Musa Basjoo care

sidpook · Post by **sidpook** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 7:30 am

I have 4 Musa basjoos in the ground right now. never grew them before, but am loving their quick growth. They are amazing. One question though. As they grow taller, should I clip off the bottom leaves that are smallest and kind of shaded and just hanging inthere or do i leave them on to suck up more sun if they can get it?? Thanks for any advice on these folks. I am attaching a pictur of two of them here...

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 7:36 am

I've been contemplating the same thing,I think it's really a personal choice if you
want to give them a more 'tropical' look,instead of vegetative.

Post some pics-I bet they are going nuts in the hot weather your having.

Lot's of water in the heat!

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 9:39 am

Love the barn sign, Mike!

Great looking musa.

I thought the bottom leaves always yellowed and fell off on their own -- with time.

Barb

BILL MA · Post by **BILL MA** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 11:08 am

Nice nana Mike, I usually cut mine off. I like to see the trunks on them. They are growing like mad with all this heat where having on the east coast,
I'm watering them twice a day here and it's much hotter at your place.

I just measured one of my biggest leaves that I could reach yesterday 24 inches wide by 60 inches long

Bill

sidpook · Post by **sidpook** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 12:20 pm

Thanks for the advice guys.....I love these things...They grow so well here ...and yeah it is pretty hot...104 degrees today and low in the 80s at night this week...sticky and humid! No rain though for the past 3 weeks to speak of...AYE! I'm watering like crazy.

sidpook · Post by **sidpook** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 2:28 pm

Hey everyone,
How come some pics are embedded right int he post and some just appear as a link like mine do??

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 3:12 pm

Mike, if you use the "IMG" button with the source of the pic, it'll load onto the page.
Just toggle on and off with the Img (beginning and end).

The URL simply POINTS to a web address, like yours did, which is "clickable".

Depending on what photo hosting you use, some work great with IMG, some don't.
Barb

sidpook · Post by **sidpook** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 6:47 pm

Thank you Barb.

sidpook · Post by **sidpook** » Tue Aug 03, 2010 5:36 pm

Here are a few of my latest musa pics. Hopefully I can grow more in the back of our shed to cover the neighbor's ugly garage. Each plant has given off three new pups from the bottom, Amazing....Stuck myself int here for point of reference/scale.

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Wed Aug 04, 2010 8:35 am

Nice!
My Musa basjoo have done OK this year, but not great like yours have. --Erik

BILL MA · Post by **BILL MA** » Wed Aug 04, 2010 1:19 pm

Mike your nanas have grown nicely since your last picture a month ago!!! I wonder if they will start pushing the wall down as they get bigger

Good job! See your neighbors kept them all alive for you

Good thing right!

Bill

sidpook · Post by **sidpook** » Wed Aug 04, 2010 5:11 pm

Thanks guys...Yeah they are really growing tall and thick at the base. Amazingly thick trunks. One question though????? They are all pushing out smaller shoots on the base. Is that taking away from the main plant? Should I cut them away????

BILL MA · Post by **BILL MA** » Thu Aug 05, 2010 6:38 am

Mike,

The pups are designed to replace the mother plant after it fruits because it dies after. I always leave mine on and never really noticed a difference.

Are you going to leave that one in the ground this winter or dig it up? That makes a difference too, if your bringing it to the basement I would leave the pups on for sure just in case the mother dies for some reason.

I don't see why you would dig it up since there perfectly hardy there I'm just saying.

Bill

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Thu Aug 05, 2010 8:14 am

Yea Mike,what are you doing

Seriously though,are you going to overwinter?

If mine made it here.....yours will be fine,I did mound up quite a bit of
mulch and put plastic over.

I cut the babies off if I am going to save some over winter or
I want to thin the clump out.

I also,occasionally cut all but 3 leaves off to encourage them to keep moving upward,
I probably won't save to many(if any)pups this year.
The Basjoos have earned their spot though and are staying as long as they keep coming back,
at least for a few more years until it's time to work in some material into the soil-
they will deplete the soil in a few years if they stay in one place.
There are many other bananas I like the look of and want to try,basically I want some monsters-
still trying to get my hands on some Saba banana plants.

Lot's of water in hot weather is the way to go,looks good Mike.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sun Aug 08, 2010 4:30 pm

You three are the banana Kings.
Whatever you're doing, it's obviously working.

Mine's heading to John's place before I kill it.

It'll be interesting to read what you're planning, Mike.
Maybe overwinter one, and dig up/repot the other one for the house in the Fall?

Barb

sidpook · Post by **sidpook** » Sun Aug 08, 2010 6:36 pm

Thanks for all the suggestions guys, and Barb, I am laughing as you call us the banana kings and also becuase you suggested exactly what I plan to do. I am leaving the big banana mothers in the ground and taking all the pups in the house over winter...

Guys I am also attaching a pic of someone's garden down the street from me who grows bananas. He doesn't even mulch his over and has had them for ten years. His are huge and come up like a friggin jungle every year. I remember when I was younger my family used to wrap their figs etc...but mine grow with no protection and I never wrapped one in my life. So I guess I am just saying that it depends on the gardener'e preferences. Enjoy the pic....

BTW ....He is a scruffy old Polish man who doesn't say much or give much advice with gardening. HE scared the hell out of me the other day. I was in my front garden working under the umbrella of my insanely huge crape Myrtle and as i turned around I see a man standing 6 inches from me to my rear. HE looked at me and just said, "Congratulations!" throwing his arms up to show he was pleased with my garden. It was great. A nice complement from an old timer. He knows his gardens well and even gives me homemade buffalo grass vodka..Woohoo!!
Mike

his banana trees

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sun Aug 08, 2010 8:03 pm

see a man standing 6 inches from me to my rear

Creepy!

Maybe he doesn't speak much English.

Free vodka...now that's a great neighbor.

Your bananas can race his next year.
I'm betting on you, Mike.

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Sun Aug 08, 2010 8:07 pm

Mike,
your neighbor is a champ! I can't imagine how he does it. Must learn.
I have a friend around here who has similar success but he is always evasive when I ask him how he does it.
Maybe if I ply him with vodka....
--Erik

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sun Aug 08, 2010 8:11 pm

Erik, ply us all with vodka, we'll come up with something.

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Sun Aug 08, 2010 8:23 pm

How about goat meat as a bribe?
I'll have lots in the freezer soon....
As for cocktails, I'm into mojitos lately to try to get rid of peppermint.

--Erik

sidpook · Post by **sidpook** » Sun Aug 08, 2010 8:41 pm

U guys are too funny....

@ Erik, Send me goat meat anytime, I totally dig it! I have so much pepermint too: it smells so good when I cut the rear lawn. It grows like a weed.

I'm leaving town again fr 2 weeks on Tuesday and hope to be amazed at my nanas when I get back. Chat soon everyone. Enjoy the last few weeeks of AUgust!

Chat soon everyone...
Mike

BILL MA · Post by **BILL MA** » Mon Aug 09, 2010 8:13 am

Have fun on your trip Mike!

Free vodka cool neighbor to have too. Nice nana patch he has going there. Funny you mention figs as this year I've found some very large specimens all over the place. I never noticed them until this year for some reason. They need to be wrapped here though, much longer cold durations up here.

Bill

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Mon Aug 09, 2010 3:44 pm

Have a good trip Mike.

Barb

sidpook · Post by **sidpook** » Mon Aug 09, 2010 5:16 pm

Thanks guys...yeah figs are all over here too. They are so delicious too. I love to butterfly, grill them and throw on a dollop of ricotta cheese and drizzle some honey..Yum!

sidpook · Post by **sidpook** » Mon Aug 16, 2010 10:57 am

lucky1 wrote:You three are the banana Kings.
Whatever you're doing, it's obviously working.

Mine's heading to John's place before I kill it.

It'll be interesting to read what you're planning, Mike.
Maybe overwinter one, and dig up/repot the other one for the house in the Fall?

Barb

Barb is this your flickr account??

http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Mon Aug 16, 2010 11:35 am

Yup, that's it, Mike.

There had recently been a big to-do that people who had a paid Flickr account STILL weren't giving the website the "proper credit" when pics were posted to an external site. Even tho' I didn't know what the hell they were jabbering about, thought it prudent to place that permanent signature link and not violate their dumb rules.

Barb

sidpook · Post by **sidpook** » Sun Aug 22, 2010 5:58 pm

lucky1 wrote:Yup, that's it, Mike.

There had recently been a big to-do that people who had a paid Flickr account STILL weren't giving the website the "proper credit" when pics were posted to an external site. Even tho' I didn't know what the hell they were jabbering about, thought it prudent to place that permanent signature link and not violate their dumb rules.

Barb

Your pics are great Barb. I have a flickr acct too
Good stuff...
Chat soon
Mike

hilashes · Post by **hilashes** » Mon Aug 30, 2010 9:06 pm

Great looking Musas Mike! and funny story about your neighbor by the way

he's got some nice ones going as well! I'm attaching a photo of one of mine, a before and after pic. It was planted July 12th and the after pic was taken today Aug. 30th. Sounds like your hot hot weather is the same we had this summer and we had only 0.6mm of rain for the month of July so I was outside watering like crazy!! Due to the water restriction I did have to cut back. Here's the pic to show you how much growth we have here in Vancouver in one month. I really think if we had more rain it would have been taller....so I'm a bit disappointed it wasn't bigger, as I've seen them sky rocket bigger in that short time!

Oh and I just trimmed a couple of leaves off to clean it up a bit and see the stalk. I guess it's just personal preference.

Heidi

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Tue Aug 31, 2010 9:45 am

PN now has a Musa queen...attagirl Heidi.
Barb

hilashes · Post by **hilashes** » Tue Aug 31, 2010 10:51 am

lucky1 wrote:PN now has a Musa queen...attagirl Heidi.
Barb

Too funny Barb!

I'm really proud of the nanas! Now to get the neighbors to come over with some Vodka!

Mike - I hope to see some new growth pics when you're back!

Heidi

sidpook · Post by **sidpook** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 4:21 am

Hello Everyone.....
Nice pics Heidi. It has been soooooo dry here too, we're down 5.5 inches for the past 90 days....and today is still 97 degrees,,,UGH. Glad to see your Bananas are doing well. I've attached a recent pic here. . Even though I spend a lot of the time in Cape May, I'm always driving home (1.25 hr) to check on my gardens. All my friends down the shore make fun of me all the time.....They just don't get it! LOL

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 7:50 am

Looking good guys/gals-

Heidi,hopefully you will have a warm fall to keep it going!

Are you guys leaving them in over winter?

Here's a picture of mine from 9-1-10
The 2 clumps next to the porch,between the 2 walkways.

The gutter is 11'-check out the Cannas to the left of the biggest clump
of Basjoos,almost 10' tall !

sidpook · Post by **sidpook** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 8:58 am

Amazing garden! I need to get that many Jim!

hilashes · Post by **hilashes** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 9:18 am

sidpook wrote: Even though I spend a lot of the time in Cape May, I'm always driving home (1.25 hr) to check on my gardens. All my friends down the shore make fun of me all the time.....They just don't get it! LOL

Thanks Mike - I understand what you're saying! these are our babies! I hope you get some kind of moisture soon .... your water bill must be getting up there!

We finally got a good soaking a couple of days ago. Broke records for the month of August in one day with a whopping 15mm! However we're back to our dry trend since.
The nanas look great since your last pics too!

Jim! HOLY COW..... WOW!

My jaw dropped to the floor. What a cool yard, I wish I had that much room for all of that. Your largest nana clump is what I'm hoping to see next year with mine....and your cannas..I didn't know they get that tall! Must be the variety. I also see you have a butterfly bush down in the right corner of the pic. Looks like mine, which is called 'Black Knight'. Yes I'll be leaving the Musas in the ground. I use banana sleeves (an insulated tube) bought from the nursery and I just put it over the stalk and voila. Wasn't as easy last year when I lost mine to early frost before I could get to it. This year I'm armed and prepared!

Heidi

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 9:39 am

hilashes wrote:
sidpook wrote: . This year I'm armed and prepared!

Heidi

Me too!

I already have all my preparations for
covering all my palms,that takes quite a bit of the stress off

hilashes · Post by **hilashes** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 10:09 am

Jim I have plans for the palms too. Definitely takes the stress off when we plan ahead! I am anxious to see everyone's overwinter methods!

Heidi

sidpook · Post by **sidpook** » Wed Sep 08, 2010 4:56 pm

I plan to leave the largest two outside (they're over 8 feet now and also leave their pups attahced. I'll cut the tops and mulch heavily and probably add some tar paper for dryness....Then wrap with white fluffy batting you use for Xmas as fake snow on your train sets and christmas villages....It will look like a snowman when i'm done and will never melt....Of course, our Doberman will probably make it turn yellow before long...maybe not such a good idea....As for the other smaller trees 6 feet tall, I'll cut out and bring into the house....woohoo! Only got up to 90 today, but still no rain for 3 weeks now, we are now down 6 inches...UGH!!!!!

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Wed Sep 08, 2010 6:12 pm

Mike, don't worry--hurricane season is just picking up. You'll get that missing 6" of rain -- all at once. --Erik

sidpook · Post by **sidpook** » Wed Sep 08, 2010 6:48 pm

LOL, just give me a f%&$#in' advisory or a warning and I'll be happy! Jeez!

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Wed Sep 08, 2010 7:00 pm

Weather Underground has been emailing me about Hermine for days (+ you see the "advisory" tag on my sticker right now. So, you'll know. Enjoy it. I'm liking Hermine right now; windows are open in the house so I can listen to the rain. --Erik

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Musa Basjoo care

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