wstrickland1

Is frost cloth frost cloth? Where do you get yours?

AaronTT

Amazon. Several options, but I choose the 50 ft roll. You can cut to fit each trunk. Cost me $25. We rarely get freezes here, but it does happen every few years. Since I have a few sensitive types like Rose and Patupi, I choose to wrap their trunks just to be safe. I see no reason to remove them before spring.

smeash

There are all different sizes, shapes and weight of cloth, but i just sprung for the really big bulk roll.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

wstrickland1

Thanks I found pretty much the same at Walmart.com. I got (2) 50' rolls. May as well wrap up the few I have. Thanks for the info. If I get the transfer to Boca Raton my banana worries may be over!!

wstrickland1

https://www.walmart.com/ip/DeWitt-Su...a-acad5517fb3a


This is what I found

smeash

That should work.. same stuff, that is just a bit more expensive than the bulk roll.. i think mine was 250x12 and was around 130 for the roll.
Boca would be a nice environment to grow for sure!

cincinnana

You are wasting your money.....because.?

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wstrickland1

Because I live in the Lowcountry?

wstrickland1

Happy Birthday buddy

wstrickland1

Not a birthday pic but exciting for me. What a freak this guy is

wstrickland1

10 months young. It didn't lose one inch of pstem and even the tiny pups started pushing a month ago. Lou and all of the pups pushed some beautiful leaves in early March when it was mid 80s but then 3 nights in a row of 31-33 degree temps nastied them up. Oh well everything is back on schedule and it should be 80s from here on out. Lou starting at around 7'

I learned some things this winter.

Happy Birthday Buddy

Valor_X

That's awesome news! GROW GROW GROW

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Varieties I'm Growing

From Corm/Pup
Dwarf Cavendish ○ Super Dwarf Cavendish ○ Grand Nain ○ Niño ○ Manzano ○ Raja Puri ○ Tall Namwah ○ Blue Java ○ 1000 Fingers ○ Praying Hands ○ Orinoco ○ Variegated Florida ○ PR Red ○ California Gold ○ FHIA-03 Sweetheart

Plantains
Puerto Rican Dwarf Plantain ○ African Rhino Horn

From TC
Truly Tiny ○ Manzano ○ "Blue Java" ○ Dwarf Namwah ○ Thai Black ○ Veinte Cohol

smeash

Good stuff.. Just for your knowledge.. all my 1st gen nam wah are fruiting now. They are all 12-13 ft of pstem, and 16 months old. I pushed them pretty hard with about 1/2 cup of 13/13/13 per plant, per week all growing season. I cant remember how old Lou is, but im guessing hes a year or more now.. so should push a flower this summer!

EDIT: sorry just saw he was 10 months.. should be Oct then when he flowers.. just a guess!

wstrickland1

Oh yes thanks. I do have a question though and that's what to do with the monster pups. 2 are freaking gigantic and are already pushing out 3-4 foot leaves. There are (currently ) 2 smaller pups pushing leaves. The genetics of this thing sems astonishing, to me a rookie.

Hack off the big ones and leave the small ones?

smeash

I was leaving just one pup to be the following year fruiting plant. For our area, it seems a pup that comes up in Mar or April is the best one to select, as it should fruit around June the following year, and ripen by oct. I would remove both of those pups, and keep the next vigorous sword pup that comes up, or keep the newest one you have. If you dont care about fruit, you can let them all go to form a mat if you like. Truth is, bananas dont like to grow as solitary plants, they like wind and sun protection they get by growing in a clump or mat. I have 6 original namwah planted in a stand, and each has a first and second follower on it now.. some have 3 or 4 additional pups that i will remove after the flower is fully emerged. The 1st follower pup from last year should fruit in june. The pup of that plant should be my fruiting stem next year. Last year i was removing around 20 pups a month from that stand of plants.. it can get exhausting! Once the corms of the original plants developed, they produced only sword pups, and LOTS of them.

wstrickland1

Yes I do want fruit at least once in my life and this looks like my best chance.

So right now there are 4 pups. 2 YUGE* ones and 2 smaller. Do you think I'll be ok hacking off the 2 monsters at the same time or should I give it some recovery time in between? Those monsters have to be stealing energy.

smeash

I have removed 2 and 3 pups at a time with no issues.. i would wait until your plants have a few leaves and are fully out of dormancy, then i would take the 2 pups. If they were sword pups i would plant them elsewhere if you have the room, or even plant nearby your first gen plant.

wstrickland1

It's pushing pretty good, I'll give it 2 weeks and relocate them.

I'll MAKE room.....

wstrickland1

What a difference a month makes. 11 months in. It took just over 3 months off. Thanksgiving day it was (and had been) in the 80s in my back yard. It really started showing signs of life in March. Still looking a little ratchet a month ago.

cincinnana

Looking fine..
Me...I run a sharp spade between the plants to make the separating cut and let the plants heal a bit in place while separated.

Then I move /repot them at my convenience.

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