Tim,
Your yard is looking great as always, very nicely done!

Your phoenix palms have grown a ton since planting them 😯

Cute little girl too, she'll love to see how much bigger the plants are then her when she grows up.

Bill

Great garden! Loads of growth! Love that Siam Ruby!!!

Well, the winds came the last 2 days. Banana leaves are all shredded and some of the petioles broke off at the pseudostem. Does that every happen to you guys? The broken leaves now hang straight down by the pseudostem. I guess I will have to cut those off and the plants will probably remain ugly looking the rest of the season, ugh! Glad I took pics when I did. Only plant that suffered the broken leaves were the basjoo though. The maurelii and orinoco are just fine. I wonder if basjoo have weaker attachments from the petiole to the pseudostem. The key to great growth I think is lots of water and lots of miracle grow. Palms and bananas got it weekly and my trachy has really pushed out fronds, phoenix really grew for being first year in ground and bananas exploded!

I'm going to keep the bananas alive in tubs all winter in basement under bright grow lights. Hoping for 15 footers next summer.

Thanks for the tips.
I have not used miracle grow at all this year. I guess I assumed natural (= manure! This is a farm) soil fertility would do the trick. It has for Canna, but maybe the Musa and Musella would have responded to the extra. All but one banana have grown fine, just not spectacular.
They have also held up to winds so far. That is good as I am in a very windy micro-climate. I have trimmed old leaves on Musa basjoo recently so the trunks that do have are more apparent.
Back to your Phoenix. Will you dig that and bring it in or protect in the ground? --Erik

Thanks for the tips.
I have not used miracle grow at all this year. I guess I assumed natural (= manure! This is a farm) soil fertility would do the trick. It has for Canna, but maybe the Musa and Musella would have responded to the extra. All but one banana have grown fine, just not spectacular.
They have also held up to winds so far. That is good as I am in a very windy micro-climate. I have trimmed old leaves on Musa basjoo recently so the trunks that do have are more apparent.
Back to your Phoenix. Will you dig that and bring it in or protect in the ground? --Erik

I'm not sure yet. I will have to analyze finances and see what I can afford! 🙂

Wx

What you said (glad I took pics when I did),is so true.

Once we get into Sept the calm days of summer quickly come to an end as the season changes,
it has been windier here the past week than all summer.

Basjoo leaves are some of the weakest of any Banana for handling wind,all
my Banana plants are pretty shredded,the Basjoos have the least windy spot but
the North,northwest and southwest winds really rip them up where they are,
I can't keep my potted one off the ground!

Erik

Bananas are HEAVY feeders and benefit from constant feeding,easy on the N(slow release if possible) as they burn easy.