Hello from France
 

Hi and thank you to all of the people who have obviously given up a lot of time to set up this site.
I am living in SW France, I think zone 8. I am growing Musa Bajoo with no problems and it now has 4 decent stems. I also have Ensete Ventricosum 'Maurelii'. I have got it through two winters now without protecting it except for growing against a west facing wall. Maybe just lucky so far. I am hoping that it will send up a new young shoot that I can dig up and bring indoors next autumn so that if the main plant dies I have something to fall back on. I would also like to propogate a small Ensete Ventricosum 'Maurelii' for a friend. Does anyone have a suggestion to encourage the plant to do this? It has had two summers here now and one year before in UK, so maybe it is 3 years old. It is about 30cm 12" in diameter at the base.

Thanks. Liam

Re: Hello from France
 

Welcome to the .org, Liam! Looks like you're doing a good job on your plants. There are many threads on propagation of bananas here. Just click the search tab, and type in "propagate", "propagation".

Re: Hello from France
 

Bonjour Liam! The Ensetes do not tend to develop suckers unless the main meristem is damaged. So in order to get another for your friend, you would either have to buy a new plant, grow it from seed or tissue culture it.
Also, your basjoo should do well there.

Re: Hello from France
 

Welcome to Bananas.org! Enjoy your stay and ask any questions you may have!

Re: Hello from France
 

Hi Liam, welcome to the board!

Scot, did you forget the fatal method of obtaining pups from the E maureli which Sandy did?

Liam you can check on this thread;
http://www.bananas.org/f16/ensete-ma...pups-6166.html

It's fatal for your plant but proven! All the best! :ha:

Re: Hello from France
 

Welcome to the organization Liam!

I'm glad to hear your plants are doing well! Best wishes and welcome to the organization.:2239:

Re: Hello from France
 

welcome to the org!!!!:goteam:

Re: Hello from France
 

Nope, that's what I was referring to in terms of damaging the meristem. Now go back to sleep.:bed::ha:

Re: Hello from France
 

:ha::ha::ha: Your damaging the meristem was too gentle for me to register! Btw, I went to bed only at 9am (your 8pm last nite) and was busy potting up a whole load of seedlings so I missed this till now.

Re: Hello from France
 

Ok, just for you Tog,

The only way to get these pugacious plants to pup is to unmercifully mash, beat, slice, dice and trample all over the meristem. Turn it into a war zone, and carve the center of the bloody plant base into a pulpy mass of seething raw hamburger. Then place four totems at 13 cm intervals at each corner, drizzle with chicken blood and lizard eyeball aqueous humor in a circle around the plant, get a Haitian Voodoo shaman to dance around the plant for 13 minutes, and utter curses in tongues.
It will pup like a banshee!

:02::0517::ha::ha::ha:

Re: Hello from France
 

I'm at my desk raising my hand like a school kid screaming" THREAD DERAILING TOG STARTED IT!!!!!! I'M TELLING"

Re: Hello from France
 

And here I thought you were one of US? Shhhhh, Tog's sleeping - don't want to wake the beast. :ha::ha::ha:

Re: Hello from France
 

I told ya Scot, Bob's the closet one! He will without a thought jump in for the bash and we are the ones who will face the law later. :ha:

Hey, it's only 3.40am here, still early. I just repotted a bunch of Musa balbisiana Gigantea sdlgs.

Re: Hello from France
 

Uupss... battle field!!!
:woohoonaner:

Re: Hello from France
 

Who? huh.....me?