Ice Cream 10ft in 11 months. Pics!
 

I planted my Ice Cream on July 5th 2008. Here are some pics of the growth progress for the last 11 months. I'm really looking forward to a flower soon.

This is the Ice Cream pup still potted up on July 4th 2008. I put in the ground the next day.



And here it is finding new roots in the ground the next day, July 5th 2008.



Here is the 11 month-old mat, today June 11th 2009. :woohoonaner:



Here is a pic of the actual Pstem height so far. A good 10ft just below the emerging leaf. Hopefully there will be a flag soon.



This is the first 'pup' that shooted about 4 months ago. It is already over 7ft of Pstem!!! This one is going to be a monster Ice Cream. Maybe fruit this year?



Thanks for having a look, and I hope you all have a productive summer!

Chris in FL.

Re: Ice Cream 10ft in 11 months. Pics!
 

The plant looks totally awesome!

Re: Ice Cream 10ft in 11 months. Pics!
 

It's amazing what warmth & sunshine can do! I read that in the tropics, it takes 12 to 18 months to flower so subtract the cold weather months. Hope it flowers for ya but don't be disappointed if it doesn't this year.
Thanks for the pics.

Re: Ice Cream 10ft in 11 months. Pics!
 

Austin, I like your pink bananas. Are they the pitago or something that needs pollinating? Anyway, they have awesome color!

Hey Patty I hear ya. It has only been 11 months and I have no idea how long the pup was in the pot when I bought it. It wasn't root bound so I hope the pot didn't stunt it none. Might take awhile longer like you said but that pup coming up along side of it is going to outgrow the parent soon. The growth alone is exciting. We are zone 9-10 here. I'm not sure if that is sub-tropic or not. I think we would be a full 10 if it didn't frost but unfortunately it does. Still, even with a couple nights last winter in the freezer, my nanner didn't stop growing for more than a week or two and didn't lose a leaf. Can't say the same for the dwarf cavendish, it was barely clinging to life when it lost all of its leaves but it came back.

Re: Ice Cream 10ft in 11 months. Pics!
 

Did you do anything for it in the "winter"? Do you guys even have "winter" In Florida?

Re: Ice Cream 10ft in 11 months. Pics!
 

Great pictures! Your plants look very healthy! My Ice Cream is still a wee little plant of about 18". I hope it looks as nice as yours in a year or two!

Re: Ice Cream 10ft in 11 months. Pics!
 

Very nice banana plant
I guess I have years to go
Mine's barely 12" tall

Re: Ice Cream 10ft in 11 months. Pics!
 

Thanks!! They are Musa velutina/dasycarpa...strictly ornamental. They come back every year in Zone 8a and fruit profusely. I love 'em!

Re: Ice Cream 10ft in 11 months. Pics!
 

Hi Alex,

Believe it or not we do have winter lol. But no, all I did was add a few more inches of mulch to bring it up to 5-6in.

I am from NJ so I am no stranger to two pairs of socks and long-johns under the jeans! It took me two years to get accustomed to the hot summers here. When I finally did the mild-winter temps actually began to feel like freezing to me. Winter averages in the 30-40 nights and 50-60 days at the coldest. There are sometimes freezes overnight, and ocassionally a hard freeze that does lots of damage.

But no matter where you are from, Michigan, Ontario, Queensland or the Congo, unless you are from the desert there is no getting use to the temperature fluctuating by 30 degrees in a matter of hours, i.e. 95 to 65, or 65 to 35 Sheeeesh.

Re: Ice Cream 10ft in 11 months. Pics!
 

Austin, did you ever taste them? What do they taste like?

Re: Ice Cream 10ft in 11 months. Pics!
 

Chris, we often have 30* temp drops here esp in summer with wind shift.
Me & a girlfriend were in Clearwater, FL in April years ago & laying on our cabannas on beach, everyone went running. Winds picked up & they MADE us get up & leave. Everyone was wearing winter jackets & us in our swimsuits were just fine LOL. We had lotion on us & the wind blew sand all over us...the guy that evacuated us said we looked like "breaded pork chops" laying there LOL. (not at all meaning that we were fat). We sunbathe here when it's in 50's :)

Re: Ice Cream 10ft in 11 months. Pics!
 

LMFAO...sounds like something I'd do. Though I'm not much for sunbathing, but 50 degrees (especially in the spring) is definitely! shorts weather where I'm from!

Re: Ice Cream 10ft in 11 months. Pics!
 

Patty, I tried to eat the velutina bananas, but way too many seeds. I managed to eat the end of one, and it was very sweet. They are kind of similar in taste to the mini bananas you can get in the grocery store.

Re: Ice Cream 10ft in 11 months. Pics!
 

I need to try mine. It now has several fruit on it.

Re: Ice Cream 10ft in 11 months. Pics!
 

The wind-chill is definitely a contributing factor to abnormal temperature shifts. In NJ, it is common for the temperaure to drop 40-50 degrees overnight because of the wind.

I know what you mean too about it being nice in the 50's. We wear jackets here when it is the 60's. But that is because its much warmer all year, and once you have acclimated to the weather, anything under 70 is chilly.

In NJ, sometimes there would be a freak warm spell n the middle of Jan or Feb where the temp would get into the 50's and everyone would have on tee shirts. I have to admit it is nice not having snow or ice. I miss it sometimes. We adapt to the cold winters up north just like we adapt to the summers in the south. But up north you never get comfortable with 80-90 summer temps, its just not hot long enough. And down here winter doesn't last long enough so 60 degrees is jacket weather.