There's another reason not mentioned yet: The sun! The difference in sun intensity between here (Tennessee) and Florida is pretty amazing. Bananas grow much faster in Florida as a result too! Then think about how far Florida is away from the true Tropics. When you get into the Tropics, temperatures below 65 (lowland tropics) are pretty rare too (unheard of in some areas). With basically the same temperatures year-round, plus all of the rain that the Tropics get (again, I am generalizing...I know all of the tropical areas of the world aren't the same), intensity of the sun, and natural fertilizers they receive...well, you get the idea
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We just fertilize the crap out of them for the reason Mike said. We need things to happen faster. It still amazes me that these plants can be forced into dormancy by moving them under my house, and start growing again almost immediately after planting 5-6 months later. What a great plant!
