Nanas

I've got an idea this sikki is going to flower,it has a bulge forming in the stem, if it does it will be too late to be of any real interest. The weather has not been good as we all know, its been a bit on the cold side and windy. The wind has shredded the basjoos

 

This looks decidedly like the 'false pregnancy' that one of the stems on my clump exhibited the year before last. In the end it just carried on growing and a flower spike eventually emerged in August last year. Another two stems flowered in April this year so the clump is diminishing fast. Like Musa basjoo, it seems to be self-sterile and the flowers need to be pollinated from flowers of an unrelated plant if fruits are to form. Still, the bracts are an attractive deep, shining maroon inside with bloomy, blackish purple outer surfaces.

 

oh I should stick with the ensete, mine are just perfect even up here in North Yorks!

I have not yet identified bananas I germinated from jungle seed mix, but they are way below standard of ensete. Interestingly I went to local garden centre yesterday (pot hunting) and they had ensete ventricosum morelii under nane of "MUSA ENSETE"

Its been very windy here today, but so far my nanas are OK

 

My nanas are a bit shredded but look more natural like that. I've been to the caribean and seen plantations and there nanas are shredded too, so I don't worry so much.

 

Yes TO, I tend not to mind too much if the leaves get shredded it does look more natural.
Its when the wind snaps the main leaf stem of the leaf that ruins the appearance.
Waco, musa or ensete, if its rough the leaves will BREAK.

 

I don't think it gets much rougher than what we got last night and today, Martin is supposed to be sailing tomorrow, but I think that is going to be a bit of a joke!

Bananas are just about 4 sides surrounded by fencing or hedging and it has made an absolute oasis, a real microclimate between old stable, old hedging, tool shed and new willow fencing, its just the wet that is the problem now!

 

I hope it makes it pete. A guy I talk to on another forum had one that got part way, but with the stop start weather is having trouble getting beyond the stem.

 

Its really looking like a flower now.



As you say BM its stop start all the way this year.

 

WOW ! that looks amazing Pete, sensational colour, fabulous !!! Keep us updated with pics, its great to have a record. I hope mine will do the business in 2008 the purple is so cool.

Stu :D

 

Will do BM.
Cant help wondering just how far it will get.

 

Thinking that all is not well I pulled a few bracts off tonight and found this,

The flowers appear to be rotting as the bud isn't opening properly for some reason.

 

Things are starting to look a bit better now.

 

Looking good Pete.Very Good.

 

Thanks roders, just hope the forecast winds dont do it any damage.