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csdude55 · 07-04-2020, 01:54 AM

Hi all! I'm a long time gardener / pond enthusiast, but new to banana trees and to this site.

I heard about Blue Java trees for the first time last year, and was super excited when someone locally had some pups for sale! His tree is 3 or 4 years old, and he said that this is the first year he's gotten fruit.

I'm in western NC (USA), zone 7a, which I understand is a little out of the tree's comfort zone. So I'm hoping for some advice on helping my new baby survive!

My soil is mostly red clay (typical for NC), and I'm surrounded by pine trees so it's slightly acidic (sorry, I don't know the exact pH). I planted it in the sunniest spot that I could; there are trees to the East of this tree so it doesn't get a lot of morning sun, but gets direct sun from around noon until maybe an hour before dusk.

I mulched a radius of about 6' (with the tree in the middle), and added 2 calla lilies, 6 irises, 5 or 6 other smaller bulb plants, and some sedum to fill in underneath. I understand that I should water it deeply every 2-3 days, so I picked companion plants that would be OK with that type of water schedule. Right now I'm watering with jugs, but I might run a soaker hose to it.

Everything OK so far?

What about fertilizer? I know they're heavy eaters, so what type of fertilizer should I be using?

Is there anything else I should know?

TIA!

07-04-2020, 01:54 AM	#1 (permalink)
csdude55 csdude55's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Join Date: Jul 2020 Posts: 15 BananaBucks : 6,582 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 3 Times Was Thanked 18 Times in 7 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	new Blue Java in zone 7A Hi all! I'm a long time gardener / pond enthusiast, but new to banana trees and to this site. I heard about Blue Java trees for the first time last year, and was super excited when someone locally had some pups for sale! His tree is 3 or 4 years old, and he said that this is the first year he's gotten fruit. I'm in western NC (USA), zone 7a, which I understand is a little out of the tree's comfort zone. So I'm hoping for some advice on helping my new baby survive! My soil is mostly red clay (typical for NC), and I'm surrounded by pine trees so it's slightly acidic (sorry, I don't know the exact pH). I planted it in the sunniest spot that I could; there are trees to the East of this tree so it doesn't get a lot of morning sun, but gets direct sun from around noon until maybe an hour before dusk. I mulched a radius of about 6' (with the tree in the middle), and added 2 calla lilies, 6 irises, 5 or 6 other smaller bulb plants, and some sedum to fill in underneath. I understand that I should water it deeply every 2-3 days, so I picked companion plants that would be OK with that type of water schedule. Right now I'm watering with jugs, but I might run a soaker hose to it. Everything OK so far? What about fertilizer? I know they're heavy eaters, so what type of fertilizer should I be using? Is there anything else I should know? TIA!