harveyc

Sorry for not posting more, I've been swamped with farm work and sometimes wonder what I'm doing taking time with some of these fun hobbies. Maybe I just need to find a way to work less and play more!

Anyway, I first tried growing Dwarf Orinoco, Rajapuri, and Ice Cream a couple of years ago. I was hoping they would fruit this year but we had some nights of 20F in January and my efforts to protect them weren't good enough and the pseudostems died, though I have nice pups growing from most of them.

Anyway, to the point of my post. I purchased a so-called "California Gold" pup from Jeff Earl earlier this year (a farm I rent is pretty close to his place) and it is now doing pretty well. But my friend Joe Real made me an offer a month or so ago that got me excited. He wanted to make room in his little tropical garden and told me I could have his mother California Gold if I came up and dug it up. I was a bit surprised at it's size (the pseudostem was 9' 3" tall) when I showed up but I was up for the challenge and Joe gave me a hand. Fortunately, I had a section of white poly pipe (think of it as a large tube like a heavy gauge garbage bag) in my pickup so we covered the leaves with it that hung 6-7 feet beyond my pickup bed. It did have a small pup on it when we dug it up but, unfortunately, that broke off. It was about a 35 mile drive to my home and I planted it a few hours later and staked it up. The leaves still got torn up some. Joe thought the shock my delay the blooming, but about 2 weeks after it was transplanted I noticed the flag leaf. I'm a bit concerned about the fruit maturing before winter, especially without a good leaf canopy. However, I did notice today that a new pup was emerging. I'm wondering if this might possibly help the growth of the fruit on the mother plant.

Any suggestions/tips would be appreciated.

Thanks again, Joe!

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MediaHound

I think it's just normal sequence, not that it'll help the mother so much. Commercial growers cut back a certain number of pups, if anything.
Whatever you do, don't dig it up. This way, you don't disrupt the mother's roots.
Anyway, congrats on your bloom! Exciting, huh?
The hard work becomes fruitful!

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harveyc

Thanks, Jarred. Yes it is exciting. Even if the pup won't help the mother plant much, I guess it's a good sign that it is getting well-established. I was very concerned transplanting such a large banana in summer!

Harvey

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cactus6103

Great story and the pictures to go with it. I'm new at growing banana plants and post like this keep me going. I hope to share my success story someday. Good luck with it. Red

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Family, Friends and Bananas

bencelest

Congratulation!
You are lucky to have the CG. You don't have to wait a long time.
I am still waiting for my CG to pup that I bought with fruit last November.
I guess she does not like to live in a wine barrel.

Benny

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Banana Nut

harveyc

Thanks, Benny! Yes, I am lucky indeed and I know your CG with fruit has no leaves. I would die with anxiety having to wait like you have been doing. You must be a patient man!

Harvey

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