all before they go off....

However, if you're finding them untasty it's likely because they're not fully ripe for eating out of hand yet. Orinocos have to be almost black before they're palatable as a dessert banana, so you might find these to be tastier if you make patacones or otherwise cook them in some way.

It might be worth your while to find out if Daniel's or Ivan's houses up the mountain are available for rent - they're a great deal cheaper than El Atillo, that's for certain, and they're independant houses rather than apartments. For Ivan's house, ask at the internet cafe off the square that's across from the souvenir shop, just above the cafe. Ivan's brother, whose name I forget, works there, and he'll know. For Daniel's house, I think you'd likely have to ask Peter or Dieter up at Izhcayluma.

Send me a PM about visas, I can likely help you out there. If you're retired there's a special class of residency that requires less deposit in the central bank.

Happy birthday!

justjoan
09-25-2009, 02:12 PM
Hello and Happy Birthday Mickie from :coldbanana: Minnesota