View Full Version : New Member from Minnesota!
carlson_mn
10-04-2009, 08:38 PM
Hello everybody! Short story. Born in MN, lived in Sap in Antonio, TX growing up and had a garden full of palms and banana trees. I absolutely loved them.
Been back in MN since '99 and kind of forgot about my passion of the tropicals until now. I am currently in TX until next Summer 2010. I have a home in the southern Twin Cities (MPLS) and would love to start whatever tropicals I can there when I get home. I have an open stretch along the south wall of my home's foundation that gets lots of sun, and I look forward to a project when I get home.
I'll post up in the cold hardy section, so help me if you can! Looking for info on overwintering them outside, if that's possible.
Regards, Matt
IndianaSue
10-04-2009, 08:53 PM
Matt,
Welcome to the Org.! I'm in zone 5 in Northwest Indiana and had a needle palm outside for three years full time!! It made the winters here fine with just some leaves piled up around it..Well, that is untill a fire wiped it out in 2008. I have replanted a new one and it has grown well this year.. Hopefully it will make the winter! Enjoy bananas.org! The folks are great!!
Sue
carlson_mn
10-04-2009, 09:08 PM
Thanks Sue, very cool you have Needle Palms surviving there. I've seen pics of Windmills in Iowa so it has me hopeful on some ideas for MN, crazy as it may sound...
IndianaSue
10-04-2009, 09:17 PM
Matt,
Not crazy at all in my book! You won't know untill you try!! Good luck and let me know the outcome.
Sue
LilRaverBoi
10-04-2009, 09:34 PM
Welcome to the site, Matt! Hope you enjoy it here and learn a lot! I'm from Iowa, so I definitely am in the same boat with ya in regards to growing plants where they would never normally be found. It is definitely a bit more difficult, but it's definitely fun to push the limits of what people thing can/can't be done, right?? Enjoy the site and if you have questions, just ask!
carlson_mn
10-04-2009, 10:19 PM
Welcome to the site, Matt! Hope you enjoy it here and learn a lot! I'm from Iowa, so I definitely am in the same boat with ya in regards to growing plants where they would never normally be found. It is definitely a bit more difficult, but it's definitely fun to push the limits of what people thing can/can't be done, right?? Enjoy the site and if you have questions, just ask!
Thanks Dude!
justjoan
10-05-2009, 08:03 AM
Glad you found us Matt and Welcome it will be nice to have someone close to compare notes with on :coldbanana::ha:
cherokee_greg
10-05-2009, 10:13 AM
Welcome !!!!!!!! Im happy you found this great site. Good luck to ya with your bananas and palms
CValentine
10-05-2009, 11:29 AM
Hi Matt!
We(the family & I) are currently transplanted Texans! (And loving it!)
Hubby is currently serving the Army on Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas.
Glad to have you with us here on the ORG!
Great people & Great info!!
Thanks for joining us!! :) ~Cheryl
carlson_mn
10-05-2009, 12:47 PM
Thanks. I am at Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls until next spring. I've seen two palms that look great here but I saw huge bananas at the state fair in Dallas and it got me thinking about bananas again.
saltydad
10-05-2009, 04:46 PM
Think about putting in a Musa basjoo when you get home. Grow it in a pot for the first year,bring it inside for the winter, and then plant it outside in the 2nd spring. You'll be cutting the p-stem and mulching heavily (I use straw). Good luck, and welcome. Btw, I used to be stationed at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio way back in the day.
carlson_mn
10-05-2009, 04:56 PM
Btw, I used to be stationed at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio way back in the day.
I lived there from '92 to '99 growing up. Lived on Graham Road and Artillery Post Road. All sorts of cool plants there. We had huge banana plants that would flower if they didn't die back from a hard freeze. Thanks for the tips, I plan on order a few in the spring and putting them in big pots for their first year. What are common problems with having them inside for the winter - lack of sunlight maybe?
carlson_mn
10-07-2009, 12:41 PM
Thanks Eric. I am in Wichita Falls now so not too far away from you. OK city has a nice climate, but it's too hot around this area in the summer!
Thanks Eric. I am in Wichita Falls now so not too far away from you. OK city has a nice climate, but it's too hot around this area in the summer!
Yep, youre real close & I've heard it's pretty hot down there (have friends that live in Texas). Ya said something about having a home in the southern Twin Cities (MPLS): What's "MPLS"? (sorry, I'm not real good with geography).
Btw, light isnt a very big problem with indoor nanners cause most cultivars grow very slow in the winter, even under ideal conditions indoors. Not sure why but most species will only put out 1-2 leaves during the cold months. The main thing to remember, if the nanners are potted, reduced watering & fertilizing drastically. They'll grow very slow indoors so the extra water could lead to corm-rot & the extra fertilizer could burn the plant. If ya keep them at 72 degrees F or higher, they will grow slowly. If ya keep them at temps in the 50's or low 60's, they will go dormant. If they are dormant, give them no water or fertilizer. I always make sure mine are dry before I store them dormant.
Gotta run to class. Hope this helps a little :) !
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