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Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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Posted by arctictropical Z4 (My Page) on Mon, Feb 8, 10 at 0:31
Not bad for growing up from 6 foot stumps when I chopped them off and brought them inside in October for the winter.
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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| WOW, how beautiful the contrast of the tropical indoors and the snow covered outdoors |
RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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| Thanks mango kush. Yeah, we still have a couple of feet of snow outside. It won't melt typically till mid march. One good reason to grow tropicals inside... it helps me endure the long winters here in northern Utah. |
RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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Great idea chopping them off!
I can't believe how much mine has grown inside this winter.
Almost to big to drag downstairs but I am looking forward to seeing how big it gets! Next year it gets stored in the basement )-: 
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RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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| Nice banana there Kevin!!! The cannas that you gave to me are all growing in the dark area of my basement. LOL. It doesn't even get any water nor sunlight. I'm not sure why it's happening! Hahaha. Thanks again! |
RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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| Hi Jim! I have two more ensete in the basement 'cause I didn't have enough room upstairs! I need to bring them up, because they are growing somewhat in the dark and lack of warmth. It's going to take 4 people to move the ones in the picture outside in Spring, I'm afraid. v1rtu0s1ty, your basement might be warmer than mine. Mine tend to start growing this time of year, as well, but not too much. Good luck with the cannas! I have probably over 3,000 of them to plant this Spring. Yuck! |
RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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These really are amazing plants.
I can't believe how heavy/full of water they are!
I am looking forward to seeing in what this thing does over the winter! Mine was just a little stem with one leaf on it,now it is a least 6'tall and will at least double that with 6-7' leaves! I highly recommend these for some serious yard bling. Yours are going to be like giant trees Kevin -LOL Can't wait to see your pics next fall! < |
RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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| Jim, I totally agree. My musa grow so, so slowly, but these ensete are amazing! I hope I can move them outside without busting them up. Post some pics of yours! Kevin |
RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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That's what I was worried about last fall when I dug it up!
They really are brittle/mush for lack of a better term,
like celery without the fibers.
I am a little disappointed in Basjoo right now but maybe they will surprise me and grow fast from the roots this year.
This is my first year overwintering outside.
Last year I saved them and brought them in to keep the height but they used all their stored energy and were half there previous girth when I planted out,they never really recovered. Not so with these,I swear they would grow almost anywhere.
My inside plant has got a little dry winter air damage but nothing like a Musa would have. I am going to try Iterans or Saba(whatever I can find),I think they both can grow to 30'! I never thought the basement would stay warm enough to over winter the trunks but it does,so I will use this plan and go for some monsters that are more wind tolerant,I may even get some bananas this way.
This is my first picture in June(6th)last year-  August 30th last summer 
In my room 2-12-10 It's put out like 7 leaves even though it's pretty cold and not to much sun where it is!
The top of that window is about 7' 
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RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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| Nice banana! Sadly mine is dead. Actually every single banana I mail order has died. Not one has lived but so far my musella is still alive, but the leaves are easily broken if you touch them too hard. Anyway, I enjoy seeing all these nice pictures. Good luck! |
RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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| Your not ordering them in winter are you? |
RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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- Posted by knotz 8/PNW SWWA (My Page) on
Sat, Feb 13, 10 at 21:57
| Those all look great!!...What mix do you plant them in, what size pots and how to you keep them from falling over??...lol Just beautiful...My ensetes got hit a bit by cold so I had to cut most of the leaves off..What a shame they turned brown after being such a pretty burgundy/green. knotz |
RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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| Jimhardy, I ordered my Musella in the winter, but my ensete was ordered in the fall and my basjoo in early spring (of 07, I think). One common problem is that they all decline while indoors. Maybe I'll buy another when summer comes and it is outdoors and see if it dies. I think its worth one more try. |
RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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BEAUTIFUL !! I'll be starting seeds this spring, hope I have 1/2 the luck you have had :>)
Christine |
RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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| Thanks for the pics, Jim. Nice! Yeah, the ensete are pretty easy to winter over, no matter where you put them. The two that I had stuck in the basement in an unheated,unlit room, are now out in the warmth, with a little sunlight, for just two days, and they have already taken off with new growth. I only watered them once during winter. Luckily, I've got a fairly new efficient furnace that does not dry out the air in my house, so the musa that I have inside are doing great. They just don't grow as fast as the ensete. Knotz, I've had the big one fall over once, last year. It about wiped out our wide-screen TV! Just missed it by a couple of inches. You have to be very careful to try and make sure that they are balanced. I think it helps a little to put some gravel in the bottom of the pots, but they can still fall over. The best banana potting soil I have found is 1/2 good indoor plant potting soil, about 1/2 perlite, and the balance, sand. It's so important for banana plants to have lots of air in the soil. Pot size? Mine are 15-20 gallon size pots. Get as big as you can find for the big ones, but they don't really need a lot of root space. Christine, I think you can only grow the plain green ensete from seed (I've grown them before). The Maureli variety (red colored ones) must be purchased as plants, since I believe they are all grown from cloned tissue. I don't think the red ones produce seed that grows plants identical to it's parent. Good luck! |
RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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T7
I think your right on track there,a little warmth from spring/summer temps/sun and your in business for sure!
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RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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| Wow. Those are some beautifully housed banana trees! |
RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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| Update on the Musella, its growing a new leaf! 2 out of 4 leaves fell, but since a new one is growing, I think its going to make it! The room its in is getting into the high 80s every day now since the sun is getting much stronger. Wish me luck and once again, Very nice ensete pics! |
RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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| 80s will almost wake up a dead banana plant ! < |
RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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| How do you keep the mites off of them? That is my biggest problem, and since i have over 10 bananas in the house (mostly SDC), its tough spraying them every other day, plus they weigh a lot. Mine have huge colonies! They don't do a lot of damage, but they are still annoying. Next year i'll store them all in the basement (i have about a dozen basjoo down there right and some other types). This clump is in the basement right now.
April
July or Aug
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RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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| April, beautiful musa banana plants! In my climate, musa does not do very well. Your's look great! I guess I'll stick with ensete for my outside bananas. Regarding mites, I used to have a real problem with them. I still do on some plumeria plants that I grow under lights in the basement, but I have found out that insectical soap is the best thing to spray on the banana plants for spider mites. Other insecticides don't last long enough. Try the insectical soap. It seems to work for me. Good luck! |
RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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| Use Avid or Floramite for mites. If you screw around with home remedies and fail, you deserve it for being a sucker. |
RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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| My Maurelli did not do well for me at all. I might have overwatered it while it was planted in the ground. I watered it daily along with all my other bananas, then brought it indoors for winter where it went into decline and died. I had a regular variety that did pretty well, but flowered pretty quickly and died. I only had it for 2 summers. I love the beautiful growth and speed, but they don't seem to do well for me. I think its too much water and too much clay. |
RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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| I'm in zone 4 Wi/MN border right by the Mississippi River... Last summer stunk, but the basjoos still did OK... I'll try some of that soap next winter. Its late enough now, that i don't care! I'll be putting stuff in the ground in April if weather allows. |
RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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Hi Kevin,
Your bananas look great, I am sorry to say I think I have killed mine. I kept it in the garage and it seemed fine for months but when I checked it the other day it felt a bit mushy. I hope the Alpine gardens has them again this year so I can get a couple more. And as far as spider mites go I have had none on my plants this year and I believe it is because I have kept the house much cooler (in an effort to save on the heating bill) and have not had a problem with any type of pests on any of the plants I have in the house. Of course I have a space heater in the tv room so that I don't freeze. Betcha can't wait to get out and work in the garden! I know I have spring fever! Linda |
RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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| islandbreeze, too much water might have been the reason it died. During the summer I only watered mine once a week. Inside, I water them only when my moisture meter shows that the soil is pretty dry, which is no more than once per week, even though at the size they are, they do pull a lot of moisture from the soil. Linda, too bad about your banana plant. I don't think that Alpine Gardens has any this year, sorry to say. It sounds like your ensete may have gotten frozen in the garage. Two that I had downstairs in my unheated, unlit room pretty much stayed dormant until I brought them into the heat and light of the other rooms. Then they "greened" up and started growing again, so I now have 4 ensete, and 5-6 musa that are doing well. |
RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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| Hi Kevin, Thats too bad that Alpine Gardens doesn't have them this year. I was planning on getting a couple more. I may have to look on Ebay I guess. Do you know of any other local nurseries that would have them? I don't think it froze because the garage temps never went below 37 degrees, I think I probably watered it too much. Everything else in the garage looks fine. Linda |
RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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| Linda, I guess it must have died from too much water. I only watered my dormant ensetes once during the winter, when the soil was bone dry. Maybe I could give you one of my big ones if you have something to haul it in. You can always chop off the leaves and they would grow back. My wife would be more than happy if I got rid of one of my plants. Kevin |
RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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| With the Spring sunlight coming through the windows, they have really taken off since I posted the original pics back in February. Here's an updated picture.  |
RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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| Kevin, thanks for the offer but I don't really have anything to haul it in. I did call Alpine gardens and they told me they were not going to have the red one but they did say they would have a lime green one and a green one with red splotches on it. It was a kid I was talking to so I am not sure if it is the Abyssinian Banana or maybe I different type. I plan on going up there sometime in April to see what they have. I would love some more of your cannas if you can spare a few. Thanks
Linda |
On second thought
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| Ok, after thinking about it, maybe it would fit in my car if I cut the leaves back. I could lay the back seat down and lay it down. But are you sure you want to part with one of those beauties? Linda |
RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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Better let it dry for a few days,they hold a ton of water inside!
The lime green ones are way cool for sure!
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RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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| Hi Linda! Sorry for the delay. If you still want an ensete, please let me know. I'll save the smallest one for you that we can probably get to fit in your car. It you decided against it, let me know so that I can give it to another person that is interested in growing one. Thanks! Kevin |
RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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| Hi Kevin, Yes I would love to have one of your bananas if you still have it. When would be a good time to come get it? Linda |
RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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| Hi Linda! Anytime..... just let me know when you want to stop by. Send me an e-mail to arctictropical@aol.com. Thanks! Kevin |
RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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Kevin
I have had mine planted for 2 weeks-
the trunk is really starting to bulk up as the weather since the first day of spring has been +70 for 2 weeks of that time and another week of +80 in there.
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RE: Updated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
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| You should watch "Little Shop of Horrors" before trying to move those back outside. They may push your ceiling/roof off. |
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