Nicolas Naranja

So my first set of a 144 bananas for field planting have gone through a lot in their short time. I've had to bring them in twice because we thought it might freeze and they have been burnt bad by the wind now for the second time. I got my plants as tissue culture plantlets in mid-january and made the mistake of only keeping them in the shade for about 1.5 weeks. I moved them outside and we had about 25-30 mph winds and it made things ugly. Over the next two months they grew very nicely and I trimmed the bad leaves off. The plants are about 1 foot tall and they will be planted in the field next weekend. Unfortunately I once again experienced these demonic winds this week and it has burnt the leaves on my plants again. The gran nain seems to be worse than the nam wah. Anyways, I have my second set of bananas in the shade and they have been there about 2 weeks. How long should I keep them in the shade to keep them from getting burnt and stressed out?

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Some people go bananas, I went plantains.

Chironex

I know what you mean about the winds. I would think 2 weeks is sufficient for acclimatisation. It is vital that once transplanted that they have sufficient time to establish root structure so that water uptake is efficient to keep them going.

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Scot

Tog Tan

Nick, I think the main thing here is dehydration from the wind = wind burn. What I have observed from the planting of TC plantlets is that once they are in the open and grounded, water plays a big part. If they can be watered frequently during the initial period of 1 month, they will regulate very well.

As long as you have 2-4 wks of preconditioning, they should be ok and the leaf burn will be there till they are rooted over the next 2 months or so.

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Tog Tan has sadly suddenly passed away 6/16/09. We will miss you Tog Tan.

Caloosamusa

Nicolas, the winds have been brutal. What Tog Tan and Chironex said is true.

In Pahaokee (The River of Grass farming area) Farmers should consider planting the edges of the raised areas (between the fields) in native trees like Mahogany, Sabal Palm, and Gumbo limbo. These will not only provide wind protection, but also create microclimates that imitate endemic hammocks. Just plant the sides of each berm so vehicles can traverse the tops to maintain the levee and irrigation systems. It would be very similar to the French Hedgerows. This is a VERY long range plan, but one should work with an ecosystem not against it. The benefits will be great.

Best wishes

Nicolas Naranja

I put my grow out nursery in what I thought was a fairly protected location and then my neighbors cleared their plot of land and all the sudden I was exposed on the south side. I realize that at this stage it's not going to kill the plants, but it certainly makes them look pitiful. I may move my next set further back into an area that is surrounded by a dense thicket.

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Some people go bananas, I went plantains.