OT Day-O, Daaaay-O, Daylight Come and Me 'wan Go Home - OT

Doc_Eggerton

If your spouse ever says, "Wouldn't it be cool to have A banana tree", you should consider divorce.

NPHuskerFL

Dayumn Doc! Your naners are flourishing. I planted mine (from stock that was given to me from a demo home in St Augustine) and they haven't done very well. They're in the back of the property where it slopes and doesn't get dry even during drought. Any suggestions? Or are we just too far inland? They haven't even spread after 4 or so years.

Doc_Eggerton

That started from a single 4 foot tall plant about 4 or 5 years ago.  I am constantly cutting them down.  I kept the pictured bunch and gave one to one of my kids.  I cut down three others and threw them in the compost at the base.  Only think I can tell you is you should compost any leaves, stocks, etc. around the base.  It rots down pretty quickly.  After a stock has a bunch you should cut it down to encourage one to grow on another mother plant.  If you have never had a bunch, you need to cut the pod off after a few weeks, then the bunch after 4 to 6 weeks.  It is best to hang the bunch in a cloth bag until they ripen, but you can lean them in a corner.  They will leak fluid that stains.  They go from green overnight, and ripe to over ripe an a couple of days.  The peels bruise easily, but the fruit stays good.

NPHuskerFL

Thanks I'll try that. Even though NE FL isn't terribly cold the freezes knock them back something fierce. Last night we hit the low 20s. Tonight similar temps. One of our orange trees (Naval) has already got blooms but, they haven't opened. Protecting the root stock on all my citrus' and this helps for the growing season. The banana stocks OTOH I have never covered. Now I'm wondering if I need to cover the footing base? The leaves die back and then come back in spring. Do you fertilize them or anything like that?

NPHuskerFL

The upper NE is buried in the white stuff and we're starting to develop juicy fruit. Kind of feel like a **** I'm hoping for an awesome growing season.

Doc_Eggerton

Only the compost, and almost every stock I cut back grows a new one.

theyolksonyou

Blake, you didn't make them live there. The kids almost had to wear pants outside this afternoon. Burrrr

that said, we're in for some of that white crap first of the week. :-w

NPHuskerFL

@theyolksonyou growing up in Husker territory I always hated listening to the warmer states whine about "cold" meanwhile we were buried in snow. Now I'm "that guy" )
I miss a lot of things about the snow & Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas and Wyoming. Hunting being one of them.