bratacat

Hi,
just bought my first banana plant, I have no experience of these plants at all so had a look around the internet and found this site! I am based in the UK (north east) and feel I am being optimistic in trying to grow this baby. It is about 30cm high and has a few leaves on it (2 have been cut off) I assume it is a 'pup', it's in a 1 ltr pot and I am wondering how long I should leave it in there before I pot it on to a larger one. I have a couple of bird of paradise plants (indoors) and they seem to like being in fairly restricted pots. I have left it outside as the weather has been pretty decent recently, and my garden is fairly sheltered.
Could anyone advise on how long it will take to develop the thick stem, at the moment the only thing in the middle is a developing leaf. I appologise for my ignorance, but am really excited about how the plant will develop, and would like to know what to look for.

Kylie2x

Hey WELCOME!!!
Congrats on your new Banana!! Very cool.. You have found a wonderful place to hang out... I can't answer many of your questions becoz I am not familiar with your enviroment.. LOL I live in Texas... BUT I do know have we quite a few folks from that side of the pond that I'm sure will be popping in.. Your Banana will grow like a weed with some sunshine feeding and lots of water if you can get it in the ground...It is amazing how fast they can grow... I look forward to seeing you around!!!
Kylie

Dean W.

Welcome to the forum.

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dablo93

Welcome on the forum!
you can put your musella outside, in a sunny spot and you have to give it lots of water when its dry and they love fertilize.
when it gets colder then -2 you have to bring him inside.
musella's are slower growing then a basjoo here but because i think that musellas needs warmer temperatures to grow.

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bratacat

Hi,
thanks for your advice....feeling a little more confident, and feel sure you guys would help me out if I get stuck!
bratacat

bratacat

Thanks Dean !

bratacat

Hi,
many thanks for your welcome, just comming on here has made me want to get more varieties, the enthusiasm is infectious! I really hope I can keep my baby plant alive, I hope you folk will forgive me for posting every inch it grows!!!!! (assuming it does of course)
bratacat

bratacat

Hi again,
lost track of who I have replied to....but I would just like to say thank you for a lovely welcome!
bratacat

dablo93

try a basjoo! basjoo stems are hardy till -5 and they grow quite good with cooler temperatures, with 15 c they will grow already.

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bratacat

Hi,
thanks for your advice about the basjoo, are these the ones that actually grow edible fruit?
I have a grape vine which grows on a south facing fence, however the grapes never ripen.....I have a super guy locally (Sri-lankan by birth....how on earth did he descide to settle in the north-east of England?) he grows all his own things in an independent garden centre. His advice was to keep the vine well pruned....I was scared at first, that by drastic pruning I would loose the plant. It is much more tidy now and showing signs of growth. Not sure if it will produce edible fruit....will keep you posted!
I grow cherries (never tasted them as the blinking birds get them first), and peaches (small but sweet) however, I live on the north sea coast (tends to keep the temperature up, less than -5 in winter....but sadly often gives a misty summer.)
I counted the leaves on my baby rock banana today, it only has 3, 2 of which have a kind of grey bloom on them...the one good leaf looks ok though. I found an interesting site called asiaone dot com about the musella lasiocarpa which may be of interest and gave me hope! I am so engaged by this one little plant and the enthusiasm of everyone here, that I want to get a basjoo and turn my garden from bog standard English to tropical!
bratacat

mskitty38583

welcome!!!! i have a musella that i wacked 3 pups off of about a month ago. i have mine in full afternoon sun(its on the west side of my house) the mother plant has put out 5 leaves just since she has been in the ground and i also have a new pup on her. make sure she is sheltered from the wind her leave bend and break very easily. i found out the hard way. i had to cut 3 of the 5 leaves off. and yes i cried.

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bratacat

Oh Wow!
my musella looks like a kind of stumpy version of your 'mum musella' I am so scared of putting it in the ground, for a couple of reasons...we have slugs (can't put out pellets because of the cats! Done the mussel shell/egg shell thing around my delphiniums...worked quite well....daren't risk my bannana!) Is the pseudostem (not sure if I have spelled it right) a result of the cut off leaves (a bit like a yucca) or does it emerge from the middle of its own accord (if this is a stupid question please forgive me, this is my very first musella). This may sound silly but I want to pot it on (no sign of roots at the base of the pot) but am a bit scared of disturbing the baby plant. My partner Richard thinks I am a bit loopy as I am so concerned about a plant!!!!
bratacat

mskitty38583

that im not sure about..this is my first one too. i know the pups come out the bottom (side) of the plant and it looks like they go through the older leaves of the mom at the bottom. when i put my mom plant in the ground it was root bound. i got it at the end of feb, and planted it up the first week of may( that is also when i took the pups off). natedog has some musella and i ask him questions about mine, i dont think he would care to answer yours at all. if you dont want to use chemical warfare on your nanas and because of your kitties, use the tuna can and grape juice thing it works. sink a tuna can in the ground leave part of it abouve ground and fill it with grape juice. they smell the sugar and get in it drink it and drowned. kind of nasty to clean out but keeps them from munching on your nanas.

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bratacat

Hi again,
just wondering what type of fertiliser to use as I once used baby bio on a bonsai and killed it! I don't want to damage my musella. Many thanks to mskitty for helping me navigate! I still haven't plucked up the courage to plant it into the garden.....how tall would it have to be before I pot it on into a larger pot? We are currently sorting the garden out as it had been a bit (well, a lot really) overgrown plus the patio is warm and sheltered so I think for the time being my musella would be better off there anyone have any thoughts on this.
bratacat

mskitty38583

you are very welcome. you can use any type of comercial ferts as long as its balanced. if your going for organic, use shredded up fresh cabbage and fresh spinach, thats what i used when my nanas were in the house. you can also use organic compost with cow manure in it.( i would only use this once your nana is put in the ground, you dont want to over fert.)

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bratacat

Hi,
and thanks again mskitty do you think something like 'growmore' or perhaps tomato fertiliser would do?
Cheers
bratacat

Chironex

Great having you on the board. I am also learning about bananas, so no help there - but I DO know a bit about grapes. Proper pruning is the only way to have them set fruit that you can use. You didn't mention the variety of the grapes, or whether they are for eating or making wine. Some are better than others due to the ripening time required. The first year you have the vines, remove all flowers or clusters. Let only one cluster form in the second year per vine. Then in the third year you can expect to harvest a small crop. Don't grow for quantity, only quality. Edible varieties need lots of potassium, so bear this in mind when fertilizing them. There are several ways to prune the vines, but they are specific to the type of grapes you are growing. If you ill let me know what you have, I can offer more specific assistance. Best of luck!!! Oh, if it is quite damp in your area, be sure to watch for various mildews and other blights that love grapes. Also, many birds love ripened grapes, so consider netting to protect them, or you may lose them all.

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Scot