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harveyc 11-17-2007 11:18 AM
Seasonal demand for banana plants?
 
I was a bit surprised when I saw a Hilo seller list another Ae Ae for sale on eBay the other day. I would think that there would be much greater demand (and higher prices) in the spring. But, with over a day remaining, it is already over $100 with several bidders. Are there a lot of people with greenhouses, etc. that keep demand high year-round? Even in our warmer climates, planting a new banana this time of year can be challenging, I've read (i.e., Jordon has indicated that late-season pups usually don't survive). I'm just trying to understand what other people are doing.

Thanks!

mm4birds 11-17-2007 06:13 PM
Re: Seasonal demand for banana plants?
 
HI! I'm new to this foroum.I grow my tropicals in new york, outside during the summer and in a greenhouse in winter. I would love to buy a verigated banana but the prices seem to keep on rising. Maybe it's because of the relatively warm fall we have been having. It is now November and we still have not had a frost. I know this because I still have not cut back my basjoo in front of my house. Any ideas on how to get a resonably priced aeae?

momoese 11-17-2007 07:51 PM
Re: Seasonal demand for banana plants?
 
Harvey, are you planning to corner the market and start a new business selling AE AE's?

I have told my wife several times that I should have spent a few thousand dollars and covered our whole backyard in them just to supplement our income.

harveyc 11-18-2007 02:02 AM
Re: Seasonal demand for banana plants?
 
lol, Mitchel. I don't think anyone can corner the market on Ae Ae and if I ever am able to sell pups I hope to do it in a manner that makes them more affordable to more people than they are now, not to make a bunch of money. If I don't end up killing them, but will probably be in 2009 at the earliest. I did think that people might be able to pick up some of the rarer plants like Ae Ae a bit cheaper in the winter, but it seems like there is still pretty strong demand.

I like your backyard idea, though! I think your wife should lend you full support! :D

bencelest 11-18-2007 08:54 AM
Re: Seasonal demand for banana plants?
 
Cover the whole backyard? Only for a couple thousand bucks?
I've been dreaming about this for years but what stop me is the cost.
I was at Home depot yesterday and a small perhaps 8 x 10 shed cost over $4,000.
Pray tell me, how can it be done?

momoese 11-18-2007 10:55 AM
Re: Seasonal demand for banana plants?
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by bencelest (Post 21976)
Cover the whole backyard? Only for a couple thousand bucks?
I've been dreaming about this for years but what stop me is the cost.
I was at Home depot yesterday and a small perhaps 8 x 10 shed cost over $4,000.
Pray tell me, how can it be done?
When I first bought my AE AE's they were much cheaper then todays prices. If 4 years ago I would have bought 20 pups for 100 each or 10 large 6-8' tall AE AE pups for $200 each I could now have a backyard full of them by moving the pups around as they come up. I do have a small backyard but by replanting new pups just like with any other banana I would have a yard full of AE AE and be selling pups at this point. Of course a few frosty nights could have killed or at least slowed down the dream!

MediaHound 11-18-2007 11:07 AM
Re: Seasonal demand for banana plants?
 
This is starting to sound like the tulip craze from the 1600's in Holland!
http://www.investopedia.com/features...s/crashes2.asp

Quote:
Crashes: The Tulip and Bulb Craze


When: 1634-1637
Where: Holland

The amount the market declined from peak to bottom: This number is difficult to calculate, but, we can tell you that at the peak of the market, a person could trade a single tulip for an entire estate, and, at the bottom, one tulip was the price of a common onion.

Synopsis: In 1593 tulips were brought from Turkey and introduced to the Dutch. The novelty of the new flower made it widely sought after and therefore fairly pricey. After a time, the tulips contracted a non-fatal virus known as mosaic, which didn't kill the tulip population but altered them causing "flames" of color to appear upon the petals. The color patterns came in a wide variety, increasing the rarity of an already unique flower. Thus, tulips, which were already selling at a premium, began to rise in price according to how their virus alterations were valued, or desired. Everyone began to deal in bulbs, essentially speculating on the tulip market, which was believed to have no limits.

The true bulb buyers (the garden centers of the past) began to fill up inventories for the growing season, depleting the supply further and increasing scarcity and demand. Soon, prices were rising so fast and high that people were trading their land, life savings, and anything else they could liquidate to get more tulip bulbs. Many Dutch persisted in believing they would sell their hoard to hapless and unenlightened foreigners, thereby reaping enormous profits. Somehow, the originally overpriced tulips enjoyed a twenty-fold increase in value - in one month!

Needless to say, the prices were not an accurate reflection of the value of a tulip bulb. As it happens in many speculative bubbles, some prudent people decided to sell and crystallize their profits. A domino effect of progressively lower and lower prices took place as everyone tried to sell while not many were buying. The price began to dive, causing people to panic and sell regardless of losses.

Dealers refused to honor contracts and people began to realize they traded their homes for a piece of greenery; panic and pandemonium were prevalent throughout the land. The government attempted to step in and halt the crash by offering to honor contracts at 10% of the face value, but then the market plunged even lower, making such restitution impossible. No one emerged unscathed from the crash. Even the people who had locked in their profit by getting out early suffered under the following depression.

The effects of the tulip craze left the Dutch very hesitant about speculative investments for quite some time. Investors now can know that it is better to stop and smell the flowers than to stake your future upon one.

mskitty38583 11-18-2007 11:55 AM
Re: Seasonal demand for banana plants?
 
glad i bought my tulips and bulbs 2 yrs ago! i just bought some daffy dil bulbs 5 days ago at walmart. im picky though. i had every pack out on the floor. yes i was sitting in the middle of the isle, looking through the bags to make sure that they were good bulbs. the manager thought i was crazy. you heard that saying dont you buy no ugly truck? well i dont buy no soggy or nasty bulbs and thats what i told the manager.:2720:

momoese 11-18-2007 12:00 PM
Re: Seasonal demand for banana plants?
 
Yeah, Amy Stewart talked about the Tulip crash in her book "Flower Confidential"


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