Hello from SE Ohio
 

Hi, Don here, second year naner grower....and still experimenting!! We live in Lowell, Ohio on an island on the Muskingum River. Love the river and really anything outdoors as long as it's warm out...lol. take a look at my stuff we have played with last summer, some is old, some new..... Naners are new to me, this will be my second year of wintering with the end result of mush. pups came back last spring and grew 6 nice musa basjoo's about 8'. attempted a different route of wintering with a lot of hope, results were mush again. I guess I was trying to start them this year with a 3-4' stem. I also have a couple of palms which I am still playing with to winter them over. I have 2 cactus over 70 years old and some new stuff I acquired last year from another web site by trading some things....take a look around and let me know of any ideas/thoughts etc....

Musa Basjoo pictures by wilson1963 - Photobucket

feel free to yell at me or at least give me a shout....don

Re: Hello from SE Ohio
 

Welcome aboard Don. Impressive pics,looking forward to hearing about your plants.

Re: Hello from SE Ohio
 

I loved the pics Don. That wheelbarrow with the cactus is awesome. This year I think we all the mush brothers. You sure had a nice mat there last year. Your protection really looked impressive. I'm beginning to wonder if we can save any pstem up north but I'm not giving up yet. The big guns are coming out next winter!! I'm just hoping my corms survived this winter. Welcome and good luck!

Michael

Re: Hello from SE Ohio
 

Welcome to the board Don! :goteam: Nice pix.

Re: Hello from SE Ohio
 

Welcome to the Org. Don! Great pics, looks very peaceful along the river and your plants during the summer months seem to love it, what do you you do with cactus in the wheel ballow over the winter? those are beautiful when in bloom, actually your whole yard looks really nice when in bloom, congrats! :bananas_b

Re: Hello from SE Ohio
 

Welcome to the best banana site in the galaxy!

Re: Hello from SE Ohio
 

welcome to the board thank god its spring

Re: Hello from SE Ohio
 

Beautiful pix Don, love the pindo. I have the wooly pindo(eriospatha) which I'm trying for the first time. My smaller windmills have survived winters with just the straw mulch, as did a Chinese Fan Palm. This past year I added 2 larger windmills, and used straw, burlap and plastic bags. Haven't had the nerve to look yet; the leaves sound awful dry! What river are you on?

Re: Hello from SE Ohio
 

We live on the Muskingum (Indian for Elks Eye) river, about 10 miles from the confluence of the Muskingum/Ohio rivers at Marietta. Quiet little place on Buell island (General Don Carlos Buell). Great place to raise kids etc...

Re: Hello from SE Ohio
 

The cactus in the wheel barrel is a hedgehog cactus, 1/2 of it is over 70 years old, my dad had it in his house when he was a small boy and I inherited it when it was still in my oldest brothers diaper pail.....lol. The starfish or star cactus is almost as old as it was my grandmothers (paternal), as they must of had a thing for cactuses.....lol. We wheel it out each spring after threat of frost and wheel it back in the fall.

Re: Hello from SE Ohio
 

Welcome Don from NE Ohio by way of Youngstown! Great pics and hope you enjoy your time here!

Re: Hello from SE Ohio
 

Welcome to the organization Wilson!!:2239:

Re: Hello from SE Ohio
 

welcome to the board

Re: Hello from SE Ohio
 

well, I didn't post anything last year, the winter knocked them clear to the ground, the musa basjoo grew to 8' and no flowers and died at first frost, however....I did cover them differently this past winter as I have been experimenting. I uncovered them 2 weeks ago and have a solid stem in ALL of last years plants at least 18: or more high and as soon as I uncovered them they started growing. I have them now under clear plastic for the "green house effect". My skimeneskises (sp?) has also survived with a solid stem, but my black thai is mush....I have however ordered a replacement if it don't come back....and if it does, ill make room for a 2nd. Pics will be coming this week.

Re: Hello from SE Ohio
 

Hi Don, how's it going? Nice pictures.

I like palms too. Got some coconuts in a greenhouse, only one survived the winter last year, but I'm hopeful the new batch and that survivor will kick on. We have cocos palms which don't mind the climate and Bangalows which survived winter last year fine too. I've got another type of palm in pots but have no idea what variety they are. :)

What's the climate like in your part of the world? According to Wikipedia, Lowell is about 39 degrees from the Equator, so I imagine it would be temperate without much in the way of snow or chill. Is that correct?

Re: Hello from SE Ohio
 

Musa 2011 pictures by wilson1963 - Photobucket

2011 start, didn't post last year, started again with mush, finished 8' tall with no flowers. This is my best start since planting them in 07....just wish it would get warm out and its been a long hard winter here.

Re: Hello from SE Ohio
 

You should check out this article for some ideas, Don. It's about bananas growing in Ohio. Mush sucks :)

Bananas move north of the tropics | Flower & Garden Magazine | Find Articles at BNET

Re: Hello from SE Ohio
 

no mush this year, theya re absolutely going crazy!!

Re: Hello from SE Ohio
 

we had a terrible winter, snow and sub zero temps from late Nov until late Feb is farily normal. our zip code to check weather is 45744 as there are many "Lowell's" around. That is by the way a great article....but I truely hope to retire in 5.5 years, then we're heading south.....no more mush!!...lmao!

Re: Hello from SE Ohio
 

That's awesome that you have no mush this year... I just planted my first 3 plants this year, so I came across that article when researching. Come on down to FL... the weather's fine :)