Georges

Hello,

My name is Georges. I am a new French member.
I am very glad to start communicating with all of you.
I am a member of the "Société Française d'acclimatation" and the "Fous de Palmiers" in France.
I live in a cold region (7b), and I can manage to grow several species of bananas with winter protections. I started more than 20 years ago. My experience is oriented cold hardy bananas.

I am looking forward communicating with you soon.
Bye.

Georges

cincinnana

Welcome to the Jungle.....

Have fun here.

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HMelendez

Welcome to the banana gang!.....

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pjkfarm

Welcome! Would love to know what you are growing and what sort of protection you speak of. We are 7a USA Virginia and expanding from Basjoo to whatever will work :-) Sikkimensis is the first we are trying. This winter will be in greenhouse to get larger (started from seed), but will go out permanently in May.
If you are into Ensete, we grew from seed this March and they re already in FLOWER!!! (8 feet and spectacular). This seems very strange - what did we do wrong (or correct ), but I had been told they died after flowering, and without pups - HELP!

Georges

Hello,
First of all, sorry for my poor English.
Please find bellow the list of what I am growing and I am sure of the hardiness:
. Basjoo varieties, hybrids, fancy commercial names (all that I could find in France): Var. basjoo, "freddi banani", var. sakhalin, var. sapporo, var. tchetchenia, "x hybridum".
. Sikkimensis: var. sikkimensis, var. red tiger
. Helen's hybrid
The others species that I grow, are outside for 1 to 3 seasons, with sweat winters. This is not enough to make a conclusion about the hardiness.

Concerning the winter protection, you can find the details in the article that I wrote recently for the magazine of my gardener's association:

http://actus.societe-francaise-accli....fr/2019-2.pdf

It is written by French, but you can understand from the pictures. You may also translate the interesting chapters with Google.
Concerning your Ensete ventricosum, congratulation! In sounds very fast growing.
Yes, it is dying after flowering. You can cut the pseudostem very short, at the ground level, and it will make plenty of pups. Ensete are not making pups during their life.
I guess your ensete is planted outside, for a so fast development. If so, bring it indoors, because it has no chance to survive a winter in zone 7a, even with my heavy protection style.
Alternatively, you can find on Youtube, the method for producing new plants from the meristem cut in small pieces.
Hoping this helps.

pjkfarm

Many thanks for all the good info. In the USA I have not been able to find different basjoo varieties listed by name. I have observed though that some plants perform differently than those I have, so assumed there were differences - you are the first to confirm this. And BTW, your English is excellent, wish my French were as good - a beautiful language, in fact the most beautiful of all both as to how it sounds and with so many nice words in it for the good things of life where English is rather limited, "Love" comes to mind. . .
I cut three Ensete to the ground and will cut each in half to produce pups (quarters may produce more, but i will be happy with less and need for less room. But what I gather is that the pups are very small, very very small - and it will take a year for them to be big enough to plant outside for ornamental or for crops. We have Ethiopian restaurants here in Washington, D.C. and that could be an interesting market as we can grow them as an annual. Not to mention Latin Americans use the leaves for tamales and other things.
I would like to learn though how to prevent them from going to flower - at least for one year as would like a taller plant. I have 7 not in flower (yet) so maybe they will wait (all in pots now, some started in pots, some dug and potted.
Again, thanks for your help.
I THINK I have the Sikkimensis var Sikkimensis - for sure it is not red or reddish - and if no other varieties, that would make it simple. As they are small (seed this past spring), I will wait to try outside until next year when they have a decent corm and will start to pup. With the Basjoo I have found that the pups have much higher winter survival than the parents, which may be the same for the Sikkim

Georges

And many thanks too, for your kind words!
Concerning, the varieties of basjoo, I confirm that they are all different, even if their introduction route in Europe is not clear for all of them.
For more details, did you read this very interesting article:
Musa basjoo ... from 1895!!!
Please see the bottom paragraph named 'Horticulture'.
About ensete ventricosum and maurelii, I can not tell you much more. I experienced killing several of them in pot because I watered them too much in winter. And the result was making many pups (very small, as you said). I planted several of them outside. They dyed after the 1st frost, with winter protection. My ensete never went to flower.
About Sikkimensis, I am growing since May this year: bengal tiger, darjeeling giant, manipur and "ever red". The differences between them is difficult to see. But the young plants are lovely with their red colour. They have more red strips than the "red tiger". I will be able to tell more by next spring, about their hardiness.
As you said, the winter survival of the pups is high. I experienced that the total plant survival, mother + pups, is high when there are many pups. If the underground part is massive(rhizomes, roots, pups), something will come out, even after a cold winter.
In my previous message list, I did not mention the itenerans that I bought as xishuangbannaensis "mekong giant". I planted it in May 2017. The 2 last winters where not so cold, but it seems being as cold hardy as basjoo. In addition, it is growing fast with pups and deep/massive rhizomes. I guess it is indestructible .You could try it as well.

luisport

Hello from Portugal!

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Musa Rajapuri, D. Brazilian, D. Orinoco, Pisang Ceylon, Da Jiao (Himalayan Fruit), x Fruit, Himalayan Mountain, Helen's Hybrid, Patupi, Lacatan, Hajaray

Paw Paw Sunflower, Prima 1216, Potomac, KSU Atwood, Jerry's Big Girl, Al Horns, KSU Chapell

https://growingfruit.org/t/my-small-...-orchard/19936

https://growingfruit.org/t/my-pear-collection/55683

https://growingfruit.org/t/my-apple-collection/53104