Anyone growing bananas in dry climat
 

I live in utah (zone 6) where it is quite dry. Just wondering who is growing bananas in such a climat and what people have had success with.

thanks-DAN

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climat
 

I have grown Cavendish, Dwarf Cavendish, Plantain, Rojitos (local red-skinned fruiting variety), and Rosados (local pink-skinned fruiting variety) in the tropical high-altitude deserts around Loja in southern Ecuador, so it is possible. I had to water them twice daily or they drooped and stopped pupping, and I ended up re-planting a tall male papaya to the middle of my banana ring to give them a bit of shade. Once you get fruit in such a sunny environment, it's almost essential that you bag it on-tree. This means taking a blue plastic bag and hanging it over the forming bunch. This prevents sunburn on the bananas, as well as keeping pests off. I reccomend blue because it's easily available and it's what I use; any plastic bag with about 50% light transmission will do.

If you're going to do this, you will probably want to install a dedicated watering system. I was living out in the sticks and my hoses didn't quite reach all of the plants; this means that I was schlepping pails a lot of the time. How hot do your hot days get in the summer? You will absolutely have to mulch them in for the winters, but Nannas should just love your hot season. Ask Alan, who lives quite a bit north of you, what he does to overwinter his bananas; he's in Zone 3.

Damaclese is growing nanners in Las Vegas; he's a lot closer to you and probably has some great ideas. I'm pretty sure we have members from Arizona, and I know we have Texans. They should all have great tips for dry-summer growing.

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climate
 

Dan i live in zone 9b. its hot as hades here and dry are average humidity is 20% or lower. i grow my nanas in pots. they get 60% shade nothing after 12. i rape the pots in shade cloth to keep the sun off them. watering is pretty much a every day thing. i haven't grown them through a summer yet. I'm probably going to have to water twice a day in the hot months. I'm using Vigro palm food which was recommended to me by Jared (Medea hound). i also put trays of water out three per pot to help with the humidity. i spray around the pots in the heat of the day. At Best my nanas are doing OK not grate just OK they still get some sun burn so I'm contemplating erecting a permanent shade cloth over them that lets approx. 50% of the light throw.
when the Temp gos over 100 I'm going to bring them inside for the moths of Jul., Aug., and Sept.
i know it sounds a bit complicated. but I'm really in to them so at least for this year all try. hope this helps! i think the thing to keep in mind is they are tropical and need lots of care if your are going to grow them. a green house would be ideal and thats my plan for this fall. but if your sun is as intense as mine then thats complicated too more of a cave with shades and water. that would certainly lower the care level. I also grow orchids which allot of people think is imposable in the Mohave. trust me its not that hard. lastly i just want to say i have the worst luck Murphy is my constant companion. So if i can do it you can to. I really think the key is humidity and keeping them cool.

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climat
 

Dan like Lorax said you can grow any type but will need to water, mulch will help hold some moisture! We basically had a drought here last summer, we had pails collecting water dripping from A/C in the window. If you plan on leaving any out your best bet is Basjoo or Sikki with protection, everything else will need potted, or bare root storage.

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climat
 

I saw a picture of a musa basjoo growing in Luxor, Egypt, even hotter then Las vegas I think and he looked quite nice, just give them enough water.
are you in the south of utah?

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climat
 

Ok, let's talk dry...

I live in California's central valley, and it gets over 100 degrees and less than 20% humidity...like today, for example...

Currently, I'm growing...

Goldfinger,
Ice Cream,
Dwarf Orinoco,
Orinoco,
CA Gold,
Red Iholene,
Manzano,
Lasiocarpa,
Cheesemannii,
Cardaba,
Praying hands,
Double Mahoi,
Mysore,
Saba,
Dwarf Brazilian,
Pitogo,
Monkey Fingers,
Balbisiana,
Black Thai
Basjoo
Bordelon
E. V. Maurelli
E. Superbum

Here's a post about heat tolerance you might find interesting...

http://www.bananas.org/f15/what-bana...rant-4361.html

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climat
 

Thanks everyone! The info has been helpful. We occasionally get higher than 100 but normally stay in the 80s-90s. I just worry about the dry heat. I will water lots (like we do everything else here) and I hope to see some good growth this year. I have a few different bananas so I hope at least one variety will enjoy or at least tolerate our weather. I'm glad to here success stories, it gives me encouragement in my new found hobby.

Thanks again-DAN

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climate
 

are pleasure Dan Good luck!:raftingnaner:

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climat
 

Now that's quite a list.:0489:

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climat
 

The list seems longer when I read it. I have them clustered in odd groups, in 4 plats, 3-7 bananas per plat, no duplicates in any one plat, and I still have more places to put bananas (in plats that still need a makin')

I am also going to use the support structure from the hops (which are planted alongside the nanas) to make a temporary shelter for some of the nanas to help them overwinter (bonus). It'll keep the frost, light, and water off them til after the last frost date and the temps go up.

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climat
 

Now that I'm keeping my eyes on bananas, I've found lots of them around Phoenix, AZ. It is doable in dry areas. I garden on a balcony and have bamboo screen a that for protecting bananas, hibiscus etc... The bamboo screen allows very small slits of sun in during the day and it seems to work well. In fact, my fastest growing bananas only need water every few days. The babies need it every other day. When it gets 105, it probably will need more. But it's amazing... as I'm learning more about desert/patio gardening everyday. Of course I'm moving back to WA next year, but oh well :)

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climat
 

Ah, see now we got a lot hotter in the Southern Ecuadorian desert. Not sure about degrees F, but we had days that topped 48 C with a howling wind. That's the kind of heat where you water at dawn, again around noon, and again at sunset....

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climate
 

Wow Lorax thats allot the most i ever watered was 2 times a day and thats only for maybe 4 weeks a year although there was the summer of 1996 we had over 120f 48.8888889c for 20 days i if memory serves me right i remember because boulder high way buckled for 17 blocks and was closed for repairs for moths any way i digress lol its fun to get old NOTTTTTT:sumbrero:

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climate
 

OK i discover something new. not really new but i never thought about it before. i was trying to figure a way to make the humidity go up with out me having to go out side and spray all the time. and suddenly it cam to me. it was one of thous duooo moments. i have this fountain that i wasn't using so i moved it right over next to my bananas and plugged it in. well low and behold even with the wind my humidity raised to over 50%. which i know is still not that high for bananas but its way better then the up and down i was getting with just spraying the patio. so thats helpfully hint number 20 heheh just kidding i don't know what number it is :parachutenanner:

just a wacky Banana Grower in the Desert

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climat
 

Foutains are great way to provide humidity for your nanners. I wish I had the space for one...ah well, next year. Also, the humidity will protect your banana from the infamous and dreaded spider mites!!

Zach

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climat
 

That sounds a lot like here (Phoenix AZ). last year we had 32 days where our high was 110F or higher (43C or higher). our high this past year was about 48C.

ANyway, bananas grow just fine here, they just get a little dried out on the leaf edges, but with enough water, they do quite well, as long as they get a little bit of relief from the hottest sun (like a tree or wall to the west).

My Rajapuri is growing pretty well here, I will be moving it soon, but here it is today, i planted it as a 1gal about a year ago. It's not getting enough sun, I think it would have grown a lot more in a better spot.

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climat
 

We had two months where the daily average was 43 C and the windspeed average was 20 kph. Then we had a week of really hot weather, and broke a record set waaaay back in 1743. It was 52 C that day. We had the first thunderstorm ever recorded in August in the valley the next day.

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climate
 

well Darin its got a pup so how bad could it be there it looks good to me that first years hard here in the desert it probably could do with a bit more open space to set root concrete it vary alkaline and I'm not sure on this but Bananas i think like a slightly acid soil condition i cant remember who said it but some one in a post explained the they put vinegar in there water to help the soil PH if thats wrong please some one correct me on that:chefnaner:

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climat
 

I live in a fairly dry climate. We get over 100F in the summer quit often. In fact it was 100F today. All i can say is that when temps reach over 100F you must water. And i mean water at least 2 times a day. Also it would be wise to plant your bananas in an area that gets some shade. Leaves will burn in 106F + temps.

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climat
 

It was 103 today and my plants seem to do just fine in the heat. I have new leaves coming out all over the place, with no sunburn.

I use drippers for good soil saturation and drip sprayers for bringing down the heat and bringing up the humidity. I'll run the sprayers for less time (about 30-45 minutes @ 4-6 gallons per hour per sprayer) and the drippers for a couple hours (1 gallon per hour per dripper).

My drippers and sprayers are on 2 different supply lines, with 2 different valves, limited to 35 psi. I'll run the sprayers once every day, and my drippers every 2 days when this hot and every week if under 90 deg.

I don't have a lot of sandy soil so it stays more moist even if I miss a day or two. It seems to be enough for the bananas...

My Ensete Superbum (which I thought was dead) came back with no water since the middle of October...in a container...in my garage with only a shoplight. It didn't start to grow til it got to 90 degrees in my garage and then pushed out some new leaves. I stripped off all the dead outer leaves, and they had wet mushy rot in them despite the severe lack of water.

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climat
 

Wow, I'mexcited to start this year. I planted 9 varieties of bananas in full sun and part shade yesturday. I'm excited to see how they do. After this year I should have some banana knowlege to share.

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climat
 

Congrats, on all your plants. Please fill in your profile so we know where you live.:2691:

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climat
 

That's awesome!

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climat
 

thats awsom take some pictures so we can see them :2790:

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climat
 

I've never seen really bad damage here even at temps over 106, as long as you provide a little shade (esp after 3pm) It could be that we just have lots of people planting tolerant varieties. True, there is some (what I consider) minor crisping up of the leaf edges. But mostly the leaves just take on that flat folded form for much of the day and then seem to spread back out and look pretty normal again by the next morning. They tend to fold up by about 11am here. Here's one that I've seen do really well here. This was back in September 2006, AFTER the heat had come and gone.

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climat
 

that musa is looking healthy! how much sun does it get?

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climat
 

it gets about 1/2 day+ sun. it gets full sun in the morning, and then depending on the time of year, the shade in the afternoon starts around noon to about 2:00 I'd guess in the summer. Here is a shot of it from late March. I wish I could have a couple of those new pups! I should go check on it to see if its flowering. This is on the ASU campus.

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climate
 

oh and you're probably right, our soil is alkaline to begin with LOL. BUt anyway, that little area its in is not bad at all, I had Crossandra in there last summer and they didn't yellow or anything. As for space, it will be getting much more space in just a couple weeks. I'm moving, and I'm taking my banana with me!! :416:

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climat
 

We have watering restrictions here in South Florida. It's hot and dry lately.
However, I have success with virtually all types of banana plants!
It requires good irrigation systems, timers, drip lines, every pvc fitting you can imagine, and a lot of inspections and some maintenance.
I would like to one day invest in water-catching barrels, a gutter system, and storage cisterns, and make proper use of the rain.

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climat
 

Here are all the bananas I have planted.

oronoco


large unknown and a small oronoco on the left with its first leaf


Rowe Red


Musa Bajoo and ensete ventricosum on the left


Musa itinerans var unknown from ebay


Large unknown, musa bajoo, a few oronocos, ensete glaucom, and a pisang ceylon


most have some leaf damage but the new leafs seem to be doing fine.

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climat
 

nice looking nana mattes and nice looing nanas!

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climate
 

Rhymechizel
thats going to be some sweet looking tropical paradises when it gets all grown up good job!.
hay is your soil as hard to dig as ares is here in NV. It takes like an hr to dig a 2ft deep hole here with all the rocks? and do you mulch much? if so what kinds do you prefer. I have been using DrQ gold dust i know thats available at star Nursery
:waving:

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climat
 

I once had a set-up like that. I had a greenhouse, on a piece of leased land, without a reliable water source. The house was quite a way from the road and it would have been expensive to run a pipe for that distance, and to get the water company to hook up. Having a well drilled would also be expensive and, since the property was leased, and I didn't intend to stay there long, I decided to go with a gutter system. The greenhouse was 17 X 96 feet. We dug a big square hole at one end, and lined it with greenhouse poly, forming a makeshift pool. We extended the GH, over the tank (pool) with a few extra bows, and poly cover, ending up with something between 115 to 120 feet long X 17 wide. I ran gutters down each side, close to the bottom.

For every inch of rain that we got, I put 1200 gallons of water in the tank.

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climat
 

Very nice John.
How big was the hole you dug? Certainly not 20 x 17 or so... or was it?

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climat
 

Jarred- I can't remember exactly what size it was, but I had a guy, in there, with a machine, clearing some adjacent area of brush, and I asked him to dig the hole. I can't remember the outside dimensions, but I am sure it was a little less than 17' wide, as we made a little, very narrow strip, that we could walk around it on. It was four feet deep. We had covered the area, but had not yet closed off the end, when we had a big turtle move in there. Of course, he (she) fell off the edge, and had no way to climb out, so I had to build a ramp into the tank.

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climat
 

damaclese

I find a few rocks but mostly just clay. I did a few raised beds to try and give the plants some good soil.

I just buy mulch from the city wich consists of composted wood chips and grass clippings; it seems to work well and I can get a whole truck load for $30.

Re: Anyone growing bananas in dry climat
 

good deal wish i could get some of that thers no grass on city property here in Clark county the county ban grass on state city and county owend probertys althow there is some in the three public parks we have here in Henderson (my city)