Bananas in a Greenhouse in SE Michigan
 

Hi folks,

First post. :)

I've been bringing my pots in for the last three years (I'm in zone 5, near Detroit), but this year my brazilian and ice cream are so tall I won't be able to without *sniff* cutting off all the leaves. So I'm thinking about getting a greenhouse.

The whole shebang. The real deal. 12' ceilings and Glass and footings and everything. And I think it would be coolest to plant the bananas in the soil (more room for roots and more height for leaves and flowers).

The sane people I talk to all ask me if you can get fruit from a banana in a greenhouse in Michigan. I'm not really sure.

My brazilian flowered once right before I had to bring it in for the winter. The tiny little fruit withered in the dark inside my house. That was as close as I ever got.

I imagine I'll have to hit them with lights a bit in the darkest part of the winter, and obviously keep the temps high, but I'm under the impression that if you can replicate any environmental condition in a greenhouse you should be able to grow any fruit. Am I naive?

Does anyone have any experience with getting fruit in greenhouses in the northern climes?

thanks!

steve

Re: Bananas in a Greenhouse in SE Michigan
 

http://www.bananas.org/f311/indoor-f...tml#post138795

http://www.bananas.org/f2/siam-ruby-...tml#post138955

Re: Bananas in a Greenhouse in SE Michigan
 

Hi Steve,

I live close to Springfield Mo here in zone 6 and it has worked for me! I have some nice nanners coming on my Dwarf Orinoco!! It has 41 fingers and I can't wait to eat them. You might want to try dwarf varieties because they sure take up a lot less room , but it does really work. I have a Dwarf Red almost ready anytime! So yes if you ask me it does work.


Fellow Banana nut, Jamie

Re: Bananas in a Greenhouse in SE Michigan
 

I was in Minneapolis at their big conservatory and they had bananas with fruit...i've also seen fruit on bananas in Madison, WI inside Olbrich Conservatory.

The issue is how warm are you going to heat it and how much can you afford!:) Light shouldn't be a big issue, because the plants will slow down in winter... I think the key would get them to flower early in the spring.

I'd go with dwarf bananas like others have said. The full size bananas are just too tall.

Re: Bananas in a Greenhouse in SE Michigan
 

Troof, and troof. I've seen them in the Meijer Gardens conservatory in Grand Rapids as well as the Matthei conservatory here in Ann Arbor.

Good point on heat vs. light Frankthetank, So they'll just slow in winter but keep growing? I was thinking of going geothermal for the heat. That oughta save me some bucks in the long run.

You're growing yours in a greenhouse Jamie P?

thanks guys.

Re: Bananas in a Greenhouse in SE Michigan
 

I definitely think its really possible to get bananas to fruit in the greenhouse. But to keep spidermites and other pests from taking them over during the winter, you should spray the leaves with neem oil maybe once every 2 months or more if necessary (and the best part is, neem oil really works against pests while being completely harmless to eat despite the terrible smell). Also keeping the temperature down to maybe the low to mid 60s during the day in the winter and low to mid 50s, mid 40s the absolute lowest at night will keep them warm enough to stay alive while also keeping pests from being so active. You also wont have to water them too much in those type of temperatures. You should get a greenhouse that has a lot of windows that can open for those really nice spring days and maybe all summer long (with the exception of a cold night or cool day in general).
Remember when you get this greenhouse to make it bigger than you expect you will need because you want to give your plants plenty of room to grow and its also nice to add other tropical plants (including your favorite fruits) to your greenhouse. Just make sure you dont plant anything that can get taller than your greenhouse (I think 12 feets a good height and 14 feet should be about enough to accomodate the medium sized bananas). You can put any or most of your potted plants during the winter, in your greenhouse. Good luck and post some pics when its done if you decide to get a greenhouse!!!

Re: Bananas in a Greenhouse in SE Michigan
 

Hello,

I sure do! It's actually more of a sunroom type building really,but it does work. You just have to keep them warm and slow down on the watering. Growth slows down alot anyway so I just let mine go into a semi dormancy it seem to be easier that way then forcing them to try to grow through winter. I back off on fertilizer too and then about the beginning of April I start bringing them back to life. Goodluck if you have anymore questions i'll do my best. I'm still a little new myself.

Re: Bananas in a Greenhouse in SE Michigan
 

I got bananas to fruit in Salt Lake City (see avatar). I didn't have 12' vertical space though. Most of the dwarf varieties got too big for my greenhouse. I had good luck with every variety I planted. They love the humidity, heat, and zero wind stress of a greenhouse.

I put a 300 gallon salt water aquarium in the greenhouse. I would highly recommend a large volume of circulating water as a heat sink. It was amazing how much money the aquarium saved me on the gas bill. I can get more specific if requested.

Re: Bananas in a Greenhouse in SE Michigan
 

If you want to plant directly in the ground, i'd recommend digging down 2' and creating a 2' wood/brick foundation. I used 8"x8" wood. It's extra work, but will allow you to plant in the ground. Otherwise the ground becomes too cold and the bananas don't do well. My grandpa had a greenhouse that was ground level and he had issues with soil temperature. He eventually ran hot-water lines under the soil. PLUS! It gives you that much more head room. If you look at my avatar picture, you can see how short my greenhouse was. It was 7' at the peak, but It was actually 9' since I dug down. The extra 2' was VERY nice!

My next greenhouse, I will hire someone to dig down 3-4' with a backhoe. Add a foundation and 2' of topsoil. That's if it's in a cold climate..

Re: Bananas in a Greenhouse in SE Michigan
 

Yes, if you plant in the ground you will want to install a barrier of insulation like tekfoil or similar around the perimeter so that your soil wouldn't stay as cold and to stop your heat from escaping. You definitely won't want to get an ice cream banana because they are too tall. I've heard really good things about dwarf namwah fruit, and others here can chime in on that. Mini sdcs are really cute and don't take up much space. I didn't have any luck on getting my fruit to finish, but I had a heater malfunction that killed my bananas off last year. dwarf orinoco might be a good choice. I think dwarf cavendish might be too picky on temperatures unless you're really heating warm. I have some trouble carrying them over at miniumn 45 degrees here.
You won't need supplemental lights though unless you're growing tomatoes though, or trying to get plants to come to bloom by a certain time, eg. finishing petunia baskets that need a little extra push.