Musa basjoo growth after 2 seasons

stevelau1911 · 09-29-2011, 12:05 AM

Just wanted to give an update on my musa basjoo growth in zone 6. I purchased them back in 2010 as little starter plants in 2 inch pots,
and had them potted up in 3 gallon pots until they got big enough to put in the ground. After planting them in the ground, I found out

that the corms weren't really deep enough so by around August last year, I planted them in to the middle of the grass 1 foot deeper than soil level.

Here's my larger basjoo just about maxed out at around 4 1/2 feet tall at around the same time last year. Pups were just starting to form last year,
but never took off until this year when the main psuedo-stem was weakened by getting killed back, allowing the pups to suck up more of the power,
and start gaining on the main stem.

This year, both the basjoos have doubled up their height, getting up to around 8-9 feet tall, and despite already removing pups earlier in the year,
there are still pups, getting up nearly as big as the main plants as the corms seem to be continually expanding. These guys should get well past 10ft
next year as the corms continue to grow, and they may eventually grow together and fuse into a musa basjoo forest. At this point, these plants
are more than established enough to handle winters without protection however I may still cover them up so they come back even stronger.

tommyg · 09-29-2011, 10:51 AM

Amazing pics!
I'im in Massachusetts and am just starting to grow a couple Super Dwarf Cavendish plants and a Basjoo when it comes in on Monday. Which of these do you think grow quicker?

T

stevelau1911 · 09-29-2011, 02:55 PM

Thanks. I don't know about how fast super dwarf cavendish grows, but I know that musa basjoo can grow exponentially in size as long as it is either in a huge pot, or planted in the ground. Obviously it loves heat and water.

Getting them 1ft underground is a bit of work, but I think it's worth it as far as protecting them through that first winter which is crucial because once a banana comes back, it's coming back stronger and stronger as you can tell from the 1 year difference.

tommyg · 09-30-2011, 09:14 PM

Im going to look at your photo gallery.
Id really like to see how my basjoo might look after a month of decent weather.

Tommyg

stevelau1911 · 09-30-2011, 09:55 PM

The basjoos are actually getting close to 9.5 feet tall now that we've been getting lots of rain, and will keep growing until the frost hits them so if it is warm in October, they may reach llft. I find that in May, they basically uncurl their leaves and get going. In June and July, they make it up towards 5ft or so. It seems like most of the size increase occurs late in the season from August through september, maybe because we had a drought this summer, but as long as I pile leaves on these guys and over-winter them well, they should easily break 15 feet next year. I believe with good protection, a musa basjoo can be grown up past 20ft, even in zone 6 since they put on size like crazy when it is warm.

There's actually an even larger form of musa which is supposed to get up to 40ft tall, but I might hold off on that since it's already getting cold.

tommyg · 09-30-2011, 10:03 PM

Thanks!
This is great info. Im going to look at your flickr pages.
Its stupid how pumped i am to see these plants grow.
I hope i get my basjoo tomorrow, but might not be until monday.

My sdcs are doing well and it seems like the leaves are getting bigger as well.

The basjoo has me more pumped because eventuall y i will let it grow outdoors and should be in 'neighbors view' ....aka bragging rights as im in mass.

Tommyg

stevelau1911 · 09-30-2011, 10:22 PM

I think it might be better to grow them indoors for the first winter with a strong 400watt metal halide, or HPS so that it can put on some size before going outside.

One of the reasons why mine came back so much stronger this year is because the corms are 1ft or more deep, and very well protected with leaf bags and more insulation.

Here's my blog on how I protected them successfully last winter.
Steve's garden: Uncovering the Musa basjoo

tommyg · 09-30-2011, 11:18 PM

That's awesome!
Yes I'm going to grow my basjoo in my heated sunroom this winter and then plant it outside when it gets warm. Hopefully it will be big enough to just have to protect next winter.

Waiting for the silly thing to arrive. Hope it comes tomorrow.

NJ Banana · 10-11-2011, 10:54 AM

Steve,

I am in Central NJ (Burlington County- Exit 7 NJ Turnpike).. I also have had mine in the ground for the 2nd year and they are about 13'-18' tall and just last week I actually started a flag leaf and the Pod (lack of better word) is just about all the way out. I am hoping I can see it open and at least start the process of growing banana's before it gets too cold..

What did you do for protection last year?

I took 4' tall bubble wrap and made a 2-3' round cylinder out of it then put it around the pstems and filled it tight with dry mulch. It worked good but the outside of each stem was a little mushy so I peeled a layer off each stem and it did ok.. It was a lot of work though..

I attached some pics. They have been trimmed up.. Gettint a head start for the season. (removed about 80 leaves)

Please let me know what you did
Adam

tmc2009 · 10-11-2011, 07:59 PM

In the spirit of Halloween, You say they look like pods? I've seen that movie. Do not fall asleep!

Looks like your having some great success in NJ. I just posted a picture of what I think is my first flag leaf. Have you ever transplanted a banana that is at the flag leaf stage?

tommyg · 10-14-2011, 02:44 PM

I got my basjoo plant almost two weeks ago with the leaves bent and damaged. It took over a week to nurse them back to health and now it looks like it's trying to grow a leaf.
I'm happy to say that the seller felt bad about the condition it was in and has shipped me another as a replacement. Honestly I'm surprised it made it.

But I will take your advice and place it in a slightly larger pot and see how it does.

Tommyg

stevelau1911 · 10-16-2011, 02:10 AM

I wrapped them up in a cloth like tarp first, then a plastic bag, and finally put leaf bags around which worked however it sounds like bubble wrap may work even better and seems like a simpler solution.

I'm thinking of first adding bubble wrap, then a plastic bag around them, then more bubble wrap, and then leaf bags to top it out. How does that sound?

Another method is to wrap up the stems, load some dried leaves around it, then put 55 gallon steel barrels over it all which can be done pretty easily with some sticks and deer netting to get the whole thing protected. I actually have these.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NJ Banana

Steve,

I am in Central NJ (Burlington County- Exit 7 NJ Turnpike).. I also have had mine in the ground for the 2nd year and they are about 13'-18' tall and just last week I actually started a flag leaf and the Pod (lack of better word) is just about all the way out. I am hoping I can see it open and at least start the process of growing banana's before it gets too cold..

What did you do for protection last year?

I took 4' tall bubble wrap and made a 2-3' round cylinder out of it then put it around the pstems and filled it tight with dry mulch. It worked good but the outside of each stem was a little mushy so I peeled a layer off each stem and it did ok.. It was a lot of work though..

I attached some pics. They have been trimmed up.. Gettint a head start for the season. (removed about 80 leaves)

Please let me know what you did
Adam

NJ Banana · 10-17-2011, 10:08 AM

I can not believe it.. I have bananas in NJ growing in the middle of October.. Who would have thought..

Anyone with an idea of how long from this point till they are ready for picking?

Anyone have an idea of how to strech the season out a little to give them time to grow?

I was thinking of putting a heavy plastic bag over them at night to hold in some heat?

Also, Steve I have never put plastic against the banana as I thought it would create moisture and just turn the stem in to mush.. I have about 6" to 8" of dry mulch between the stem and the bubble wrap..

Adam

NJ Banana · 10-21-2011, 07:30 AM

Wow. The past week has been great..

They are really starting to grow nicely here in NJ..

Does anyone think putting a garbage bag over them would help keep them warmer at night?

I would love to see the whole bunch of bananas before closing them up for winter..

Adam

09-29-2011, 12:05 AM	#1 (permalink)
stevelau1911 stevelau1911's Photo Gallery Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 458 BananaBucks : 148,773 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 51 Times Was Thanked 561 Times in 258 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 24 Times	Musa basjoo growth after 2 seasons Just wanted to give an update on my musa basjoo growth in zone 6. I purchased them back in 2010 as little starter plants in 2 inch pots, and had them potted up in 3 gallon pots until they got big enough to put in the ground. After planting them in the ground, I found out that the corms weren't really deep enough so by around August last year, I planted them in to the middle of the grass 1 foot deeper than soil level. Here's my larger basjoo just about maxed out at around 4 1/2 feet tall at around the same time last year. Pups were just starting to form last year, but never took off until this year when the main psuedo-stem was weakened by getting killed back, allowing the pups to suck up more of the power, and start gaining on the main stem. This year, both the basjoos have doubled up their height, getting up to around 8-9 feet tall, and despite already removing pups earlier in the year, there are still pups, getting up nearly as big as the main plants as the corms seem to be continually expanding. These guys should get well past 10ft next year as the corms continue to grow, and they may eventually grow together and fuse into a musa basjoo forest. At this point, these plants are more than established enough to handle winters without protection however I may still cover them up so they come back even stronger. __________________ I'm in zone 6 upstate NY, specialize in growing temperate cold hardy bamboos(mainly phyllostachys) and starting to get into bananas. my picture website is http://www.flickr.com/photos/31489820@N02/ http://stevespeonygarden.blogspot.com/ Last edited by stevelau1911 : 09-29-2011 at 12:08 AM.

09-29-2011, 10:51 AM	#2 (permalink)
tommyg sunroom gardener Location: Worcester, MA Find me on the map! Zone: 6 Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 252 BananaBucks : 40,372 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 83 Times Was Thanked 234 Times in 165 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 13 Times	Re: Musa basjoo growth after 2 seasons Amazing pics! I'im in Massachusetts and am just starting to grow a couple Super Dwarf Cavendish plants and a Basjoo when it comes in on Monday. Which of these do you think grow quicker? T __________________ Blog: http://sunroomgardening.blogspot.com Photography biz:http://www.tomasharanphotography.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tomasharanphotography Worcester, MA

09-29-2011, 02:55 PM	#3 (permalink)
stevelau1911 stevelau1911's Photo Gallery Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 458 BananaBucks : 148,773 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 51 Times Was Thanked 561 Times in 258 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 24 Times	Re: Musa basjoo growth after 2 seasons Thanks. I don't know about how fast super dwarf cavendish grows, but I know that musa basjoo can grow exponentially in size as long as it is either in a huge pot, or planted in the ground. Obviously it loves heat and water. Getting them 1ft underground is a bit of work, but I think it's worth it as far as protecting them through that first winter which is crucial because once a banana comes back, it's coming back stronger and stronger as you can tell from the 1 year difference. __________________ I'm in zone 6 upstate NY, specialize in growing temperate cold hardy bamboos(mainly phyllostachys) and starting to get into bananas. my picture website is http://www.flickr.com/photos/31489820@N02/ http://stevespeonygarden.blogspot.com/

09-30-2011, 09:14 PM	#4 (permalink)
tommyg sunroom gardener Location: Worcester, MA Find me on the map! Zone: 6 Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 252 BananaBucks : 40,372 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 83 Times Was Thanked 234 Times in 165 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 13 Times	Re: Musa basjoo growth after 2 seasons Im going to look at your photo gallery. Id really like to see how my basjoo might look after a month of decent weather. Tommyg __________________ Blog: http://sunroomgardening.blogspot.com Photography biz:http://www.tomasharanphotography.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tomasharanphotography Worcester, MA

09-30-2011, 09:55 PM	#5 (permalink)
stevelau1911 stevelau1911's Photo Gallery Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 458 BananaBucks : 148,773 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 51 Times Was Thanked 561 Times in 258 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 24 Times	Re: Musa basjoo growth after 2 seasons The basjoos are actually getting close to 9.5 feet tall now that we've been getting lots of rain, and will keep growing until the frost hits them so if it is warm in October, they may reach llft. I find that in May, they basically uncurl their leaves and get going. In June and July, they make it up towards 5ft or so. It seems like most of the size increase occurs late in the season from August through september, maybe because we had a drought this summer, but as long as I pile leaves on these guys and over-winter them well, they should easily break 15 feet next year. I believe with good protection, a musa basjoo can be grown up past 20ft, even in zone 6 since they put on size like crazy when it is warm. There's actually an even larger form of musa which is supposed to get up to 40ft tall, but I might hold off on that since it's already getting cold. __________________ I'm in zone 6 upstate NY, specialize in growing temperate cold hardy bamboos(mainly phyllostachys) and starting to get into bananas. my picture website is http://www.flickr.com/photos/31489820@N02/ http://stevespeonygarden.blogspot.com/

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09-30-2011, 10:03 PM	#6 (permalink)
tommyg sunroom gardener Location: Worcester, MA Find me on the map! Zone: 6 Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 252 BananaBucks : 40,372 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 83 Times Was Thanked 234 Times in 165 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 13 Times	Re: Musa basjoo growth after 2 seasons Thanks! This is great info. Im going to look at your flickr pages. Its stupid how pumped i am to see these plants grow. I hope i get my basjoo tomorrow, but might not be until monday. My sdcs are doing well and it seems like the leaves are getting bigger as well. The basjoo has me more pumped because eventuall y i will let it grow outdoors and should be in 'neighbors view' ....aka bragging rights as im in mass. Tommyg __________________ Blog: http://sunroomgardening.blogspot.com Photography biz:http://www.tomasharanphotography.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tomasharanphotography Worcester, MA

09-30-2011, 10:22 PM	#7 (permalink)
stevelau1911 stevelau1911's Photo Gallery Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 458 BananaBucks : 148,773 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 51 Times Was Thanked 561 Times in 258 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 24 Times	Re: Musa basjoo growth after 2 seasons I think it might be better to grow them indoors for the first winter with a strong 400watt metal halide, or HPS so that it can put on some size before going outside. One of the reasons why mine came back so much stronger this year is because the corms are 1ft or more deep, and very well protected with leaf bags and more insulation. Here's my blog on how I protected them successfully last winter. Steve's garden: Uncovering the Musa basjoo __________________ I'm in zone 6 upstate NY, specialize in growing temperate cold hardy bamboos(mainly phyllostachys) and starting to get into bananas. my picture website is http://www.flickr.com/photos/31489820@N02/ http://stevespeonygarden.blogspot.com/

09-30-2011, 11:18 PM	#8 (permalink)
tommyg sunroom gardener Location: Worcester, MA Find me on the map! Zone: 6 Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 252 BananaBucks : 40,372 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 83 Times Was Thanked 234 Times in 165 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 13 Times	Re: Musa basjoo growth after 2 seasons That's awesome! Yes I'm going to grow my basjoo in my heated sunroom this winter and then plant it outside when it gets warm. Hopefully it will be big enough to just have to protect next winter. Waiting for the silly thing to arrive. Hope it comes tomorrow. __________________ Blog: http://sunroomgardening.blogspot.com Photography biz:http://www.tomasharanphotography.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tomasharanphotography Worcester, MA

10-11-2011, 07:59 PM	#10 (permalink)
tmc2009 tmc2009's Photo Gallery Zone: 6a Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 162 BananaBucks : 93,979 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 56 Times Was Thanked 161 Times in 45 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Musa basjoo growth after 2 seasons In the spirit of Halloween, You say they look like pods? I've seen that movie. Do not fall asleep! Looks like your having some great success in NJ. I just posted a picture of what I think is my first flag leaf. Have you ever transplanted a banana that is at the flag leaf stage?

10-14-2011, 02:44 PM	#11 (permalink)
tommyg sunroom gardener Location: Worcester, MA Find me on the map! Zone: 6 Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 252 BananaBucks : 40,372 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 83 Times Was Thanked 234 Times in 165 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 13 Times	Re: Musa basjoo growth after 2 seasons I got my basjoo plant almost two weeks ago with the leaves bent and damaged. It took over a week to nurse them back to health and now it looks like it's trying to grow a leaf. I'm happy to say that the seller felt bad about the condition it was in and has shipped me another as a replacement. Honestly I'm surprised it made it. But I will take your advice and place it in a slightly larger pot and see how it does. Tommyg __________________ Blog: http://sunroomgardening.blogspot.com Photography biz:http://www.tomasharanphotography.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tomasharanphotography Worcester, MA

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