Well i'm kinda new here but the soil looks very heavy(not well draining) to me and the pots look way to big. I would repot with some well drianing soil, pot down to a much smaller pot(warms up better) a 1 gal would be fine. Don't get carried away on too much water, they realy don't need that much water indoors, it will only promote corm rot(very very bad).
As far as the question about putting them out, Id say yes, the soil needs to be well draining as well, it should be a good time for you outdoors. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

I'm sorry to tell you this Jerseyshore, but GreenEarth doesn't run a legitimate business. I have heard of several complaints on message boards about plants coming in the mail in poor condition, and their bad customer service. I doubt you would get anything out of GreenEarth even if you send them the pictures. They have always made it clear that they could care less about the customer. Many people have been ripped off by them, and I wouldn't recommend them to anyone!

It's a shame they sent you those unhealthy basjoo's (but they will live). However, I don't suggest ordering from them again!

Zach

You're not the only unhappy customer this week. GreenEarth is sure on a roll...

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/banana/msg052210031245.html?14

Get them out of that mucky mud! They do not appreciate that I'm sure. Repot them in a slightly larger pot than the corm with a fluffy, well drained potting mix. Keep them moist and gradually expose them to full sun over the next week or so. They should snap out of it, even the bad looking one. A slow release fertilizer wouldn't hurt either. Keep us posted! Good luck.

???? That is like 1000 times different than the plants I got from greenearth!

They express mailed mine and they looked like this the day I got them:

{{gwi:409149}}

If that is what they are sending people I will have to rethink my opinion of them - though it's weird that they have such a good yahoo rating (4.5 out of 5 stars) with over 250 reviews. Maybe a change in staff / owbership recently????

Jersey:

On a positive note. In my humble opinion, all is not lost.

While they look not so good now, the "sickly" one does have a new leaf growing. That's a good sign.

I suspect that once you get them out into the sun and make sure that the soil will drain somewhat, I think you'll be happy with the plants.

I do completely disagree however, that the pots are too small. On the contrary, Basjoos LOVE big pots. The bigger the better.

When we purchased ours last spring, they were in 1 gal pots and looked nice. I was impressed that they grew a new leaf every month! ROFL! ;)

Then I transplanted them into 21" deep pots. All I can say is OH MY GOD! WHO KNEW?

They started putting out a new leaf every few days.

They spend the winter in our little portable hoop-type greenhouse and I put them out a couple of weeks ago. They are again growing like crazy. However, I'm not going to put them into bigger pots as I don't want them to grow too tall for the greenhouse.

I should mention. When purchased, they were about 2.5' to 3' tall. They are now over 10' tall!

So, if you want them to grow like mad and tall, then you might want to transplant them into huge pots. Make a soil mix that has some sand, lots of compost and soil.

Hope that helps

I bought 2 M. basjoo and 2 M. ice cream. All burned up in the sun, then put up some new leaves that didn't burn, then sulked a while, choked I guess, with almost no new leaves. Eventually the new leaves wilted away. I thought I had lost them all. One of each as really died, but the other two, after looking dead for weeks, have both started growing very well in full sun, the ice cream much faster than the basjoo.

Just another lesson of "don't give up" on a plant.

In your case, you've still got green plants. and the advice above is good.

I'd put them in smaller pots, say 1-gal, or 3-gal max, with a light mix of composted manure, coarse sand, vermiculite/perlite, and "organic soil". No chemical fertlizer. Put the mix a pot and water to see if the water drains through quickly.

I'd also put them outside it partial shade so the sunlight can provide the energy to the leaves to establish the root system.

I don't post very often on GW, but feel compelled to after reading the posts by "palms& planes" & "chitown". Seems as though they have an axe to grind about GreenEarth for some unknown reason. I've read all about the one person getting upset beacuse GE raised a price by 2 dollars & how someone at GE may not have been 100% polite & kissybutt when they complained. All I can say is that I, as well as many "naner freak" friends of mine have ordered from GE many times for several years and none of us have ever had ANY complaints or problems. The plants we have rec'd have always been top-notch. I've called them to ask questions a couple of times & have always spoken to someone who is polite & eager to help. I encourage anyone who is interested in bananas & wants to get great plants for their money & great service to give GE a try. You won't be disappointed.

To P&P and Chitown: I'm sorry that you had a less than desireable experience with GE, but I (and apparently many others here) think you've gone way over the top in your rant against this HIGHLY REPUTABLE company. GE has been in business for quite a while & has a great reputation for the plants they sell. I encourage you to not waste anymore of your time badmouthing them, as anyone who reads all of your posts can see that your silly claims are groundless. If you want to complain why don't you place an order with TyTy, see what kind of customer service/plants you recieve, and then go off on a mission to trash them. TyTy deserves it. GE does not!! Otherwise, as the person at GE told you...G-A-L!!
thank you.

Ralph,
No one should EVER tell their customer to "get a life!". I think that is about the worst thing you can say to someone, and if you are capaible of saying that to a customer, then whats to say that you will not say that to another one? It's not like I got bad plants, or they arrived late, thats differtent. This Ted guy was a total complete jerk to me, and that is horrible for any business to treat a customer that way. If you want to purchase from them, then more power to you. I guess we conduct business differently.

Chitown

Here is a link that might be useful: GreenEarth Yahoo Ratings

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D@mn dude - if you guys flooded this poor businesses ratings for your little vendetta that is just WAY over the top. One bad review is all your entilted too.

They have now wiped all the results from his yahoo rating, I'm assuming because they were getting flooded with false reviews! And by the way, if you did that is potentially liable / slander and he could sue you for BIG damages.

No, I posted one review. I don't know what others posted. I don't know what happend, I posted that link on another board last night and it worked fine.

Chitown

Thanks for the replies and advice peoples. I repotted them today in a mix of about 2 parts topsoil, 1 part peat moss, and 1 part sand from outside. I had them potted in 100% topsoil before I was shown the error of my ways. I kept them in the 3 gallon pots. I would just like them to get big so I can put them outside without a squirrel or something killing them.

I place my order with GreenEarth just after Weather Guy got his in the mail and said that they were a good outfit to deal with. Reading the forum, I didn't see any complaints about them. After I had placed my order is when I started seeing complaints pop up about them. I emailed them last night and sent the pictures of the plants. They haven't replied. Now I have to do the "review and rate this merchant" from Yahoo. Hmmm... one nearly dead plant, both about 6-7" when they said they would be over 12", shipped on the 24th instead of the 19th as they had said. This should be fun.

Well Ty-Ty is the reason I am so critical of online nurseries. I carefully choose reputable nurseries online. I can understand the fact that Green Earth run's a legitimate business as a whole, but customer service is very important. It's good that their customer service is good as a whole, but you still can't excuse the fact that they were rude to Chitown33. I think he has every right to order from somewhere else in the future, and if he feels like recommending not to buy from them--to someone else, than he should do so accordingly!

Maybe I was a little over the top on my post. I guess it was compounded by the fact that I had read on another message board (by chitown33) that he had a bad experience with them, then I read a complaint about them again on here the same day. Maybe it's simply coincidental? I'm glad that everyone else has had good experiences with them, and I will eat some of my aforementioned words. I however will not excuse what happened with Chitown33. Sorry if I upset anyone. My intentions were only meant to be positive (a la if they were truly a bad company I was recommending that people steer clear of them). No pun intended.

Zach

"2 parts topsoil, 1 part peat moss, and 1 part sand from outside"

still doesn't sound very rich in organic material. i can buy 40 lbs of composted manure at Home Depot, Lowes, wal-mart for about $2.50.

when you water yours, does the water drain through quickly?

Greenearth gives a full refund and usually a extra plant with complaints, we have sold to thousands yearly, most are repeat and know we truly care for our custormers. Tell me of some business that can ship leaved banana plants threw the USPS priority mail and not have some damage. Most seem to arrive in great condition, some don't. There are many ways a box can get damaged and left in the sun is the #1 way. We also have a pretty good rating at Ebay out of 687 feedbacks only 7 are negitive, 98% positive. I would like to tell any one who may be unhappy with our plants we will gladly send free replacements. Thanks, Ted at Greenearth Inc.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ebay ranks greenearth 98.8%

Hi Ted, remember me?
I'm glad to see you are posting here saying 'know we truly care for our custormers', only a few days after you cancelled my order without me asking and told me to get a life. It's good to see that your company is really prospering lately. I can't believe you even have the nerve to personally post here and say what you just did.

I'm leaving it up to all of you to decide what is right here.

Chitown

Well, gang, the Yahoo review got me a quick reply and a refund to my credit card. I didn't want to make any trouble. I see that some people here like the company while some don't. This was my first dealing with them and I'm just telling it as it happened. All I wanted was two healthy Basjoos for my landscape.

I put the two plants out in the sun this morning as AustinL had suggested and then put them in the shade during the afternoon. This seems to be helping as the one leaf the really sickly one has is opening up slowly. The old leaves are completely dead now.

Unautre, the drainage seems to be good now. I don't want to keep them in the pots. I just want to nurse them back to health and after they grow 1 or 2 feet to stick them in the ground. That's when I'll add the manure into the sand outside. I couldn't find any manure at Walmart, Lowes, or Home Depot here. I did find it at a nursery though at a pricey $6. for 25 lbs.

I'm even more convinced he runs a good business to deal with now! Over 600 ebay's review with 98+% positive, plus the couple hundred positives he had from yahoo.

Plus when there is a problem (and EVERYONE in the live plant mailorder business will have one eventually) he apparently responds quickly and not only refunds cash, but sends "make up" merchandise. I'd say he runs a good shop and stands behind his merchandise, exactly what I look for in an e-business.

Don't leave a review, please, before you actually talk to someone, or email someone, from the company...This is someone's business, remember, the money they survive on.

I have to say after selling on ebay that all it takes is one bad customer to ruin a perfect rating. Chitown, maybe the guy was having a bad day--you never know when someone's mother dies, wife get's diagnosed with cancer, kid get's hit by a motorcycle--whatever! Get a life indeed.

Just about everything that can go wrong will go wrong, from time to time, when selling fragile things through the mail. After they put the plants in the mail they have absolutely NO control on what happens to them. The seller does have control over what to do when something goes wrong, and in my opinonion owes you nothing because the US Mail doesn't get them there on time. However most sellers BUY insurance, which is added into their costs. So for every perfect plant that arrives the seller has paid insurance for the ones that don't get there so good.

Thx vikk. appreciate the comment. That is still no excuse for him to respond the way he did.

Chitown

Here is my 2 cents worth on this subject. I recently ordered some banana plants from Green Earth. Did not have any problems with them. I'm someone who knows much more about bananas, how they grow, fertilizing...etc...etc than some average joe off the street. With that said, these plants were shipped, even with information on how to care for them, recommendations, and so forth. I'm satisfied, but not everyone will be. If every single one of you guys and gals opened up an e-store ( online ) or just a regular store front, not ONE SINGLE PERSON here would have a perfect customer rating. It's impossible. Now with what chitown said in regards to his experience with Green Earth, if that is true, then I in no way condone that type of business to customer relationship.

I agree with the soil problem. Looks to me the soil is too heavy, and that the leaves look like they are struggling with sugar production.....Change soil, pot size, and maybe lay off the watering...

This is how the baby is looking today. I've been putting it in full sun for about 3 hours a day and shade for the rest. It's leaf is getting bigger but there is some browning. Do you think that it's old damage that was rolled up inside the leave? Or is it burning from the sun?

{{gwi:409151}}

it if burns up, no problem, in my experience. I burned up all my new ensetes and musas, and they just put new sun-hardy leaves and haven't looke back.

Speaking of ebay scumbags (not saying that greenearth is or isnt, I have never ordered from him)...

heres a really TERRIBLE/Awful/ Loser seller on ebay: "7k9". Lies, cheats and claims to be a charity auction as a so called Minister & Reverand from Orlando but they have no church just a website asking for funds!

They have the negs to prove that they are cheaters. Paypal even cancelled their 7k9 account (not able to receive funds), but now they are selling under a different ebay name "acharityauction" with the same items. I'm sure they will gather just as many negatives ina short time. people like that never get away from their true selves and a cheetah cant lose its spots. I just think its a total SHAME that folks will lie to the public about being a charity and on top of that impersonating a minister to prey (no pun intened) on poeple in need!

I hope no one here supports that seller. if they lie about important things like that, i really doubt that they care about sending the correct banana species, IF they even have what they are offering. Many folks wont know until it bares fruit and some folks cant get fruit/blooms in their area with out a lot of hard work or a greenhouse. I know they have minimal knowlege about plants and the care sheet they send is a copy from another seller on ebay. total scumbags.

btw: I think that the sick basjoo will come back when repotted in a better draining soil. If your area is warm for the season, i would set it outside in filtered light for about a month and trim off all the leaves but the newest. It should come back and that brown is probably old damage and will outgrow it. bananas are strong plants.

Hi,
I don't know who HawCreek is but I am the eBay seller acharityauction. Those are NOT MY PLANTS. Someone just contacted me thru eBay's question system and gave me this link.
I have been raising Orchids, Bamboo, Citrus and Bananas since 1989. I started selling on eBay less than a week ago. My first plant will ship June 6th. Please don't liable me without cause. I am very fair and have expanded to ebay this year. I have seen some of the ads and they all seem to have the same pictures and sayings. It doesn't matter to me. What matters to me is when the customer Re-Orders. That means they are happy with your plants. So, if you're really curious, go buy one of our plants and report back. I'm sure you will be pleased.

I am Hawcreek,

you ARE the same seller, even your ebay about me page is the same WEBSITE as the 7k9 and YOUR IMAGES are from the 7k9 website.

dont LIE. liars never win! you dont anything about bananas or you certainly dont give a *@&^# about poeple. you sold fishing stuff, so did 7k9, YOU ARE A LIAR.

definition: a liar is someone who does NOT tell the truth.

just to reiterate so no one thinks im lying and just out to be mean...

they took down their about me page.

but you can still right click on the pics in their exsisting banana auction photos (that already have bids or have ended) and see the 7k9 website.
they are the same cheezy seller.

HawkCreek.

Well, sometimes I'm nosey... can't help it! LOL

I was curious. So I did a Cut'N'Paste of the word "acharityauction" posted by "PeaceGarden" and did a search on EBay for "Seller" only.

I clicked on the very first hit, "Musa Baby Basjoo Snow Banana Live Plant Cold Hardy Nice".

Then right clicked on the nice photo with the purple/pink border then left clicked on Properties.

It looks like you where right. The picture is at the following location:

http://www.7k9.com/ebay/MusaBasjooF.jpg

However, what's interesting is that the Member Since is from Sep-16-03. Only 13 ratings over all this time and they look to have been posted in late may. Perhaps like me, registered a long time ago, but never used until now.

But, I also tried to do a search for 7k9 and get no hits at all for any member name.

Is that the full member name? Even if that name has been cancelled, one would think that there should be some hit from older info. Yes/No?

I'm not much of an Ebayer as I have never bought anything from ebay. Just too chicken due to all of the horror stories I've heard. I registered once, but have not really used my account.

So, I did a keyword search for 7k9 and got:
" 7K9 Bettie Page 8x10 Heels & Garters Gr8 hair "

This scared me! ROFL! Well, Garters did. It reminded of a long time ago when I went to a buddy's wedding. He was marrying a VERY large woman. When she threw the garter, I was the "lucky" one to catch it.

The only use I could see for the garter was a steering wheel cover in my van! LOL ;)

Ok, just joking around trying to make lighter this thread. ):)p

It just makes me angry that some will cheat others. I got a musa and not an Eneste like I paid for. very dissapointed and out money.

try the link below. Im not going to post any more about this since my other thread was considered a "waste" of space, innapropriate and deleted, but more than a few other threads that are very similar are still up and running.

I was just trying to alert folks that if you buy bananas from this person you may or may not get what you pay for. with MOST young musas, its hard to tell what they are until they grow and sometimes even fruit.

the fact that they came on here, & even denied that they are one in the same says it all about who they truly are.

just go into their feedback and read both parties negatives/neutrals if you want to know more.

Here is a link that might be useful: seller 7k9 is acharityauction

Everyone needs to lighten up. I have bought lots of plants on ebay and almost every purchas was great. I only had one problem and when the seller found out they bentover backwards to make it right. It amazes me the plants come thru the mail as good as they do. Bananas are very delicate when they are small and will drop leaves in times of stress. Many sellers will cut off all the leaves and just leave the spear and they always do fine just give them some time to bounce back. I will agree on tyty. They do cheat people. They got me about a year ago, and i still don't know what kind of palm they sent me. Bottom line most online plant sellers do their best to get you the plants they can, but alot can happen once that plant leaves their care.

looking at your "original" and "later on" banana pictures, which by the way IS what this posting is really asking for, they look the same as some plants I got in a recent tissue cultured liner. a few plants in the corner of the liner got too dry in the sun, then were overwatered by me-oops!, and they looked exactly like that and the next leaves that came out had that same "mechanical damaged" look to them. Just keep the moisture a little towards the dry side, but not bone dry, baby it along and the next leaves should look just fine. Don't overfertilize, because if you was to knock that plant out of the pot, you should see root damage because of the "too dry-too wet" bounce. Put it in partial shade outside, watch the moisture, and it'll recover.

Jersey Shore, when were your original pictures of this post taken? I can't help but notice how brown the grass out the window is! It either looks like August or January! Is that how its supposed to be in late May when that was taken??

Chitown

Both plants are slowly coming around. They're making new leaves which are just a little brown on the tips. It's been cloudy here the past three days so I haven't set them outside. The original pictures were taken May 26. The grass outside is not brown, it's just very sparce. What you're seeing is the sand. That's why alot of people around here cover their yards in landscaping stones. When I plant the babies outside, I'll have to put alot of manure in the holes for sure.

Wow!!! I almost feel like I walked into a United Nations meeting with all the finger pointing!! I very nearly ordered my palms from ty ty and the only thing that kept me from doing so was that I didn't have the money at the time. Now that I have seen all this about them, they most certainly will not be getting my business. Thanks for the warning. Anyone else we should be leary of?

Hey!

Everyone has to lighten up, I ordered a Ensete Maurelii from 7k9 on ebay and it was really small but arrived ok, I also ordered a Yucca Rastrada and a Agave from TYTY and they came in perfect, when I called TYTY the guy was helpful and polite, now I don't know if 7k9 is giving the money to little puppys or not but my banana is a happy little plant and he is still selling under 7k9 on ebay, I just checked, companys need to go back to the old saying the customer is always right. But TYTY seems to have a bad rep. and yet I think they are great and will order from them again, Hey chitown you seen the pic of the yucca I got from TYTY. Nice plant!

The "Reverend" over there doesn't have a clue. These are the guys who are selling 1780's on ebay and have the pictures and description of Bordelons on them - tall marron leaves and all. I dropped him a line to let him know he had an error on his listing, but he insisted the 1780's were that color. NOT. I own a ton of these and they are solid green. So clearly he's not real concerned with the product he's selling.

An update on the Basjoos. Just got two complimentary Basjoos in the mail this week from GreenEarth.

These pictures were taken the day I got them.

{{gwi:409153}}

{{gwi:409154}}

These are the two original Basjoos.

{{gwi:409155}}

They need fertilizer and maybe some lighter, less sandy/clay (?) soil. if you give them fertilizer and some oak leaves as mulch, they should be about 3-4 ft in 4-5 weeks.

just an observation.

JerseyShore, I live in West Belmar about a mile from the beach. I found a Basjoo at Brock Farms out on Rte 34 about a month ago for 9 bucks and transplanted it immediately in a south facing area whose soil I ammended with perlite and compost. The thing has exploded...roughly a new leaf every week. Check out the picture of it in the thread entitled "Musa Basjoo or am I missing something". It has since quaddrupled in size. I water it daily and fertilize at least once a week. Best of luck. I think it will do great in our area.