Expensive Basjoo
 

I spotted a basjoo for the first time around here at a nursery. And what were they asking for it? A two foot stem with all the leaves chopped off in a 1 gal trade pot at $80!

Now maybe this is just me, but that seems a bit outrageous??

Re: Expensive Basjoo
 

Yes you are correct, for a plant in that condition $20 max IMO.
I'd have a snarky comment or two for the manager/owner of that nursery.

Re: Expensive Basjoo
 

Every comment I make is Snarkie. :ha:

Re: Expensive Basjoo
 

But seriously, I do agree. That is waaaaay too much.

Re: Expensive Basjoo
 

Wow thats crazy, you can find them here in the local garden centers for about 7.99 to 10 dollars for a foot and a half plant.

Re: Expensive Basjoo
 

Ditto locally.

Walmart sale
by
Hostafarian, on Flickr

Re: Expensive Basjoo
 

Bought four health 2' plants at a local nursery $5.00 each about a month ago. Growing like crazy.

Re: Expensive Basjoo
 

You might know, Cincinnana, of the Monrovia supplier nursery? I don't know how far and wide their reach is. But their stuff is marketed around here as high end and exotic in local garden centers. But to me it's all just hype. Most of it's throwaway stock to most people who apparently have bags of money to spend on this stuff.

I don't get it...

Re: Expensive Basjoo
 

Monrovia is insanely overpriced on everything they sell. A potted musa zebrina from them goes for close to 50 dollars, while a TC zebrina can reach the same height in one season for 6.99. If its from Monrovia, its going to be way overpriced.

Re: Expensive Basjoo
 

that is high,judy just bought one nearly 4' for $30 at kah's nursery in botkins ohio'and it had a 2'pup that was removed and potted.

Re: Expensive Basjoo
 

Here is one of my Zebrina that went from TC sized to this size in one summer, they basically take a very cheap plant and pot it up, then 4 months later charge 49 dollars for it. They had a bunch of them at Lowes from Monrovia at this size, and they all died because they were too expensive, and no one would buy them.

Re: Expensive Basjoo
 

The two that I purchased at Lowes were $12.99 each, for two-footers. They're over three feet now and 2" dia bases.

Re: Expensive Basjoo
 

Monrovia has better quality, larger stock; and you get more plant per pot.



Their plants do get reduced sometimes.

.
by
Hostafarian, on Flickr

Re: Expensive Basjoo
 

Yeah, the $60 red bananas at Lowes are from Monrovia. I know their dawn redwoods are grown from rooted cuttings, as opposed to being seed grown. That limits the genetic diversity severely; a dangerous practice on a tree still so close to extinction in the wild.

Re: Expensive Basjoo
 

Woah, that's not good at all! But I imagine it's much slower to raise them all from seed?

Well I did buy a Manzano about a month ago that wasn't from Monrovia, it was some 2 feet tall in trunk then. I had scoped them out before, and figured if any were left when I made it back to the garden center, I'd buy one. This was the last one they had upon my return. It was $26 so I went for it haha!




It's putting out a leaf a week under these super rainy cloudy days in the low 80's and nights in the 60's. And now the newest leaf is almost as tall as I am (6'1").

Monrovia may have high quality stuff to begin with, but I wonder how much of their value diminishes while sitting in garden centers? Unless you are fortunate to find a garden center which takes really good care of their stock.

How kind are you to rescue so many, Cincinnana!!

Re: Expensive Basjoo
 

That price was for only one plant.
Not all of them..:08:

But you have to admit, their stock is so much better than the stock that you really wanted to buy.
I have remorse all the time.:)
:woohoonaner:

Re: Expensive Basjoo
 

I am safe from being tempted to buy any more expensive bananas, the Tetrapanax, And Petasites Japonicus var Giganteus I just got has made sure I am alllllll out of room now:(. I might have to clear another acre beside my house lol.

Re: Expensive Basjoo
 

Arg..... You just said the magic words.

Re: Expensive Basjoo
 

Love tetrapanax..mine runs all over the place lol. I must agree monrovia is expencive but they do have larger better plants and some of there exclusive stuff isn't offered anywhere else. When my plant lust kicks in idc who's name is on the pot.

Re: Expensive Basjoo
 

It is, but not by much; maybe a couple months. It's easier to root cuttings using overhead misters on a large scale, but Heritage Seedlings used seed for their Jiffy pots and bare root stock. Their plants were superior to Monrovia. Additionally, rooted cuttings have smaller and more brittle root structures, at least on Metasequoia.

I'm sure I ended up with a few that originated from Monrovia, but most of mine are from sources using Chinese seed, including myself, second generation seedlings from yard trees here in the US and a few unknowns. I have one of the largest diversities of dawns out there, so once they begin reproducing, I'll have an excellent seed source and a healthy genetic diversity to continue the project for millions of years.