stumpy4700

Ok so I cut it down to the corm. now what, I covered it back up with cypress mulch. Do I water it now or wait for a pup to come thru?........Help

saltydad

I would just leave it covered until it's warm enough to uncover it for good. No watering needed.

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kaczercat

nice size plant you had last year hope it doubles, one thing i wanna tell every one . I was at a local garden center and i saw some musa basjoo's, one plant which was 5 feet tall cost $100 ,i couldn't believe it i thought i was going blind i had to ask them how much it said , i was like whatttttttt? see i got a 4 1/2 foot gran nain last year for $30 and that was a good bargin but it died

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Matt

plantguy

I checked mine the other day. First year in the ground last year. In the fall I cut the leaves off leaving me with about 4.5' of pstem. Enclosed it in chicken wire. Filled it with leaves & straw. Wrapped it with a tarp. When I dismantled everything I was left with a 4 inch pstem. Basically had to cut it to the ground. The base is still solid so I am hoping that it made it through our cold winter. This is my first nana. I have 4 ice cream pups started indoors this past winter that I can't wait to get in the ground this year. I'm hooked!!!
Vinny

Bob

I think a lot of us were hopeful since the last few years didn't reach the lowest temps we got this year. Still It looks like most everyone's corms survived. At least it's warming quickly again this year. Think back to last April we had a week of 90 degree temps. Maybe we'll get that again this year and another early start to the growing season.

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Bob

Howard, I'd like to hear more about your needle palm. I visited TAFarm up here in February. His seemed to be in great health unprotected outdoors even just a few weeks after our -4 days. Do you think yours will come back. You have some Windmill palms as well right? How are they. Same with the Pindo. Inquiring minds want to know. All mine have been moved to the green house , I plan on getting them out in the ground in April depending on the forecast and then I can get the bananas in the greenhouse.

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plantguy

I have a Windmill Palm also. A 30 gal I purchased last year. All I did was wrap it with frost cloth for it's first winter in the ground. It's now uncovered & looks good. Very hardy palm.
Vinny

saltydad

I removed the mulch of straw from one of my smaller windmill palms and the basjoo clump today. The windmill seems to have fared well through the winter. The basjoo looks like it always looks....terrible. But eventually it will start with new growth up the p-stem. I left my small needle palm uncovered this past winter (unlike prior winters) as it's supposedly so hardy. Well, it looks like toast. Oh well, maybe it will start some new growth now that it's warming up.


Windmill Palm




Basjoo Clump

Needle Palm

__________________
Men In Nursing- "A Few Good Men"

"Gardening is the purest of human pleasures." - Francis Bacon





"If by a liberal, they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind; someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions; someone who cares about the welfare of the people, their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, their civil liberties; someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicion that grips us; that is what they meant by a liberal, I am proud to be a liberal."
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Bob

Thanks Howard. Bummer about the needle palm. I have one that size I was tempted to leave out this year but I guess not. The very large ones I've seen have done well, even unprotected. I'd have guessed the smaller fan palm would have croaked and that did well for you. I guess you never know till you try. Thanks for posting.

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saltydad

The needle has done fine when covered in straw mulch. I just tempted the fates by letting it go unprotected.

__________________
Men In Nursing- "A Few Good Men"

"Gardening is the purest of human pleasures." - Francis Bacon





"If by a liberal, they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind; someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions; someone who cares about the welfare of the people, their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, their civil liberties; someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicion that grips us; that is what they meant by a liberal, I am proud to be a liberal."
John F. Kennedy, September, 1960


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Bob

For what it's worth it seems every time I take some little chance with not protecting tropical plants ,thats when mother natures' harsh and I lose them. If we weren't trying to get cocky with tropicals up here, why bother? Wait till next year!.........................B

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angsaidso

Hi everyone!!!! Sorry I have been so absent and so new .... I just got back from a Home Show in VA ... didn't do much in the way of sales, but had a great time!! :-) The best par tof the weekend was visiting my fave greenhouse down there and coming home with a red banana pup .... Ensata maurelii. GORGEOUS! Just eight inches tall. But I was wondering ... how hard is it to pull a banana from the ground in the fall to winter over inside?? I mean, I have thought I should maybe plant all my bananas outside in the warm sunhine and then cut them back, dig them up and bring them in since they will all croak otherwise. Opinions?????

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"Can you imagine a world without?"

saltydad

OK, after 60-70F weather. now we are to have mid to low 30s at night, and chances of snow in the western counties of the state. I just unlocked and went outside and covered everything back up. Good thing I was lazy and hadn't cleaned away all the straw mulch yet.

__________________
Men In Nursing- "A Few Good Men"

"Gardening is the purest of human pleasures." - Francis Bacon





"If by a liberal, they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind; someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions; someone who cares about the welfare of the people, their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, their civil liberties; someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicion that grips us; that is what they meant by a liberal, I am proud to be a liberal."
John F. Kennedy, September, 1960


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Bob

Ang, it will probably only get 3-4' this year anyway so will be no trouble to dig and repot. It's after that that you'll need to get creative about getting friends to help. If you get to that point a handtruck and straps will save your spine.

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angsaidso

Bob -

So then maybe just dealing with the Big GIANT enoromous pretty pot in the yard thing would work best. ::::sigh::: I was just hoping I could get all of the BIG glory out of it by putting it in the ground. Would it not get bigger in the ground than in a pot? Just curious. I know some plants grow wonderfully in the ground and did better, even when being taken up every year. So I just wondered if the same thing was true about bananas! :-)

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Peace ~ Ang

"Can you imagine a world without?"

Bob

Ang, I would put it in the ground if you have room. Then the big decision is how to overwinter.....Big pot or the "bigdog" method,( see putting the bananas to sleep for the winter in the cold hardy threads). If it were me, I'd use the big pot for a dwarf edible variety. I think no matter what it's going to take 2-3 years to get a 8" pup to monsterous size.

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Michael_Andrew

I don't know how big these were when planted but here is one years growth.
Google Image Result for http://image02.webshots.com/2/1/7/12/94410712pPWbpS_ph.jpg


Oops that didn't link to the right page. That pic is 2 years growth. I'll try to put in the right pic for 1 year.


Here is the one year growth planted from 2 gallon pots in May. This pic is in September:Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii', Albutilon 'Souvenir de Bonn', and Ipomoea 'Margarita' Sept 2002 pictures from gardens photos on webshots

Bob

Wow !!!Michael, that's some spectacular growth. My ft tall pup hasn't grown a bit over the winter inside while everything else did. Maybe it will do better once it gets outdoors. Thanks for posting that.

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Michael_Andrew

Well I though they were spose to get really big fast and was looking for some documented pics. I'm sure conditions will dictate their growth. This will be my first year and I'm trying too figure out how much room to give them and what it will take to overwinter.

Michael

Jimzone7

With the long range forecast calling for lows in the 40s, today was the day. With the cold winter we all had in the northeast (I'm in Staten Island,NY) I was afraid all we would see was mush. Happy to say that my two mats of Basjoos came through and I had four pstems on each mat they all made it, the largest was a 72" pstem. I used xmas lights, but I think the thing that really made the difference was a themostatically controlled plug that went on at 35 degrees and off at 45 degrees. So all I did was wrap the xmas lights around the pstem and put the plug into the pile, I ran a couple of lights outside the tarp. So all winter long I watched the lights go on and off as needed. Without the plug I don't know how you would know when you needed to have the lights on. I have some pics of the "piles" from last fall in my gallery. I hope as more members uncover their mats they can also report good news. Hope everyone has a good growing season.
Jim
PS Check out BANANAS QUARTERLY it's great!