Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

I've been lurking around here for a little while. What I have not noticed is many banana growers around my area (Houston(ish), Texas.

Are yall out there? I am interested in whats working for you. I think I would like to grow naners but I need to hear from experianced growers in my area.

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

Hi any one from San Antonio to Alabama on your plain can help you. Even folks just north of you. :^) The thingis to not over water when its cool, and make sure they have enough when its hot along with fertilizer and soil combinations.. There's plenty of threads to read if you have the time on the topics :^) I'd talk to Jimmmy and see what he actually has in the ground and other texas folks. Don't get fancy banana's, just get one's that are hardy to build confidence then take on challenges.. Good Luck :^)

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

Hi Not Quagmire!!!

I am in Killeen, TX.

Jimmmy is the man to talk to!!
Also JaNan (Jananas Bananas) has some excellent experience!

I, myself, am a transplanted Texan & this is my first year (coming this Spring)growing bananas...

I have had good luck with Dwarf Namwah & Dwarf Cavendish...but I am trying as many varieties as I can!!

Have fun with it, and as a good friend of ours here on the bananas.org(Tog Tan) once told me, 'Be sure to grow ones that are hardy to your Zone, to avoid pain in the loss of your banana plants.'

I have had luck with the above varieties, but with you being further South - I'm sure you will be able to overwinter more varieties than I can!

Best of Luck to you & HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! ~Cheryl

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

I used to be where Cheryl is for about 4 years then I lived just east of you (Mjd) for about 6 years. A Raja Puri and Dwarf Orinoco isn't a bad idea either. :^) Even if you have a black thumb you should be able to grow DC's... lol

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

Hey, welcome to the org! I'm just south of dowtown Houston by about 30 minutes. I grow a number of different bananas. I've had the most luck with 'Orinoco' and I've also had 'Dwarf Cavendish' to fruit, though not early enough to get mature fruit. It's only a matter of time, though. Just need it to flower a bit earlier.

We are in what I consider to be a "marginal" area for bananas here in Houston. I say that because the growing season is just a tad too short to reliably get fruit each year. I have been growing bananas here for about 6 years now and each year my bananas lose all of their leaves but the pseudostems generally survive the winter here OK, unless it's one of the less hardy cultivars such as 'Dw. Cavendish', 'Dw. Red', 'Super Dwarf Cavendish' etc.

Feel free to PM me and we can talk bananas all you want. I did a presentation on growing bananas here back in August at Mercer Arboretum, I don't suppose you caught that but I may be able to send you some of my notes from it if you want to PM me your e-mail address. There are several growers on the board here from the Houston area. I'm sure they'll be happy to share their experiences with you. In the mean-time you can also check out my profile for a list of cultivars and species I am growing or have grown in the past. I was doing a blog on growing bananas on the HoustonGrows website but it was just taken down due to inactivity. I just haven't had time to blog recently but I hope to start up again soon. Cheers!

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

Gigity! Gigity! :0496: You will be able to find a good selection of bananas that will grow in your area at the Houston Garden Centers come Spring - both edibles and ornamentals. You can possibly find some neighors with a good stand of bananas that would give you a pup or two in the Spring as well. If you are looking for more exotic varieties Jimmmy has them available.

Specifics - All these are edibles - Orinocos are good to start off with - they are tough, easy to find.

Raja Puri - has been a good one for me as it seems to be very wind resistant and can take the weather fluctuations here.

Dwarf Cavendish - pretty tough and pups easily.

~JaNan

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

I see that you are in Pearland. I am actually between Houston & Humble right off of Beltway 8. I will send you a PM. I had not heard of HoustonGrows website. Sorry I missed that one. I will be selling vegetables this year as well as big brown chicken eggs. No, I dont wanna sell bananas, I just want to spice up my property some with them and maybe get to eat some good naners.

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

HEY MJD!

Welcome to the org! Im in houston and, I just started growing orinoco, Ice Cream and Dwarf cavendish which is really common at the big stores you can find any where. All of mine have gone dormant right now due to the snow I had to trim them down, but Im hoping they come back this spring.

the houston grows site is a part of the Chron.com website. theres alot of good info on gardening in houston there.

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

I went to the Cron.com website and could not locate Houston Grows. Could you provide a link please. Nice to meet you.

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

here you go!

HoustonGrows: Houston gardening and choosing the best plants for your home garden | chron.com

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

Welcome. You will find good info here. Lots of nice folks too.

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

JaNan,

You grow edible bananas in Austin? Now, that is good to hear. Limy and a bit colder than we are here in Houston. I'd love to hear how you deal with winters there, especially this one. So, who is Jimmy?

Houston was quite a banana town, and may still be after this winter, maybe not. I grow quite a few, but nothing else to do for the next two months so far as the plants go. Can we talk?

SB

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

Thank You for the Houston Growers Link.

SeriousBan, what kind of bananas are you growing?

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

Bananas.org - View Profile: jimmmy He sells banana's and other plants and is just south of Austin. Reasonable, Personable, Nice Plants..

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

Lol yeah my bananas have been wrapped up for a month. Its going to really get tested when it gets down to 18 this week.

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

What, its going to get down to 18 degrees this week here in Houston?

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

Yes and a high of only 36 the next day.

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

I guess I need to make sure my chickens heat source is working properly properly for that day.

Ah, I see, its going to be Thursday when the really cold weather is here. I absolutely hate cold weather. My hands hurt, elbow hurts, etc etc

I am trying to figure out how I am going to place banana trees to provide shade at the right time of the day to my Bhut Jolokia-7 Pod-Fatalii pepper plants

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

The two I use the most are the stove and the oven.:chefnaner:

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

Right right. I have 17 hens that are 13½ months old and they are all laying eggs like crazy. I have 20 pullets (hens not yet a year old) that are due to start laying in March. None of them are ready for the stew pot yet. I will trade large brown un fertilized, non medicated eggs for Banana plants though :ha:

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

Can not even say for sure any of the bananas are going to make it this winter. Its now like 4-5 days in the 20's with a high of 33 on Friday.

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

I was just kidding about the eggs. Well, I hope everyones banana plants make it through this bout of cold weather. I think its been a while since Houston has seen this cold of weather.

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

It can be worse I've seen as low as 5. I believe 1989. Then again we usually have more days in the 70's and even 80's during a typical winter.

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

Yep, let's all get together and pray! All bananas may be mush by next Monday. :(

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

Still enough time to bring them in...
Or cover them or give the Christmas lights extra duty...
Makeshift greenhouse w/stakes & plastic???

I left the Kandarian & Cali Cold outside & they seem to be doing alright!
I have a containerized Brazilian Corm outside also, semi-protected, just to observe hardiness limitations. They are on the back porch.
Most of my bananas are inside, crowded in one room, but they're gonna make it!!!

An extra prayer wouldn't hurt though!!! :) ~Cheryl

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

I still have some of mine wrapped from the cold snap we had back in December. Anything potted is in the garage. Othewise, I wrapped my citrus and the rest will all just have to tough it out. I have 'California Gold' and 'Orinoco' out completely without protection along with several good-sized pups of 'Ice Cream' and 'Hua Moa' (not holding out much hope for that one) that are still attached to their mother plants with no protection. It will be interesting to see how they do.

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

Brent,
What does your forecast look like? What's the lowest low?

I have one of my Cali Gold in the ground unprotected, but I hope to mulch the base soon. Last year it at least had some protection, but it didn't do any good.

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

Yeah monday is when its finally suppose to warm up.. lol I still think its going to be freeezin' though

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

BTW it says the low is 25 on TH but it never drops below 30 (at Midnight). Actually still above 32 until 10PM. Only goes to 2am on FR so can't say for sure when 25 and 22 are supposed to be. Crazy thing says a low of 48 today and its currently 32. All of them have been adjusted up from 18F to the lower 20's.

Bananas went mush last year without protection but I just had to cut off the pstems and the corm regenerated a new one in the fall. So much for trying to preserve height this year though.

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

Well it looks like Im going tohave to lay down some more hay for what ever is left of the nanners and Cannas. We'll see how cold i gets its always off by 5-10 degrees.

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

Well, I wish you all luck in saving your naner plants. Are they plants or trees?

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

Hope all your bananas are ok for all you folks in Texas. Prayers go up.

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

"Hour by hour" is much more accurate. I have no clue what the timeframe for the day is in weather forcasting but its not the same as a normal day.

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

Right now they are saying that 20 is the low for the area I live in.

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

Will put some towels around the base of each plant when I get home after work today in addition to the way they have been wrapped the last month. Shows it doesn't make it down to 32 until 10pm and 30 at midnight. Its not going to get to "todays" low of 22 until about 6-7am tomorrow.

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

It hit 21F at 6:30 this morning here in Killeen, it is currently 28F at almost 11am.

Is supposed to be even colder tomorrow...:coldbanana:

All outside bananas & citrus are on the Back porch.

We'll see how they fair! ~Cheryl

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

I saw that we could get down to 18 now one night. "Bummer" would be an understatement.

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

Its 23F & dropping not a good sign..

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

I must have gotten pretty cold, I went out to the hen house and their water was frozen and I supplied them girls with a heat lamp. 37 hens cold, water frozen.

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

Praying it warms up for you all

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

Nice and toasty 18F right now.

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, it is really cold. I sure am glad it does not do this every year

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

I know what you mean I think my chicken have icicles hanging from their tails :^)

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

My chickens water bowls were frozen this morning. Other than that they seem to be doing quite well. I have a nice hen house for them to go into every evening. Around dark time they all file in, get on their roost and stay there till daybreak. I am running a heat lamp above them now but I suspect that they dont really need it. I am gonna send you a PM about a chicken community.

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

Houston got down to 18?? or less?

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

I think it was supposed to get to 19 or something like that. I have not watched the weather today. It is supposed to be better by Monday. Al can come out of hiding then

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

It got down to about 23 overnight in my area of Houston. Icicles on my waterfall and the surface of my watergarden was completely frozen over except directly under the waterfall. It made it up to 42 here today but will be down to the low 20's again tonight and tomorrow night before finally warming back up in the low 60's by mid-week. That will feel great!

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

I second that motion on warmth & great :^)

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

Saturday morning 18F - It was up to 22 or 23 when I went out for a long walk with the dog.
This morning 22F

Pressure valve on my sprinkler system popped last Saturday morning. There were 4 other people in Lowes at the exact time looking for one. We all just got some temporary solution that didn't fit. They said it had to be forced in but it wasn't going after 1h of forcing and actually popped off with a loud bang when I got close. Just kept it shutoff and wrapped heavily with towels until the one from ebay gets here.

Re: Houston(ish) Texas Banana Growers
 

What time did you check? It was 18 here about 7am Saturday morning on that day. Then it started going back up.