Iakona

Hello, everyone. I'm new to Corpus and to these forums. I grew up in Kansas City so the summers are nothing new to me (KC has been hotter than us all summer) but I dont really know what does well here and what is problematic.

I've looked at the forums here and seen some excellent discussions about south Texas, specifically Houston, and hot dry climates like Las Vegas. However, neither really speaks to the weather situation here.

Like Houston, we are 9b. However, we get half the rain annually that they do, so comparisons aren't really applicable. I tried looking for hot and dry, but they discuss dry humidities, rather than low rainfall. We only get 25ish inches a year (non-drought years that is). However, the wind is always blowing and the humidity is around 80%+ year round.

One of my cardinal rules to planting is always to stick with plants that are native, or at least close in environment to where I live. You shouldn't have to fight with mother nature, if it can be avoided. I'm wondering if there are varieties of bananas that work with the conditions where I live. Here's a recap...

80-100% humidity year round
wind is common, 20-40 mph is not uncommon for days at a time
very direct sunlight
9b zone
Heat and cold are regulated by proximity to the gulf. We nearly never freeze and have not been hotter than 97 this summer. Having said that, we stay hot longer than northern climes

Thank you all for your assistance...

Bananaman88

Iakona,

I don't really think you'd have much trouble growing bananas down there. I've only been to Corpus once (to escape from Hurricane Ike), so I wasn't exactly looking at the plant material that growns down there, though I do seem to remember a lot of palms. I'd think if you have the capability of irrigating bananas that they'd do great. I would also think things like oleanders, salvias, hamelias, and many succulents would do well there as well. Have you looked into whether or not there is a local garden club you could join?

Iakona

Bananaman, thank you for the response. The palms are non-native and dont really approve of the drought conditions down here. So, you believe that with the small amount rainfall I mentioned I could irrigate and that would handle the issue?

I've seen people mention watering twice a day at times. Is there a rule of thumb for that or is it just monitoring the plants?

I would like really tall banana plants to help shade the house on one side. I would like some fruit, but some ornamental as well. Do you have recommendations on species I should try based on the climate, please?

Bananaman88

Well, other than temperature, moisture is ususally one of the main limiting factors, so I would say yes, irrigation will definitely help and will likely be a must if you only get 25 inchesof rainfall on average. I did not realize it was quite so dry down there. I would suggest drip irrigation, though you'll have to be careful not to slice it up when digging up pups if you bury it.

There are a lot of good tall bananas that you should be able to get your hands on. Not 100% sure what your definition of tall is but I know 'Saba', 'Praying Hands', and 'Brazilian' are supposed to get quite tall. Others such as 'Ice Cream', 'Orinoco', 'Hua Moa' get pretty tall as well (12' or so). I think there is a thread on here somewhere that discusses average height for each cultivar but, again, alot of that depends upon nutrients and available soil moisture. Even the tallest-growing culitvar isn't going to reach its potential if it is starved for moistrue and nutrients.

I'd suggest you amend the areas you want to plant with as much compost as you can afford and let it sit this winter. Come spring I should have several pups I could send you if you are interested.

As for ornamentals any of them should do well down there given enough moisture. I successfully grow M. laterita, M. siamensis, M. ornata, M. velutina, M. acuminata ssp. zebrina, 'Siam Ruby', and Musella lasiocarpa in the Houston area. They should all do well for you too.

Iakona

Ahh, that is a great deal of help. Thank you very much for the excellent information. I'll plan to use a drip hose and just leave it on top of the soil, but under the mulch.

I was thinking of some 20'-30' varieties, but that was just something in my head. I'll look for that thread to see what grows that high. I just assumed most would be really tall so obviously I have some edju'mika'tin ta do.

I dont know about Houston, but down here we have clay so hard I consider it concrete. Its very alkaline (8.0 pH) but rich in everything except nitrogen. I'll start preparing the spots I have in mind with some cotton bur to acidify it somewhat and start breaking down the clay. Come spring, things should be better.

Also, I'll look up the varieties you mentioned. I'm really excited about this so preparing a few months to have success seems like a terrific investment. Thank you again for the advice.