Jane

Let me start out by saying HI, what a wonderful site. I am enjoying reading all the great information here.

This spring while shopping for annuals I came across a Musa ‘Rowe Red’. I was not going to get it but I found that I just kept coming back to it. Never having had a banana before I was a little nervous about getting it. Well right before I left I just had to go back and get it. Well after having it here for a few weeks I just fell in love!!!! It was doing very well and I was very proud of myself till I started doing some research. Oh my gosh!!!!!! I had no idea there were so many different bananas out there and that I could keep them alive over the winter by digging them up and storing them. Now I want to try some more. I was told that what I have is very common and from reading here I’m guessing that no one where even bothers with this one. But I really do like the colors and the growth rate is wonderful. I just wish the pups would slow down and let the mother get a little taller. The poor thing looks like a very health banana bush right now. But I’m not complaining, it is very happy after all.
Now my question is should I wait till next year before I start getting more plants. I really want to get some now, but since we are in mid July already I thought maybe I should wait. And if it is ok, a few suggestions from you very knowledgeable people would be very much appreciated. I will be storing my plants out at my mom’s in her root cellar. It is cool, but does not freeze, dark and it stays dry in there. She has kept plants in there over the winter before and they have all done fine.
So what do you all think? My husband has already taken off running with his wallet. But I know I can catch him.

Thanks,
Jane

mikevan

Well, I guess the best time to add new plants to your collection in temporate areas would logically seem to be Spring. However - I still find myself shopping for bananas! They'll slow down over the winter then resume in the Spring, so as long as they have a couple of months to get established, I don't see any problem with new additions so long as you can protect it over the winter. Are you going to be dark-storing them (like the fella who stores his under his house over the winter) or are they going to receive some light?

Be well,
Mike

imdocrob

You still have several months of good growing left in the season. If you want to get your red to grow better then it may be time to remove the pups and get them growing on their own. There are some great deals on banana plants on ebay or banana-plants.com is another great web site. I started growing last year with one I bought while in Texas and now just can't get enough of these critters. I think you have plenty of time to get some new nanners established before the season is over. Good luck and watch out this can be addicting.

Jane

Thanks so much both of you for your replies. I have found a couple of sites that I am considering ordering from. I think I’ll start with some dwarf’s and see how it goes. I am already addicted to hostas and was thinking of getting rid of all my sunny areas to plant more hosta. Think I’ll keep my sun and plant some bananas instead.

Jane

momoese

Yes, planting food is good.

mikevan

I'm a big believer in the multi-use of what's around us - experiencing the full potential of nature at its best. In this case, you like hostas, but also like bananas. I really don't think you need to be without either. You see... bananas create shade! So do figs and any other fruits you may like! Don't forget to plant some ferns under there too - and when it warms up be sure to tuck some bromeliads and orchids here and there. Your hostas will be quite at home in there, methinks. So, in this case you really can have your cake and eat it too!

Be well,
Mike

Jane

Well I did it! I went to Greenearth Inc last night and ordered my first Banana Trees. What I am getting is a Dwarf Cavendish, a Dwarf Green-Red and a Super Dwarf Mini. I am really excited and can’t wait for them to get here. I am going to keep them next to a south window this winter and hopefully that will be good enough.
Keep up the encouraging everyone. I think this is going to be an addiction I am really going to love!!!!!

Jane

AnnaJW

Hello and welcome! I don't know why banana growing is so addictive, but it sure is! I started out with one in 2001, and now have over 60.
Have fun!

__________________
-Anna Banana -

Living my life in MMORPG's

tlturbo

Isn't it funny we always want to grow what we can't? I LOVE Hostas and sure wish they would grow in S FL but it is just too hot - shade or no shade. I've traded and tried several times but no luck.

Terry

Jane

Thanks everyone for the welcome. I think I’m really going to enjoy spending time here learning and looking at all the wonderful pictures.

Terry,
Sorry you can’t grow hostas. I don’t know what I would do without them. But it’s not the heat that does your hostas in, it’s the lack of dormancy. Hosta HAVE to go dormant or they can’t live. I have heard of people who get old refrigerators to store a few potted hostas in for a couple of months. I on the other hand lust for a lot of the tropicals you all in the southern states can grow and I can’t. Guess we all just need to get a house in the north and one in the south so we can grow all the plants we love.

Jane

rane

I'm ok with living up north but I'd like one of these in my back yard: http://www.edenproject.com/

;-)

momoese

I wish we had one of those here locally. I have read about it before and would really like to visit someday.

AnnaJW

Yes! Why don't we have something like this locally? I would love to see it!

__________________
-Anna Banana -

Living my life in MMORPG's

Westwood

Im thinking about redoing My yard . taking out the whole front and redoing it tropical.
My Jungel Room IS complete and so is the Green house .
Now to make enough soil and compost any good ideas on How much sand i should use ? Thats pretty much all the front yard is .Westwood

mikevan

You can sheet compost. I'm setting up a bed using that. Lay down carboard or several layers of newspaper on moist soil, moisten the paper, then start piling on layers of compost, mulch, composted manure, etc - get it good and thick. Then let it sit over winter - making sure it doesn't dry out. It will decompose and facilitate the natural restructuring of the soil below it thanks to the abundance of earthworms that will multiply under that. In the spring, you should be able to plant right into that. Then, keep adding a diverse compost over the season as it settles and that will feed the soil. Nanner roots stay fairly shallow so they'll get the best of this good stuff. It's a lot of compost tho - so I'd do it a bed at a time. My first bed will be around 25x40' or so, then I'll expand as I go - get about 300' of nanner-beds before long... If you leave your nanners in the ground over the winter, the cylinder of mulch you use to protect the pseudostem will also contribute to the overall sheet compost when you take it down in the spring - just remove the wire-cage and plastic and spread the leaves and hay out around the tree.

I've yet to have any rot problems with this kind of compost. My nanners actually grow up into it as it becomes soil. You can sprinkle some red lava-sand (good iron and mineral source) and a dusting of powderized clay, rock phosphate and perhaps even digested granite every so often.

Be well,
Mike