PA BananaMan

First i ordered my bulb or corm whatever its called from Michigan Bulb and should be here in about a week or so, about April 7th.
Since i would say mid-may here in Pa gets to a low of about 50 at night::

Should i plant this in a container when i get it?
Or stick it in a dark closet till mid-may for planting in ground?


Second i was thinking of doing a 3-4ft diameter round bed with bricks around it maybe a foot tall or so:::

Is it best to be in a raised bed like that?
Or should i plant it ground level?


Third its pretty hard in my area to find good cactus mixes for a soil mix:
I found here at home depot "Miracle-Gro Cactus Palm and Citrus Soil"

Is that a good soil to use for bananas?


Fourth fertilizing::

Is milorganite the best thing to use for these and maybe a liquid fish fert of 5-0-0?


And lastly,

will pups produce the first year, if so how big will they get by the end of summer?

Should i mulch around my plant? And if so, will pups still come up through it?


I really want to blow my neighbors away with a huge banana plant and would hate to do all this work for it and not get big or just die. But from what I've read its pretty hard to kill these things for the most part. Anyhow thank you all in advance for answering my questions. If all works out with this one might try another variety along with it next season.

hybridpower

I think the basjoo is the easiest banana to grow. When my others stop growing to the "winter" (AZ gets winter temps close to what you're taking about for spring), they keep growing. Mine grow year round, and it's always better to plant in the ground if you can. I often use palm and cactus soil, mixed with composted steer manure as my main planting soil. Just watch how wet you let the soil get until it warms up, you don't want it to rot before it roots.

jeffaroo

Love basjoos. If it were me I'd throw it in a 10 gallon pot for now. I always put my TC's and new pups under my covered porch the first 2-3weeks so they have a little shelter and no direct sun.
I just started to use Milorganite on a test plant and I'm trying miracle grow shake & feed, fruit /veg/tomato on another test plant. Its to soon for results.
Best of luck. Just remember........ Nobody grows just one banana !!!

__________________
Keep shoveling on the potash till the ground bleeds

Snarkie

I would plant in level ground, at least 3-5" below the surface to take the winter freezes. Your mix is good, but you might add Perlite or Stall Dri (available at most farm supply stores) for added drainage. Go ahead and dig a hole three feet or so in diameter, and use the amended soil, particularly if you are in clay; it needs to be well-drained.

Mulch is good and will not inhibit the pups. I would pot it and place in a sunny location to get a jump on the growth. Stick with Musa basjoo or Mekong giant for your area. Both will winter over and get an impressive size, especially the Mekong giant, if you really want to impress somebody.

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The Only Eastern Redwood Forest in America




"Nuke my 'nanners, will you?!"

PA BananaMan

Does that mean if i plant this "one" i'll have 3-4 growing by the end of the summer from the same plant?
Or are you saying i'll just be addicted to growing bananas and grow a ton next year lol

Terri

Here in Kansas, I did not do anything to amend my soil and my Basjoo did very well: it only died when it got to -20 and then the electric company parked their truck on it all of the next summer it when they did a major revision of the telephone poles.

So yes, it is a tough plant but it has its limits!

I think that your soil is fine. And, I think that your Basjoo will do well in the winter if you put 3 feet of dry leaves on top. I did NOT have that done the year it went down to -20, and I do not know if it died of cold or died because the truck was parked on top of it.

At any rate, most years in he fall I made a simple circle of chicken wire or something similar, set that on top of the P-stem, and filled it with the leaves that I raked up. The leaves would settle down in a few weeks time so I would top it off to bring the depth up to 3 feet. The P-stem would freeze down to a stub but then it would start growing the next spring: without protection the banana died down to the ground and would start growing a month later in the year.

What made the Basjoo REALLY grow quickly was heat and water: that first year it only grew to 5 feet tall but following years it reached 7 feet tall or perhaps a bit more.

For me it started producing pups the second year, but then I did not know what I was doing. I planted it at the edge of the vegetable garden so it got an inch of water a week (more if it rained) and its share of the garden fertilizer. With more water and nitrogen it might have given me pups sooner. I think.

PA BananaMan

Thanks for all this good information guys I appreciate it!

A lot of you said to winter it outside. I have a large tree in my front yard so leaves would be abundant, no problem reaching the 3 feet mark Terri suggested.
But I've also saw a video from a guy in Canada that leaves his p-stem about 3-4 feet and bubble wraps it. Is that a good way to do it? I think it would make the yard look pretty bad in the winter though but could see it maybe getting a jump start the 2nd year.
I also saw a video of Banana Bart and Boca Joe, and one of them dug it up and stored it in a cardboard box over the winter. Winters here can be brutal, especially this past one, and was thinking storing it like that would be the best option, any thoughts?

cincinnana

Being in a very similiar zone you might want to check out this thread and other threads containing the key word basjoo in the forum search area.

Many forum members have a technique to grow these plants this is just another thought.

The basjoos shown in the photos are pretty much how a plant will perform in optimal conditions.
Good luck.

1.Hibernating a basjoo
2.Hibernating a basjoo

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PA BananaMan

Awesome pictures! Definitely gives me a glimpse into what im in for, was hoping they would reach that height. Thank you for that! Nice to be able to see what they're capable of up here.
If they get 10ft tall I'll be happy.

@Snarkie You definitely peeked my interest with the Mekong Giant, but i think 40 ft might be way too tall for my yard haha. One day when i have a much larger yard i'll definitely keep that one in mind.

PA BananaMan

So when i get it, which will hopefully arrive next week, I'm going to pot it like you guys said for the first few weeks.

Do i cover the entire corm with soil or leave an inch or so stick out above?

And you said to put it in a sunny location for this, can that be inside or outside?
Still getting lows in mid 30's at night.

Snarkie

Mine arrived on January 2. I potted them and kept them in a sunny window during the day and in front of the heat at night. They continued putting out new leaves all winter that way.

Treat your corm the same way. Let it think it's in the ground already and transplant it when the temps are right. Bury it.

__________________
Doug (D.A. Hänks) http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2955582/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1


The Only Eastern Redwood Forest in America




"Nuke my 'nanners, will you?!"

PA BananaMan

Looked at the place its coming from and the reviews i read seems like it will come in a 4in pot.

I should put it in a 10 gallon bucket till planting right?
And if no leaves, bury it lets say 6in under the dirt in the bucket,
unless it comes with leaves already growing?

Again thank you all for your quick replies and great info, its helped greatly and i appreciate it!

Snarkie

If it has leaves, plant it 1-2" deep. If it's just the corm, an inch should be fine. A one gallon pot will be fine for now. In your zone, when you plant it outside, 3-4" should be fine. I think 6" is for below zero, but someone correct me if I am incorrect on this.

__________________
Doug (D.A. Hänks) http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2955582/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1


The Only Eastern Redwood Forest in America




"Nuke my 'nanners, will you?!"

PA BananaMan

Thanks Snarkie, I'll post pics of my progress and hopefully it turns out awesome

jeffaroo

Both... After a little research and reading you will want another variety. Team up with a buddy like I do with my brother in law. We never buy the same plants and we swap pups back and forth.

__________________
Keep shoveling on the potash till the ground bleeds

PA BananaMan

That's a great idea! If this one turns out as good as i hope I shouldn't have much trouble persuading a buddy of mine to get in the mix. I'd like to try the Red Flash Musa sikkimensis, i really like the color of those leaves but I'm pretty sure I'll have to bring that one inside in the winter. That's kinda why i went with the basjoo as my first. Gotta love experimenting with new stuff to grow, especially plants uncommon to the area

PA BananaMan

Finally after what seems like forever, i got my plant today.
Supposedly they wait till your zones plant time is ready to ship it.
Its about 6" tall or so and has 5 leaves.

So my question now is,
Do I put it in the ground now or should i repot it and wait a month or so.
Also out of the 5 leaves 2 are yellowish and are closet to the bottom. Should i cut those off or will they bounce back?

Snarkie

They'll fall off on their own. If you are out of danger of frost, put it in the ground. If you still have a month to go, then pot it. The sooner you get it in your permanent location, better it will establish, but don't chance a final frost unless you can cover it and stick a light in it for warmth.

__________________
Doug (D.A. Hänks) http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2955582/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1


The Only Eastern Redwood Forest in America




"Nuke my 'nanners, will you?!"

PA BananaMan

Yeah not sure if we'll be frost free or not, always a chance for a freak drop here.
Nighttime lows for the 10day here are in low 40s to 50 so i wont gamble.

I have a nice 6" pot not being used, will that work for the month or so it waits or will it grow too rapid for that?
Planned on keeping it outside in a sunny spot during the day and bring it in at night

PA BananaMan

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