Hi from NE FLorida
 

Hello all.

I'm a banana plant noob, but I've been considering getting and growing some for a while now but I tend to be that person who reads about it, thinks about it, consults about it before I go planting something that should live for many years.

I live in NE FLorida, in a sandy hill type location. My soil isn't great, and it's "well drained". I seem to do well growing mint and snapdragons.

I groom pets professionally, breed reptiles as a hobby, create custom action figures in a spare time and in general am odd.

I hope to learn a lot, meet some new folks who like bananas and see what's what.

Re: Hi from NE FLorida
 

Kewl. =) Im a banana plant growing noob too and theres tons of information at this site. Its January now and I have a pink banana plant growing in my room that grew in a pot all summer and its green and healthy. =D Btw good draining soil is the best for that.

Re: Hi from NE FLorida
 

we are here for ya..am down here in central west coast..just gets a little colder up there in the great white north..to me anything north of new port richy is the GWN..hahaha welcome..and yes i love reptiles as well

Re: Hi from NE FLorida
 

Thank you for the warm welcome!

Laserlight: A pink banana plant sounds really cool! Plants don't seem to do well inside my house, hardly any light for them, so mostly they stay outside unless I have to bring in potted things for a occasional freeze.

2woodensticks: You must be waay south! But I only get an occasional freeze. Two this winter so far.

I talked to a guy today at Going Bananas down in Homestead Florida, and he suggested I wait until March to get a banana.

I also talked to my local Ace, who said they have a dwarf and a regular banana tree in stock.

Is it better to get varieties from places like Going Bananas that specializes in bananas, or is it okay to start out with a plant from the local place? Is there a better type for up here in NE Florida? I think the local place has "Ornico"?

Now I'm considering redoing my backyard again, since it's a wasted space now with some briars and a few trashy small trees. I could remove some/all of the trees. Are banana tree roots bad for septic pipes or water pipes or are they okay?

I feel rather like I have a million questions and I came on here and saw so much deep information and it seems so complex and suddenly I'm going 'I like jello!" because I just don't know enough to know what I don't know, you know?

Re: Hi from NE FLorida
 

My local place has "dwarf red" and "Grand Nain" bananas, almost waist high with fairly thick looking 'trunks'.

If I don't plant them until a little later in the year, would those be okay? When I looked up Grand Nain, it said they only get about 8 ft tall I think, so not very big. I'd like different kinds.

Also, I have someone in Puerto Rico who is looking at the bananas they grow there. Any ideas on what types they have? He said they usually are "baby bananas" and another kind that is reddish inside.

Anyone?

Re: Hi from NE FLorida
 

i dont know about up there but down here orinocos grow all over..if your ever down this way i can point you to a wild clump or two or three..cant remember exactly but i do think there is a good size clump on the 301 south of the big truck stop on the RR track side,maybe 2 miles south maybe 3 ..been a while since i had a load up that way..anyway

Re: Hi from NE FLorida
 

Well these are fairly inexpensive but getting ones out of wild would be pretty nifty too. My aunt in St Augustine just said she might want to dig out all her banana trees. They've all been in the shade and have survived just fine, although they haven't gotten very large.. maybe I will get some of those too!

I don't get down towards Tampa, but I do remember seeing what looks like banana plants around a lot... thanks! New idea to ponder on.

Re: Hi from NE FLorida
 

Hi, Wools,
I'm new too. You seem normal to me.:waving:
Eli

Re: Hi from NE FLorida
 

Wolfyhound you live in zone 8 not 9. I live in Spring hill, Zone 8 ends close to the citrus county line.I use to live in Citrus County. Big temperature difference between Citrus county and Spring Hill.

Re: Hi from NE FLorida
 

I dunno, I just put my pin on the map where I live.

My aunt told me I can have some of her banana trees, so I'm going tomorrow to see them. She's about an hour north of me and whatever kind of banana it is, it's survived several winters unprotected(they die back some winters and grow back in the spring, sometimes don't die back).

I'll take some pictures to post so maybe they could be identified?

Re: Hi from NE FLorida
 

They will survive. The difference in the zones is that zone 8 can reach reach temps of 10 to 20 degrees as lows. Zone 9 lows can go as low a 20 to 30 degrees. This doesn't mean that the temps are always that low.

Re: Hi from NE FLorida
 

Thank you! I'm posting a pic of the bananas my aunt has that I can dig up. I'll put the pic in the ID section.

Re: Hi from NE FLorida
 

Would love to see you pic. I grow mine in pots. Suppose I should post some pics of mine also.

Re: Hi from NE FLorida
 

I posted the picture in my gallery. I'm very excited. Now to figure out where to plant the bananas so I can dig holes.

Re: Hi from NE FLorida
 

looked at your pic. Looks good.You seem to have some good healthy trees going. I just purchased a dwarf mango today. Have you ever tried papaya. I grow them. Along with peaches,apples, mulberries.strawberries, blueberries,blackberries,rasphberries,oranges,grapefruit, figs, tangelos,and lemons,plus my nanners and pineapples.

Re: Hi from NE FLorida
 

Those trees are at my aunt's house, not mine. Right now, I have a confederate rose(not a rose), some real roses, various mints, angel trumpet and a potted turkey fig that is nothing but sticks right now. Also some lilies.

I do have a zombie orange tree, or what's left of it. It was a stick-in-a-box from the grocery store about ten years ago. It did eventually grow into a gorgeous citrus tree and bore a dozen oranges. Then the freeze killed it back, so what's grown up out of the stump is long weedy looking branches.

I like fruit trees a lot and used to have peaches, pears and figs.

Re: Hi from NE FLorida
 

Citrus Trees Are Grafted So What Ever Comes Up From Your Stump Wont Be What You Purchased. I Have A Battle Rose.it Really Is A Tree With Flowers That Look Similar To A Rose.i Grow Lilies Too.lots Of Flowers.just A Whole Lot Of Stuff.i Just Love To Grow Stuff.

Re: Hi from NE FLorida
 

I know. But the thing has struggled to survive so long, I don't have the heart to just chop it up. So I'll try to give it some help and even if it never produces a fruit, it can sit there and be a zombie orange tree anyway.

Re: Hi from NE FLorida
 

Add 5 drops of super thrive to 1 gallon of H20 .
Give it afew weeks to recover , if the super thrive dont help than its pretty much toast .

The super thrive worked for me , on a half dead Navel Orange tree .
It now has little oranges :08:

Good luck..

Re: Hi from NE FLorida
 

If your tree has little oranges and they ripen as little oranges then what you have are not oranges. They are mandarins.If the tree died below the graft what will come back is the root stock.