TrailGaiter

Out of curiousity, do any of you keep your maureliis in pots full time? I have just ordered one, and I live in a cold winter climate, so have to consider wintering it.... growing in the ground, then cutting leaves, digging up, storing for the winter dormant, to replant in the spring. Or keeping it in a pot, where it would stay, and either growing it inside through the winter, provided I can give it enough sun, or keep it in the pot (cut up or not) and let it go dormant in the basement. Or...letting it go dormant in my insulated, but unheated garage, covered up. I have all these options to consider. I don't mind the work, but seems to me the planting, digging up every year might be hard on the plant? I ordered two basjoos, hoping if I killed one I'd have one as a back up...but just got one maurelii...knowing the work invovled, and hoping I could take good care of the one I have. I would for sure keep it in a pot this year, I'm thinking, considering it's going to be less than 12" tall when I get it...doubt it will get very big before it gets cold. Heck, I'm considering bringing my basjoos in (potting them) this year, because they're quite small...and not sure if they can handle a zone 5 winter this year, even protected.

But, I'd like to hear if anyone keeps their maureliis in pots here, or how those handle their maureliis in zone 5.

Thanks much!
Angie

sandy0225

maurelii are easy in pots. You'll just have to start with a smaller one and pot it up as it grows. They do eventually get large, but I still haven't found out just how large because when mine get big I always sell them. Some of them are here in town nearby though and I get to drive by them often and the biggest is around 8' now.
They overwinter well in my basement with a shop light over the top of them and not very much water. Your unheated garage would be too cold.

__________________
Sandy Burrell



Northern Tropics Greenhouse
1501 East Fuson Road
Muncie, IN 47302
www.northerntropics.com


specializing in bananas, heirloom tomatoes and water gardening plants~
check out our new online store at our website!

TrailGaiter

Thanks Sandy, you're who the maurelii is coming from!

sashaeffer

I'm a first season of growing a Ensete. Have mine in pot outside and I must say of all the Banana plants I have, it's growing the best and is VERY showy with it's purple leaves. I live in Omaha where as you know gets pretty cold winters and am planning on over wintering mine inside and hopefully keep it alive and growing throughout the winter.

Pics in album.

TrailGaiter

Thanks, I'll check out your photos! My love started with palm trees.... through those (which I haven't begun with yet...not ready to do the lights/heating and covering thing!), I learned of basjoos, and thought, wow, I can have a tropical look without the heating and boxing up! Through learning more about basjoos, I saw the maurelii, and OMG. That was it for me! I knew THAT's what I had to have! Burgundy is my color....my horse barn's burgundy, my mailbox, so many things in my house...it's just my color.

My basjoos are in a holding pattern (in the ground)...so I was gonna wait till next year for the ensete...to see how I did with the basjoos, but when I saw the summer sale ad posted here......I decided I just had to.

I'm thinking my best bet, this year anyway, is to keep it in a pot, let it stay outside until fall, then raise it in the house through winter. My only wonder is...dormant or growing? I'm thinking it won't get too big this year.... if I find a window where the cats can't chew on it, I could give it a fair amount of sun this winter...or buy a light for it. I'm happy to do that.

I've been reading up on them awhile. Now I'm going back, printing articles, refreshing my memory. I've been reading about people using...uh...milorganite? Not to be used around anything for consumtion....I understand.... but any thoughts?

And when I pot it, would I use straight potting soil, or a mix of potting soil/top soil...what? I typically use miracle grow potting soil. If using that, how often to fertilize? I'm wondering, too, if I should fertilize my basjoos...when I planted them outside, May 30th, I mixed in a fair amount of composted horse manure within the soil.

Thanks!
Angie

sashaeffer

I had just realized that I hadn't taken pics of Ensete before I sent you to my gallery, but took some just today. It's amazing how fast this one grows.

TRAY

ANGIE,
Here is a link about using malorganite, you might want to read through it and then make a decision. Using Milorganite on Bananas-For the Ultimate Growth! - Banana Forum - GardenWeb
Personally i wouldn't use anything organic in a pot that your gonna keep in the house, mainly cause the bugs love the stuff also. My plants are still young and in the ground so i mix 2 organic and one Synthetic, together in a bin and feed them about a half a cup or so every 3 wks. I dig out the dirt a little dump it in then cover it back up, cause organic does stink! When they get bigger i'll use more. I use 3 diff types just to make sure i got all the nutrients covered. (including micro). That's just me, i'm sure everyone has diff. uses and amounts and how often, it's probably best to go by what the label recommends.
And by the way i'm startin to think MG comes with bugs in the bag, so i'll probably stop using it. Upon research a lot of other people think the same thing. WISH YOU LUCK!
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Organic vs. Synthetic

Do plants really care where they get their nutrients? Yes, because organic and synthetic fertilizers provide nutrients in different ways. Organic fertilizers are made from naturally occurring mineral deposits and organic material, such as bone or plant meal or composted manure. Synthetic fertilizers are made by chemically processing raw materials.

In general, the nutrients in organic fertilizers are not water-soluble and are released to the plants slowly over a period of months or even years. For this reason, organic fertilizers are best applied in the fall so the nutrients will be available in the spring. These organic fertilizers stimulate beneficial soil microorganisms and improve the structure of the soil. Soil microbes play an important role in converting organic fertilizers into soluble nutrients that can be absorbed by your plants. In most cases, organic fertilizers and compost will provide all the secondary and micronutrients your plants need.

Synthetic fertilizers are water-soluble and can be taken up by the plant almost immediately. In fact applying too much synthetic fertilizer can "burn" foliage and damage your plants. Synthetic fertilizers give plants a quick boost but do little to improve soil texture, stimulate soil life, or improve your soil's long term fertility. Because synthetic fertilizers are highly water soluble, they can also leach out into streams and ponds.

Synthetic fertilizers do have some advantages in early spring. Because they are water soluble, they are available to plants even when the soil is still cold and soil microbes are inactive. For this reason, some organically-based fertilizers, such as PHC All-Purpose Fertilizer, also contain small amounts of synthetic fertilizers to ensure the availability of nutrients.

For the long-term health of your garden, feeding your plants by building the soil with organic fertilizers and compost is best. This will give you soil that is rich in organic matter and teeming with microbial life.
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Plant Nutrients 101

Plants need to be fertilized because most soil does not provide the essential nutrients required for optimum growth. Even if you are lucky enough to start with great garden soil, as your plants grow, they absorb nutrients and leave the soil less fertile. Remember those tasty tomatoes and beautiful roses you grew last year? It took nutrients from the soil to build those plant tissues. By fertilizing your garden, you replenish lost nutrients and ensure that this year's plants have the food they need to flourish.

There are six primary nutrients that plants require. Plants get the first three—carbon, hydrogen and oxygen—from air and water. The other three are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

Nitrogen helps plants make the proteins they need to produce new tissues. In nature, nitrogen is often in short supply so plants have evolved to take up as much nitrogen as possible, even if it means not taking up other necessary elements. If too much nitrogen is available, the plant may grow abundant foliage but not produce fruit or flowers. Growth may actually be stunted because the plant isn't absorbing enough of the other elements it needs.
Foliar Feeding?
Plants can absorb nutrients 8 to 20 times more efficiently through their leaf surfaces than through their roots. As a result, spraying foliage with liquid nutrients can produce remarkable yields. For best results, spray plants during their critical growth stages such as transplanting time, blooming time and just after fruit sets.

Phosphorous stimulates root growth, helps the plant set buds and flowers, improves vitality and increases seed size. It does this by helping transfer energy from one part of the plant to another. To absorb phosphorous, most plants require a soil pH of 6.5 to 6.8. Organic matter and the activity of soil organisms also increase the availability of phosphorus.

Potassium improves overall vigor of the plant. It helps the plants make carbohydrates and provides disease resistance. It also helps regulate metabolic activities.

There are three additional nutrients that plants need, but in a smaller amounts:

Calcium is used by plants in cell membranes, at their growing points and to neutralize toxic materials. In addition, calcium improves soil structure and helps bind organic and inorganic particles together.

Magnesium is the only metallic component of chlorophyll. Without it, plants can’t process sunlight.

Sulfur is a component of many proteins.

Finally, there are 8 elements that plants need in tiny amounts. These are called micronutrients and include boron, copper and iron. Healthy soil that is high in organic matter usually contains adequate amounts of each of these micronutrients.

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wxman

Angie,

Greetings from Wisconsin! I'm just north of Milwaukee and just west of the big pond. This is my second year growing ensete maurelii and I would recommend throwing yours right into the ground. Then dig it up and pot it this fall, keep it awake but not actively growing in a cool basement with a shop light, start putting the pot outside on warmer April days, out consistently in May and then plant it around the 20th of May back in the ground.

From personal experience, ensete maurelii develop their best color in the ground, with about 60% sun and 40% shade. Too much sun or too warm of soil temperatures will bleach their leaves almost all the way green. The cooler soil and shade allows the vibrant reds and magentas to appear. I also think they grow faster in the ground which has a more consistent soil temperature and moisture.

Fertilize and water the heck out of it this summer and you'll be amazed how much it grows by fall. We have almost THREE good growing months left.

Here are pictures of two of mine (I have three total).





And you also mentioned palms. A GREAT palm for up here is the windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei). I planted mine as a tiny 3 gallon back in July 2008. When it was newly planted:



And here it is today!

scottu

Beautiful, thank you for the info.

__________________
Viva La Banana

TrailGaiter

Sasha, I LOVE the pot you have your maurelii in, it's beautiful! I'm doing some looking on the milorganite....y'all must order it somewhere, as I looked on the website for distributers in WI, and there was only one, and it's quite a distance from me. I'll have to look around. I'd love to help my basjoos out too. That's very interesting info, Tray, and written in a way that's easily understood!

Wxman. Wow. I've seen you before, I think we've talked on the palms forum on GW. I'd know your windmill palm against your house anywhere! And I recently saw pics of your entire YARD! You all are making me so jealous! Amazing! I love your tiki guys....I have a couple tiki solar light guys, but I'd LOVE something like you have!! The base of the p-stem on the second maurelii pic made my jaw drop! That's a monster! I'm thankful to have found so many places to ask questions and gather information...palms were my first love...but through that interest discovered bananas...and I'd like to see mine get half as nice as those I've seen here!

sashaeffer

The pot is sold at Walmart...many on sale now.

sandy0225

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. I'd go ahead and just grow it in the ground or even potted for this season. I don't think the one I sent you will get much over three-four feet tall this year. So it'll be do-able to bring it in potted. When you bring them in, keep a close eye out for spider mites. They are the worst pest on ensete. If you see any, you can spray your plants with 1Tshampoo and 1T cooking oil in a gallon of water. You have to really coat the tops and bottoms of the leaves thoroughly to make it work. Then in a few days, wipe off the top and bottom of the leaves to remove dead spider mites so that you don't see them later on and think they are back. If they do come back, spray it again.
Use a good potting soil like promix, or if you can't get anything quite that good, then use something like a miracle grow or sunshine or any other better mix (not that cheap $ store stuff) and mix it 25% perlite and 75% potting mix when you pot it up for winter so it drains well.

__________________
Sandy Burrell



Northern Tropics Greenhouse
1501 East Fuson Road
Muncie, IN 47302
www.northerntropics.com


specializing in bananas, heirloom tomatoes and water gardening plants~
check out our new online store at our website!

sashaeffer

Can't you/me just spray them off with spray bug killer before you bring them inside? When sitting outside there is probably other bugs in there besides spider mites that I don't want in the house.

TrailGaiter

Thanks for the info Sandy! I've been reading the articles on your website too. Have to admit, I'm not familiar with perlite, never used it...but will get informed on that now! I've been reading everything I can here, on GW, and on the PalmsNorth website too. Learning there are plenty of WI folks who've had good luck with ensete....so hoping to learn from them!