Bananas

Discussion in 'Tropical Gardening' started by PeterS, Nov 20, 2013.

  1. Richard360

    Richard360 Super Gardener

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    image.jpeg Finally they arrived all in good condition and well packaged
     
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    • Richard360

      Richard360 Super Gardener

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      Well with this weather we are having in Yorkshire I have re covered over my bananas can not believe how much the weather has changed
       
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      • Richard360

        Richard360 Super Gardener

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        image.jpeg My clump is starting to unroll a few leafs now can not wait till it has a some full ones
         
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        • pete

          pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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          My Basjoos are only just starting in DSC_0031.JPG
          to growth, they survived unprotected.

          I dragged this E. maurelii outside last weekend, the growth on it is very soft and I dont think it will stand up to the wind very well.
          DSC_0022.JPG
           
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          • JWK

            JWK Gardener Staff Member

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            Mine are starting to put out new growth too:

            20160513-P5130010.jpg
             
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            • Richard360

              Richard360 Super Gardener

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              Looks like a nice big mat you got there Pete my ensete is not looking good this year it lost all its leaves and the new ones are small and very pale it's been in the greenhouse heated but guess somthing upset it I did buy a new one just in case
               
            • pete

              pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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              Had to cut some of the leaves off today, they were totally battered, not particularly bothered, I kind of expected it
               
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                Last edited: May 19, 2016
              • PeterS

                PeterS Total Gardener

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                2016_05230003.JPG
                The two pots on the right are my propagation attempt again of Ensete maurelii. Last autumn I cut the stem and roots off a fairly small one, then I cut it vertically in two. I potted up both halves and put them on a heat mat to regrow. The plant on the left is one half that clearly had the original growing point. Its just a single stem. The one on the right obviously didn't have any growing point so took a lot longer to get into leaf, but it now has about 10 small stems, that I hope can be separated later into 10 plants.

                My large maureliis are growing strongly and approaching the 8 feet roof of my conservatory.
                 
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                • Richard360

                  Richard360 Super Gardener

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                  Wow Peter looks like your going to
                  Have another ten to find space for I would love to do this with one of mine but I'm too scared or losing one
                   
                • WeeTam

                  WeeTam Total Gardener

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                  Ive got a dilema with mine. Its now hitting the conservatory roof about 12ft but if i ake it outside it will be shredded or get frosted if its out before mid june.

                  How far back down the trunk is it safe to cut it back next winter without damaging it ?
                   
                • PeterS

                  PeterS Total Gardener

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                  Hi Richard. If you are ever in Harrogate - pop in and I will find you one to practice on. As you said, I have really got too many now. But I will have to keep propagating them to ensure continuity of new ones, as the old ones will get just too big at a certain point.

                  Hi WeeTam. I feel the same about taking them outside. I have done it and the leaves do get shredded and finally get cut off, but it grows new leaves and makes a shorted fatter plant.

                  At @pete 's suggestion I just cut the leaves back by half in the autumn, when mine reached the roof. You could do it now of course, but it would look a bit funny. My conservatory is kept at 12C over the winter and they continued to grow happily and have done very well since, but are almost back up to the roof.

                  The other alternative is to cut them right back, cutting off all roots and all stem and overwinter them frost free. I have done that before, but last winter I cut some back completely, then put them straight on a heating pad. They have done very well. But I sometimes wonder why I cut off all the foliage only to spent money on electricity to make it grow again. In the USA they overwinter huge plants by the frost free method - though obviously its a bit more of a gamble getting them back into growth.
                   
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                  • Richard360

                    Richard360 Super Gardener

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                    Thank you Peters that's very kind of you I still would feel bad it killed it I love bananas too much I was at Kew last weekend and amazed with all the ones they had in fruit I wish I had a conservatory to fill with really tropicals but we don't have the room
                     
                  • pete

                    pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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                    I've not tried it recently, but back in the seventies I had a couple of fairly large green ensetes, just the basic species.
                    When they got too big I just cut the stems down to a foot or so.
                    I tend to think the big problem with doing this is the plant needs to be able to regrow immediately, not left in a cold place, where it can rot.

                    I did something similar, but not so drastic, with the Maurelii last autumn.
                    This time I cut off all the leaves, leaving the central roller, then all the roots.
                    Put it in a pot in the warm conservatory and it was making new root within a week or so, the leaves never stopped, just kept coming.
                     
                  • PeterS

                    PeterS Total Gardener

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                    Pete - I am interested in how you can treat other bananas this way.

                    I feel that I have cracked E maurelii now. There are many cases, on the internet, of people who cut them back hard to just a corm and overwinter them frost free. Better still, I think, is to just cut the leaves off and leave the stem. I was told many many years ago, when I was taken round a banana plantation in Jamaica that the new growth draws on the old stem, and is much slower without the stem. I think it is quite possible to overwinter a corm frost free, but its a more tricky act to get it back into growth in the spring. Too little water and it won't grow roots and too much water and it will rot. As you say its better to keep them growing immediately.

                    But my question is - how does this apply to other bananas? A month ago, in Madeira, I bought a good sized corm (a small bowling ball) of Musa accuminata in the market. On my return I put it on a heating pad, and whilst it hasn't produced any leaves yet it has grown lots of roots. So the implication is that you can treat other bananas the same way. The market in Madeira had loads of these corms for sale.
                     
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                    • pete

                      pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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                      Not sure @PeterS .
                      But I do wonder if there might be a difference between Ensete ans Musa.

                      Got a feeling Ensete can have a dormant period, perhaps during hot dry spells???

                      Dont think Musa actually go dormant???

                      Just a thought, I could well be wrong and stand to be corrected.:smile:
                       
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