Musa Saba Banana - Page 3

Yug · 01-27-2012, 01:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by palmtree

After a growing season with my Saba, I completely take the slow growing thing back! Its a slow grower indoors (in comparison to my other bananas indoors like blue java) and its a slow grower when it first goes outside (not really looking like anything much until July), but by the end of the summer, its my fastest growing banana! I dont even know how it managed to grow so fast, but it is now the same size as my Blue Java banana and I got my Blue Java April 2010 as a 2 foot tall plant and I got my Saba October 2010 as a 1 foot tall plant. So the Blue Java had about 3 feet of growth more than my Saba, but my Saba still caught up with it.

Heres a more updated pic of my Saba. This pic was taken in October 2011. Right now (Late January 2012) its chilling indoors trying to grow a new leaf (its been trying to grow a new leaf since early December)...

If you look at my post with my Saba pic from back in June, you can see a pretty huge difference in size. Now its taller than I am and I cant wait to see what size it will get to next summer!

I just don't see how you folks can take something that big, and put it inside during the cold months.

palmtree · 01-27-2012, 04:54 AM

Yug, Sometimes I wonder the same thing! But its not as hard as it seems. Banana plants dont have very vigorous root systems so all you need is a sharp shovel to dig them up. Then I cut the leaves off of then and pot it up for the winter. Even after half the roots and all the leaves are cut off, its still pretty heavy though.
Next year its going to be a real challenge. Good thing my house has some high celings!

jimhardy · 01-27-2012, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yug

I just don't see how you folks can take something that big, and put it inside during the cold months.

Mine will go in the basement next year instead of upstairs/inside.

When you see how big banana plants can get,it's worth it to
lug them around a little to have 12-15' plants during the long growing season.

Alex-

No pups on mine yet,probably this year but I will be happy to just see it go up instead of <>.

The trunk is already the size of a Nerf football and I bet this year it will be over a foot diameter.

I plan on amending the soil with compost,Greensand,Milorganite-etc- so I get luscious growth.

We just need more than 5" of rain June through Nov this year!

nannerfunboi · 01-27-2012, 10:13 PM

i agree jim.. im a newbie only on my 3rd yr with bananas..and im
hooked..LOL i have over 30 im overwintering inside..and 3 big clumps
of basjoo outside well covered.. and i will be adding more sabas,kandarians,
and praying hands this yr..
i have help digging and moving mine into the basement..couldnt do it
alone .. maybe with a dolly..
jealous of ya all in temperate/tropical areas..

jimhardy · 01-28-2012, 11:07 AM

Wow

Thats a lot!

I don't store that many but I do use a dolly to get the big Abyssinian downstairs...
luckily it's not to hard to bring up as it is lighter after 6 months in the basement .

palmtree · 01-29-2012, 09:41 PM

I actually cut back on my banana plant collection. Right now all I have is my Saba and my Ice Cream banana and Im HOPING that my Basjoos and Velutina are going to come back from the ground this spring with no protection. Next year Im focusing much more on tropical bananas. Im hoping to get some ensetes, Praying hands, and whatever I can find locally!

nannerfunboi · 01-29-2012, 11:04 PM

so true about ensetes loosing weight after overwintering..
sure tells how much water they hold while growing..

i always wonder what my neighbours think when i have my
help hauling in all my plants in the back to the basement..
LOL
its our drug..truely..

jimhardy · 01-30-2012, 10:25 AM

jimhardy · 02-10-2012, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by palmtree

Its approaching the end of the growing season and most of the bananas probably will only push out one or 2 more leaves before frost hits in a little longer than a month (hopefully not less than that). My Saba has gotten really big since the pics in this thread, it is now taller than me with the tallest leaf now over 7 feet tall. Im really happy with how its done do I'll post some pics of it tomorrow!
The spiral ginger that is right next to it has been in competition with the saba all summer long and they are both nearly the same height (the sprial ginger just opened up some blooms today!).

Hey Alex

I am guessing between 12-15' for mine next year...
If Basjoos can grow to 11'+ in one year why not a larger Banana
plant with a 6' head start be at least 12'

I guess thats it-if it grows 6' from a baby,what will it do
with a 6' head start!~?!!!

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nannerfunboi · 02-10-2012, 05:01 PM

im hoping my basjoo get that head start.. havent looked at them
yet..
as much as i dream..

i doubt i'll ever get any of my bananas..even
the larger growing ones.. to be as big as someone with a 8 month growing
season.. sigh..
lol
but.. love what they do for me..and sure learned alot.. much thanks
to many here !!!!!

palmtree · 02-12-2012, 01:31 AM

Wow Jim 12-15 feet, thats huge and I definitely think they will get that tall for you by the end of summer. Like you said, it has a huge jump start so that will help a lot!
I've always dreamed of having a really tall banana plant here and Im getting close to it. I want to be able to completely walk under the banana leaves and I might get to do that this summer. Fruit might be wishing for too much though, especially from a saba, but maybe Summer 2013!
Nannerfunboi, Dont be too surprised if your basjoos grow fast even if they die back a lot. I have seen them gain a lot of psudeostem growth in a shor amount of time when they break dormancy. Now an exception to the rule would be my basjoos which grew at a snails pace compared to others, but most people do get good growth from them. The growing season here is about 6 months long which still isnt enough in my opinion to really see banana plants get nice growth because they take about 2 months to start getting full again after a winter of dormancy.
Good luck!

jimhardy · 02-12-2012, 11:40 AM

A warm/hot spring can make all the difference,last year was
terrible...cold spring,brutal heat for a couple months in summer
and only about 5" of rain June-Oct made for a cruddy year.

palmtree · 02-12-2012, 06:15 PM

Only 5 inches of rain by you for the whole growing season! Wow, I didnt realize how dry it was by you last summer. We had a dry start to summer here with only 1.5 inches of rain in July, but August came and we were flooded literally after 20 inches of rain for the month (the pool was very close to overflowing 2 times that month!). The rain definitely helped with my water bill!

Dreaminofthetropics · 02-16-2012, 08:44 PM

My saba had come back out about 4 ft (on top of a 6ft pseudostem) after the last freeze here in north florida. However, after two nights in the low 20s last week its once again looking so sad. I'm hoping it puts out like it did last time but not sure if these two nights so low will be the death of the pseudo stem or not. It is only one that keeps putting out like that my other two haven't started putting back out. This weather is so confusing! 80s one day and 20s two days later! Is everyone else having these issues? I'm hoping the late freeze after new growth won't be the death of them!

palmtree · 02-17-2012, 09:17 PM

Sorry to hear about the damage to your saba Kat. I hope the saba comes back nice and tall this spring! The weather in Florida has been crazy this winter (in terms of all the heat and cold being so close to each other which is pretty confusing to all the plants).
I had that problem in January. The warmest temperature of the month and the coldest temperature of the month all happened in the same week! It was 63F for a high temperature one day and then a few days later it was 12F for a low temperature. It defintiely confused a lot of the plants (and people) into thinking that spring arrived. This month actually has not gotten into the 60s as often as it did in January, but temperatures have been a lot more consistent!

jrodzen · 02-19-2012, 08:38 PM

I overwintered my sabas in the ground this past winter. We hit the low 20's a couple times in Dec and early Jan. So far, the pstem hasn't turned to mush. My basjoos are already leafing out... hope we don't get a late frost this year!

I am in zone 9a.

Dreaminofthetropics · 02-19-2012, 08:41 PM

My saba has come back out a few inches since the freezes last week. So, if the pseudostem hasn't turned to mush should they leaf back out? When does everyone clip off old leaves and trim pseudostems? I was thinking maybe in a couple of weeks once I'm sure we won't get a late freeze??

01-27-2012, 04:54 AM	#42 (permalink)
palmtree palmtree's Photo Gallery Location: New York City Find me on the map! Zone: 7b Name: Alex C Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 1,016 BananaBucks : 133,470 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 1,492 Times Was Thanked 1,428 Times in 644 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 103 Times	Re: Musa Saba Banana Yug, Sometimes I wonder the same thing! But its not as hard as it seems. Banana plants dont have very vigorous root systems so all you need is a sharp shovel to dig them up. Then I cut the leaves off of then and pot it up for the winter. Even after half the roots and all the leaves are cut off, its still pretty heavy though. Next year its going to be a real challenge. Good thing my house has some high celings! __________________ Location: New York City, zone 7b

01-27-2012, 10:13 PM	#44 (permalink)
nannerfunboi nannerfunboi's Photo Gallery Location: provo utah Find me on the map! Zone: 6 Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 393 BananaBucks : 39,728 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 692 Times Was Thanked 481 Times in 251 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 23 Times	Re: Musa Saba Banana i agree jim.. im a newbie only on my 3rd yr with bananas..and im hooked..LOL i have over 30 im overwintering inside..and 3 big clumps of basjoo outside well covered.. and i will be adding more sabas,kandarians, and praying hands this yr.. i have help digging and moving mine into the basement..couldnt do it alone .. maybe with a dolly.. jealous of ya all in temperate/tropical areas..

01-28-2012, 11:07 AM	#45 (permalink)
jimhardy Jimhardy Location: Fairfield Iowa Find me on the map! Zone: 52556 Name: Jim Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 131 BananaBucks : 28,381 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 15 Times Was Thanked 180 Times in 73 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Musa Saba Banana Wow Thats a lot! I don't store that many but I do use a dolly to get the big Abyssinian downstairs... luckily it's not to hard to bring up as it is lighter after 6 months in the basement .

01-29-2012, 09:41 PM	#46 (permalink)
palmtree palmtree's Photo Gallery Location: New York City Find me on the map! Zone: 7b Name: Alex C Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 1,016 BananaBucks : 133,470 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 1,492 Times Was Thanked 1,428 Times in 644 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 103 Times	Re: Musa Saba Banana I actually cut back on my banana plant collection. Right now all I have is my Saba and my Ice Cream banana and Im HOPING that my Basjoos and Velutina are going to come back from the ground this spring with no protection. Next year Im focusing much more on tropical bananas. Im hoping to get some ensetes, Praying hands, and whatever I can find locally! __________________ Location: New York City, zone 7b

01-29-2012, 11:04 PM	#47 (permalink)
nannerfunboi nannerfunboi's Photo Gallery Location: provo utah Find me on the map! Zone: 6 Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 393 BananaBucks : 39,728 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 692 Times Was Thanked 481 Times in 251 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 23 Times	Re: Musa Saba Banana so true about ensetes loosing weight after overwintering.. sure tells how much water they hold while growing.. i always wonder what my neighbours think when i have my help hauling in all my plants in the back to the basement.. LOL its our drug..truely..

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01-30-2012, 10:25 AM	#48 (permalink)
jimhardy Jimhardy Location: Fairfield Iowa Find me on the map! Zone: 52556 Name: Jim Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 131 BananaBucks : 28,381 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 15 Times Was Thanked 180 Times in 73 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Musa Saba Banana Yup

02-10-2012, 05:01 PM	#50 (permalink)
nannerfunboi nannerfunboi's Photo Gallery Location: provo utah Find me on the map! Zone: 6 Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 393 BananaBucks : 39,728 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 692 Times Was Thanked 481 Times in 251 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 23 Times	Re: Musa Saba Banana im hoping my basjoo get that head start.. havent looked at them yet.. as much as i dream.. i doubt i'll ever get any of my bananas..even the larger growing ones.. to be as big as someone with a 8 month growing season.. sigh.. lol but.. love what they do for me..and sure learned alot.. much thanks to many here !!!!!

02-12-2012, 01:31 AM	#51 (permalink)
palmtree palmtree's Photo Gallery Location: New York City Find me on the map! Zone: 7b Name: Alex C Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 1,016 BananaBucks : 133,470 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 1,492 Times Was Thanked 1,428 Times in 644 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 103 Times	Re: Musa Saba Banana Wow Jim 12-15 feet, thats huge and I definitely think they will get that tall for you by the end of summer. Like you said, it has a huge jump start so that will help a lot! I've always dreamed of having a really tall banana plant here and Im getting close to it. I want to be able to completely walk under the banana leaves and I might get to do that this summer. Fruit might be wishing for too much though, especially from a saba, but maybe Summer 2013! Nannerfunboi, Dont be too surprised if your basjoos grow fast even if they die back a lot. I have seen them gain a lot of psudeostem growth in a shor amount of time when they break dormancy. Now an exception to the rule would be my basjoos which grew at a snails pace compared to others, but most people do get good growth from them. The growing season here is about 6 months long which still isnt enough in my opinion to really see banana plants get nice growth because they take about 2 months to start getting full again after a winter of dormancy. Good luck! __________________ Location: New York City, zone 7b

02-12-2012, 11:40 AM	#52 (permalink)
jimhardy Jimhardy Location: Fairfield Iowa Find me on the map! Zone: 52556 Name: Jim Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 131 BananaBucks : 28,381 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 15 Times Was Thanked 180 Times in 73 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Musa Saba Banana A warm/hot spring can make all the difference,last year was terrible...cold spring,brutal heat for a couple months in summer and only about 5" of rain June-Oct made for a cruddy year.

02-12-2012, 06:15 PM	#53 (permalink)
palmtree palmtree's Photo Gallery Location: New York City Find me on the map! Zone: 7b Name: Alex C Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 1,016 BananaBucks : 133,470 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 1,492 Times Was Thanked 1,428 Times in 644 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 103 Times	Re: Musa Saba Banana Only 5 inches of rain by you for the whole growing season! Wow, I didnt realize how dry it was by you last summer. We had a dry start to summer here with only 1.5 inches of rain in July, but August came and we were flooded literally after 20 inches of rain for the month (the pool was very close to overflowing 2 times that month!). The rain definitely helped with my water bill! __________________ Location: New York City, zone 7b

02-16-2012, 08:44 PM	#54 (permalink)
Dreaminofthetropics Dreaminofthetropics's Photo Gallery Location: Bronson, FL Zone: 8-9 Name: Kat Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 424 BananaBucks : 132,811 Feedback: 3 / 100% Said "Thanks" 422 Times Was Thanked 549 Times in 173 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 29 Times	Re: Musa Saba Banana My saba had come back out about 4 ft (on top of a 6ft pseudostem) after the last freeze here in north florida. However, after two nights in the low 20s last week its once again looking so sad. I'm hoping it puts out like it did last time but not sure if these two nights so low will be the death of the pseudo stem or not. It is only one that keeps putting out like that my other two haven't started putting back out. This weather is so confusing! 80s one day and 20s two days later! Is everyone else having these issues? I'm hoping the late freeze after new growth won't be the death of them!

02-17-2012, 09:17 PM	#55 (permalink)
palmtree palmtree's Photo Gallery Location: New York City Find me on the map! Zone: 7b Name: Alex C Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 1,016 BananaBucks : 133,470 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 1,492 Times Was Thanked 1,428 Times in 644 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 103 Times	Re: Musa Saba Banana Sorry to hear about the damage to your saba Kat. I hope the saba comes back nice and tall this spring! The weather in Florida has been crazy this winter (in terms of all the heat and cold being so close to each other which is pretty confusing to all the plants). I had that problem in January. The warmest temperature of the month and the coldest temperature of the month all happened in the same week! It was 63F for a high temperature one day and then a few days later it was 12F for a low temperature. It defintiely confused a lot of the plants (and people) into thinking that spring arrived. This month actually has not gotten into the 60s as often as it did in January, but temperatures have been a lot more consistent! __________________ Location: New York City, zone 7b

02-19-2012, 08:38 PM	#56 (permalink)
jrodzen Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 9 BananaBucks : 8,188 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1 Times	Re: Musa Saba Banana I overwintered my sabas in the ground this past winter. We hit the low 20's a couple times in Dec and early Jan. So far, the pstem hasn't turned to mush. My basjoos are already leafing out... hope we don't get a late frost this year! I am in zone 9a.

02-19-2012, 08:41 PM	#57 (permalink)
Dreaminofthetropics Dreaminofthetropics's Photo Gallery Location: Bronson, FL Zone: 8-9 Name: Kat Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 424 BananaBucks : 132,811 Feedback: 3 / 100% Said "Thanks" 422 Times Was Thanked 549 Times in 173 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 29 Times	Re: Musa Saba Banana My saba has come back out a few inches since the freezes last week. So, if the pseudostem hasn't turned to mush should they leaf back out? When does everyone clip off old leaves and trim pseudostems? I was thinking maybe in a couple of weeks once I'm sure we won't get a late freeze??

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