My Bananas

[NCTIM]

In the spring of 05 my neighbor gave me a banana pup. It was about 18 inches tall and in a Styrofoam cup. It had been given to her a couple of weeks earlier and she had left it in the trunk of her car all that time. Needless to say it looked rough. I thanked her and just poked it in an old pot and watered it. I had no idea that it would live, much less grow to over 12ft tall flower and set fruit. That took two years to happen and in the mean time it has given me many more plants.
As it grew and grew I read a little about bananas. I am certain now that the variety she gave me was Musa Bajoo. The fruit is not edible on Musa Bajoos. Each fall I dig them up and put them under the house and replant them in the spring. This year I purchased a Dwarf Cavendish and a Gran Nain banana plant. These are the kind of bananas you get at the grocery store. I also picked up a Zebrino Rojo as an ornamental. They were about 24 inches tall when I set them out. If the Dwarf Cavendish and a Gran Nain survive the winter under the house I hope that they set fruit next year.

Lots of fun to grow and I just thought I’d share my experience.

Tim

[Rena]

Hey Tim.. Very cool!! Did you make the Dog house and the little play-house? Wow good wood working...

[akgardengirl]

Those trees sure make your yard look like a tropical paradise. The evergreen pine tree looks like the odd one with the banana trees. I've seen them in a year around heated greenhouse up here. I would love to be able to grow them, along with a bazillion other things that grow elsewhere.
Sue

[NCTIM]

Hey Rena,

Glad you noticed. Thank you.

I built the play-house back in '95 and the dog house was built in '01. The play-house is a make shift storage shed now.

I went a little over the top when I made them. The play-house is wired and the walls inside are finished. It also has a cathedral ceiling and used to have carpet. The inside hasn't been kept up since it lost its play-house status.The dog house is double walled and floored. The top hinges and has a removable ceiling. It even has a bathroom ( i'll need to post a pic later). Time has really weathered it a lot and it doesn't look that great anymore. It is still rock solid and will last for many more years.

Tim

[NCTIM]

Hey Sue,

I am watching the ballgame and it took awhile for me to reply back to Rena. I didn't know you had posted too.

Anyway...

In a few weeks the bananas will be gone and that ol' Pine will still be there. At night with the tiki's burning you can imagine being somewhere else.

I raised the canopy on that pine and another this past spring. They're really big and had started to shade the yard and garden a little too much. I like 'em too much to cut 'em down.

Tim

[gardenhappy]

HiTim,your banana trees look great,we we're given 5 of them last fall and now have 8 of them,no banana's yet but they are beautiful and we love them,huge leaves!!! We have 2 out side the front of the guest house and the others in other areas including 1 we planted near our creek,all are doing great and in the future we will be getting more for sure!!! Your pictures are great!!!

[Worth1]

We don’t have to do much of anything for our banana trees where I live.
One thing some people do is to wrap the plant in the winter to keep it from freezing back.

Some banana plants have flowers that you can eat and there is a red banana that produces seeds that you can plant.

It’s been a while since I have had a banana tree and have thought about getting some, I just can’t figure out where to put them yet.

One thing they say is that they like full sun but I have seen many banana trees down here in partial shade that do fine.

Not a bad plant to have around the place to green things up and I think they would look nice along with my elephant ears.

I think I will put some with them to see how well they do in partial shade.8)

Worth

[maupin]

You know-- inedible bananas and all banana peels are my planting hole secret for tomatoes. Bananas foster (no pun intended) quick and strong root development.