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Christian Rieger · 11-22-2006, 09:44 AM

Ryan and Eric,

I would have gotten back to you sooner, but Patagonia is not set up for Wi-Fi.

There were supposed to be pictures with the last post? I did not find any. They could be somewhere I missed?

As I said in the previous post, since most banana growers kill an albino because it has no chlorophyl, it is rare that one gets so tall. I was trying to grow one once at the garden in Key West, but a liquid propane gas man killed the Hawaiian Ae-ae with his heavy hose. Some people do not care about other people’s property.

In the future when you post here I might ask that seem painfully obvious to you or anyone else here. I may know what I think is the answer, but you two may have one that is better or more accurate. Since I have an idea how to bring an albino to full cycle, I want to see if you guys are going along the same track. I am not going to presume answers, that is no way to learn. Then I will tell you what I think.

If the albino bears bananas you will want to support it anyway, no matter how well protected from the wind. At this point, no one knows how strong it is. In a colony it probably would not need support, but standing almost alone, it is wise to do so. And you never know who will lean against it and break it. Then your time and effort will go down the tubes.

By way of example, two visitors to my garden in Key West used a young papaya plant as a pole to pull themselves up a high step. One guy weighed about 280 pounds; broke it and six months of growing was wiped out. It takes only a second for something irreversible to happen. An old insurance adage tells us: It is better to have insurance and not need it, than to need it and not have it. When you give it support, you cannot go wrong.

The first questions: Why does he feed them bone meal? What is the source of the bone meal? What is the brand? The reason for this question is not all brands are the same. Some brands mess around with it by adding stuff, as in a health food store. A few brands are just pulverized bone meal. Others add chemicals to it you do not need, and the price pops.. Same with this.

There is another fertilizer in his yard that I have suspected would help produce a variegated banana. Because it is right in front of his nose, he may not see it, but you might. Sometimes the obvious eludes us. Do you have any idea what that might be? It can also cause plants that are not variegated to become variegated.

If you cannot venture a guess by your next post, I will tell you what it is and why I think it would help do the trick. I was going to suggest it as a fertilizer in the long-winded post, but I thought it not the right thing to say here.

How did your friend happen upon three variegated when it is hard enough simply to obtain one?

I presume you are not in south Florida, because you would have said something about cold weather stunting or killing the plants.

Christian Rieger

11-22-2006, 09:44 AM	#16 (permalink)
Christian Rieger Junior Member Location: Fort Lauderdale Find me on the map! Zone: 10.5 Name: Christian Rieger Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 37 BananaBucks : 20,138 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 1 Times Was Thanked 25 Times in 12 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Ae Ae Albino Ryan and Eric, I would have gotten back to you sooner, but Patagonia is not set up for Wi-Fi. There were supposed to be pictures with the last post? I did not find any. They could be somewhere I missed? As I said in the previous post, since most banana growers kill an albino because it has no chlorophyl, it is rare that one gets so tall. I was trying to grow one once at the garden in Key West, but a liquid propane gas man killed the Hawaiian Ae-ae with his heavy hose. Some people do not care about other people’s property. In the future when you post here I might ask that seem painfully obvious to you or anyone else here. I may know what I think is the answer, but you two may have one that is better or more accurate. Since I have an idea how to bring an albino to full cycle, I want to see if you guys are going along the same track. I am not going to presume answers, that is no way to learn. Then I will tell you what I think. If the albino bears bananas you will want to support it anyway, no matter how well protected from the wind. At this point, no one knows how strong it is. In a colony it probably would not need support, but standing almost alone, it is wise to do so. And you never know who will lean against it and break it. Then your time and effort will go down the tubes. By way of example, two visitors to my garden in Key West used a young papaya plant as a pole to pull themselves up a high step. One guy weighed about 280 pounds; broke it and six months of growing was wiped out. It takes only a second for something irreversible to happen. An old insurance adage tells us: It is better to have insurance and not need it, than to need it and not have it. When you give it support, you cannot go wrong. The first questions: Why does he feed them bone meal? What is the source of the bone meal? What is the brand? The reason for this question is not all brands are the same. Some brands mess around with it by adding stuff, as in a health food store. A few brands are just pulverized bone meal. Others add chemicals to it you do not need, and the price pops.. Same with this. There is another fertilizer in his yard that I have suspected would help produce a variegated banana. Because it is right in front of his nose, he may not see it, but you might. Sometimes the obvious eludes us. Do you have any idea what that might be? It can also cause plants that are not variegated to become variegated. If you cannot venture a guess by your next post, I will tell you what it is and why I think it would help do the trick. I was going to suggest it as a fertilizer in the long-winded post, but I thought it not the right thing to say here. How did your friend happen upon three variegated when it is hard enough simply to obtain one? I presume you are not in south Florida, because you would have said something about cold weather stunting or killing the plants. Christian Rieger