palmtree

I got a Musa Saba as a small, one foot tall plant in September. I potted it up and took it inside when temps were cool (in mid October). its been growing really well inside and grew about 2 or 3 leaves indoors in about a month in a half. Im really happy with its growth rate, but Im just wondering if the plant will be too weak to survive when it goes outside in the spring. I also have an Ensete Maurelli (technically a Tandarra Red) thats doing great and growing VERY fast indoors, but the leaves are streching out.

Ill post a pic of the Saba and Ensete and a comparison pic of both (the ensete has tripled in size since July!). Ill keep updating my Saba's progress also throughout the winter and spring too!

I would really appreciate any advice or experiences you can share about Musa Saba's. Im not sure about when it will flower, or the growth rate in cooler spring temps (I know it takes off in the summer though). Is Musa Saba bananas okay with part shade, or does it demand full sun only?
Also if anyone knows if Ensete Maurelli is Tandarra Red, I would appreciate help with that. They look the same to me!
Thanks in advance!

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Location: New York City, zone 7b

palmtree

Heres my Musa Saba October 1st, just after I got it.


Heres my Musa Saba banana 2 days ago. The emerging leaf grew about another 2 inches since I took this picture 2 days ago!


Heres my Ensete Tandarra Red. It looks like its a little stretched from the lack of light. Will it correct itself in the spring?

Thanks for looking!

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Location: New York City, zone 7b

palmtree

I forgot to add a pic of my ensete when I first got in in July so here it is.

Im going to sink its pot in the ground next summer which should hopefully allow it to grow even taller!

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Location: New York City, zone 7b

TommyMacLuckie

Saba loves full sun. They get HUGE. Huge long fronds, large p-stem and quite tall. I'm not sure on the bloom time since only one has bloomed for me and it wound up not maturing enough before a freeze to know. I'm in 8B (or so I've been lead to believe).

That pup you have looks a bit thin to be a Saba. All the sword suckers I've finally had success moving have been huge, even when they're little (my first attempt at moving sword suckers was horrible - I learned that I pretty much needed to dig up the entire plant to get the suckers off properly). They're supposedly rather cold hardy and wind resistant - but I live in a hurricane zone and, well, things get tattered regardless of a hurricane or not. Of course, it also gets into the mid 20s on average between November and March - even down to 18F back in January - but the Sabas came back OK from that.

A bit slow - very slow - but they eventually got going.

Bama Banana

I got this one as a seedling from Green Earth back in March of 2009. I gave it full sun and watered it regularly, and it took off.

From what I have seen these things are bulletproof for zone 8 (at least after they get bigger). We had temps of 15 and 17 last winter. The Saba psuedostem survived with no protection while almost all of my other bananas, including Musa Basjoo and Orinoco, died down to the ground (or died altogether).

Around September 2010 the Saba flowered and I got this bunch with over 100 bananas...



Too bad I had to cut it all down a few days ago because of cold weather. See my other post, Monster Saba "Stump", for some more pics.

In my opinion, if you like big, this is the best banana of them all.

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palmtree

Thanks a lot for your responses! Im really looking forward to trying this banana in the ground next year!!
I hope that I actually have a Saba Banana! If it isnt then it definitely isnt a banana that I have yet.
Bama Banana, did your Saba look like mine when it was a seedling, or was the seedling you had a bit thicker?
Ill keep everyone updated on its growth which should hopefully really take off in the summer! I would greatly appreciate anyone's advise or experience with this amazing banana!

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Location: New York City, zone 7b

Bama Banana

Hard to tell. I just can't remember. I would highly recommend Green Earth for buying one of these. I am very happy with mine.

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palmtree

Thanks, Ill look them up now! I wont buy anything until the spring though because I have very bad luck with banana plants when I buy them in the winter!

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Location: New York City, zone 7b

TommyMacLuckie

The one that you show that is the Saba? That looks like a water sucker. Saba sword suckers are huge. In fact, they have tiny leaves even when the s. sucker is up to 4 feet tall.

nannerfunboi

i dont have a saba..but i know im going to now..
great plant !!! spectacular size..love that..
you have mentioned "green earth" nursery..?? whats their website??
i have a real full sun back yard and im betting saba would do great out there.. my ensetes got really big this last summer..
thanks to all..
happy holidays...

hydroid

I have some saba photos in my gallery, you can't mistake them, I had my grand daughter stand by them for a relative size comparison. They all died back last year from the freezes and I had to cut them to the ground but they came back with a vengence, he he.
It seems that the bigger they are the better they handle the cold. I just pile alot of pine straw around the base of the stem for winter protection.
Bo

Darkman

This is a picture I took at Hydroids. The Saba is the tall one on the left. Easily twenty feet tall. There are about five different bananas in this picture.

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Darkman in Pensacola

AS ALWAYS IMHO AND YOUR MILEAGE MAY DIFFER!!!!!!!!

Life - Some assembly required, As is no warranty, Batteries not included, Instructions shipped separately and are frequently wrong!

Kentucky Bourbon - It may not solve the problem but it helps to make it tolerable!

Statistics - Data that analyst twist to support the insane opinions of those that pay them.

palmtree

Thanks a lot for all the advice everyone! I couldnt find green earth nursery either, so if anyone can help, that would be great!

Also I never knew that water sucker and sword suckers existed as a terminology. If mine is a water sucker, what should I do? Is it going to have a really hard time becoming the giant that Sabas can become, or will it eventually grow normally (and apparently for a Saba thats really fast!!)
I cant wait to put all my banana plants in the ground and see how tall they get!!

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Location: New York City, zone 7b

sunfish

Your Saba is probably a Tissue Culture it will grow fine.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sourc...q41i_Q&cad=rja

palmtree

Thanks! So far its growing well and I really hope it continues! Ill keep everyone updated and I appreciate any more advice, experience, pics, etc.. Thanks again everyone!

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Location: New York City, zone 7b

Bama Banana

For anyone interested, here is the link to Green Earth...

Banana Trees Banana Plants

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palmtree

Thanks for the link. I know that they mention the height in the description, but does anyone know about how long it takes to have a nice sized plant once you order from them? I know that it definitely varies depending on what banana you get, but Im sure that for a banana like Saba, it will become a huge plant sooner than later!
Happy New Year Everyone!!!

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Location: New York City, zone 7b

Bama Banana

When I received that Saba from them, it was about 1 foot tall and very young. I planted it in April 2009. It grew to about 14 feet the first year. It matured and fruited (see the pic!) around September 2010. It also grew enough so that, after it's first summer in 2009, the psuedostem was able to withstand winter temps in the mid teens, with no protection.

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Darkman

So you did not have any protection during the Jan. 2010 freeze? What did the Pstem look like after the freeze?

__________________
Darkman in Pensacola

AS ALWAYS IMHO AND YOUR MILEAGE MAY DIFFER!!!!!!!!

Life - Some assembly required, As is no warranty, Batteries not included, Instructions shipped separately and are frequently wrong!

Kentucky Bourbon - It may not solve the problem but it helps to make it tolerable!

Statistics - Data that analyst twist to support the insane opinions of those that pay them.

hydroid

Hey Charlie, you gonna have em like that too, we'll have to cut you out of your house with a chain saw, you better keep that back hoe handy he he. I'm still here on the far side of the world. Did you get the rig moving pic?
Bo