cincinnana

Mekong Giant vs Basjoo.

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MBindy2000

Any pictures?

I love my Basjoo

Tytaylor77

For me the Mekong is growing twice as fast as my green basjoo. I haven't had the Mekong long (summer 2017) but it seems to love it here.

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cincinnana

Thanks Ty for the encouraging update.

I am on the first year of the Mekong which is said to be a cold hardy plant similar to a Basjoo in a heavily mulched situation in colder zones.

I picked up two plants a few months ago to see .....the Giant..... and to see what it does in zone5/6.


My plants (mekongs)will in containers for the first season(now) because the plants did not "fill the containers with roots" as I had liked in the two months that I had them.

The plants will be under cfl's for the winter in a grow area along with other plants.......nothing pro grade.

I am thinking I will have aggressive growth ( lots of runners) just like the Basjoos next year.

Here is a photo of 120 -+ day old Basjoos grown in part sun from pups separated from plant stock in the yard.
I said PART SUN....that means more shade than sun.

Mekong giants are in the forefront in containers....ready for the challenge.....if there is one.

The comparison should be fun to watch...

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Mekong pups and Basjoo
.
by
Hostafarian,
on Flickr

These are the same Musa Basjoo plants 150 days ago..April 15.

Ferns are Matteuccia struthiopteris, The King.

This fern is an awesome aggressive plant, I had to trim the 4-5 foot fronds back to allow more light to the banana plants at one point. The plant is an awesome filler plant
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Basjoos springtime by Hostafarian, on Flickr


Small pups April 15th
by
Hostafarian
,
on Flickr

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tcarpenter

How to tell the difference with mature plants. I bought 2 or each about 12 years ago and I've always assumed the basjoo was what I was left with but don't really know. I'm just a few miles south of Raleigh NC and my bananas reach 10-12 feet tall each year, regardless if I mulch during the winter or not. I do cut them back to about 6-8 inches after the first frost.

cincinnana

Is that 10-12 feet total with leaf ...or 10-12 pstem with a 15 foot leaf for a total of 25 feet in height.

There are a few good previous threads....mekong/basjoo/itinerans/.

These threads have confused and amazed me with info.

But no one has documented a side by side and had taken photos.

I have seen mature mats of both plants......I am baffled.

Upham Giant Basjoos have me baffled even more.....and they are local.

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Tytaylor77

I went ahead and planted mine in ground mid summer or so. It’s growing far above average. The fact that it can send pups out 30' really scares me a lot! I have read they can get out of control down here. I’m hoping how I manage pups it will be ok.

Also basjoo is one of my worst growers! When the temps get up in the high 90s/100s it just stops growing. Really suprized me! I was expecting them to go crazy down here. I’ll keep you updated how mine does next year. Has anyone verified the max height? I’ve read all kinds of different numbers!

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tcarpenter

With leaf. I would love a 25 foot banana as I've planted these as landscaping features.

garymc

Cincinnana, is that fern winter hardy? By that, I mean does it come back every year after being left in the ground in your zone? And does it require more shade than sun as you described above?

cincinnana

The fern is hardy.
In zone 4 Michigan I have seen perfect vase shaped 6 foot plants in the wild.

The plant could work in your area.


Ostrich fern

The fern does well in full sun, part sun and shade to deep shade ....just needs great soil and lots of moisture. I have seen this awesome plant grown in those conditions in the yard and in the wild.
You can bend the rules(for light) for this plant.
The fern is a good performer ......just like those Basjoos.

Part sun

Cincinnana's ferns

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cincinnana

I was told the edges of the petioles are turned inward and wavy.
But I have not done a comparison of plants yet.

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cincinnana

I am curious also.

With the cool weather and heavy rains I think my plants are in the "Sweet Spot" of the grow cycle.
Mine slowed down in the heat also.

Average height for Basjoo in a few maintained gardens in my area is 18 +- feet.
Pstems are 8-10+ feet
My guess of a visual sampling of 300+ plants


On the other hand there are plenty in the 12-15 foot range too.

Siting of the plant makes a big difference as well as soil with these plants.

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Tytaylor77

Any clue the height of Mekong Giant? Mine is growing great. New leaves are very pretty! I will report how it does when the temp drops. So far it’s not leaving the 90s for more than a day or 2.

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150+ Varieties!!. See profile for list. Help me add more!

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cincinnana

Here is a pic of a local mat.
The plants are in a well maintained garden .
Big or small these plants are awesome...

Just click on the photo to see the whole album of this beautiful plant


Untitled by
Hostafarian,
on Flickr

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obdiah

wow thick and dense mat!

cincinnana

Basjoo flower...this photo is a few weeks old (4)....

But is has endured a few frosts and onslaught of cool weather....

I would love to be able to grow these plants year round.....but I cannot.
However I can tell you how they overwinter

While the local "endemic plants suffer falls wrath this plant seems to thrive".
I cut lots of ferns and hostas from the landscape......but the basjoo looks "new"



I will post photos of this plant ( for fun) until it topples...


Last year was near .. Christmas

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Basjoo flower
by
Hostafarian,
on Flickr.

Same plant last year..

Basjoo Natural die off for winter. Heavy mulch.
by
Hostafarian,
on Flickr

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cincinnana

Runners coming out the side of a container.
The plant seems vigorous once settled in.


Mekong Giant runners
by
Hostafarian,
on Flickr
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Mekong Giant runners
by
Hostafarian,
on Flickr

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cincinnana

It seems once the days shortened and the temperatures lowered the Mekong has been showing typical fall yellowing of the oldest lower leaves.
The plants are in 24 gal containers and I will plant some outdoors once they get some size



The inground Basjoos on the other hand seem unfazed with excellent green color.

But that will change soon.

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cincinnana

A few Mekong Giants were planted inground a month ago is a well prepared
tilled 5x5x1bed.
Plants were container grown to increase size over the past year...they did not respond well to the lower light and 65 degree indoor living.

Roots and runners were teased from the root ball and 19-19-19 fertilizer was used in the initial planting.
The small plants have settled in and are sorting themselves out with new leaves and runners vertically emerging.

Basjoos on the other hand are thick 4+ft plants feeding on 19-19-19 and leaf litter.

Triple 19 is what I chose to use on these ornamental plantings.
You can use triple 12, 13 on up if you wish ....do what your budget allows.
The results are similar .

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cincinnana

Plant are next to each other.
Exposed to the same double digit temps a few days ago.
Both plants are a beast in good/best conditions..
Temps were 22 degrees /5 celsius for about 3 hours before sunrise in zone 5/6 Ohio.

Every plant in the landscape above ground had normal freeze damage.
This includes native plants.

Basjoos -1
Mekong- 0

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