Jon, maybe the Ae Ae's just don't like you!

LOL, I just looked at my spelling again at "KNOWLWDGE"
KNOWLWDGE = knowledge

Jon, are your sure your soil is on the acid side of pH? do you use acid water to water them? soil test maybe? try cantainer grown maybe? just some ideas.

:-)

Hi orchiddude,sent soil sample off to test lab.No luck with container.

momo1,You maybe right.

I would like to see pictures of your Ae Ae's.Thanks john

I think it is just a weak and picky plant. Getting one in a trade so we'll see how it likes heat, humidity, salt spray, alkaline soil, change that to alkaline sand and alkaline water. You ain't gonna get babied in my yard! I'm gonna stick it in a pot over there by the dwarf cavendish and little prince(another weak, picky banana) and see what happens. If it grows I'll stick it in the garden somewhere and leave it alone, like all my other plants.
Bananas, no idea what kind, are naturalized here and grow like weeds. Every other banana I've planted here has done fine.
I won't pay $100 for one but will trade off for one.
Tally HO!

Jon, you sound a bit confrontational there. I never said I had Ae Ae's, even though I do. I only said maybe they don't like you! I do have one plant that survived the winter in the plastic 15 gal container I bought it in. FYI it's got 6 feet of pseudo stem and it cost me $250.00. I just planted it in the ground about 2 weeks ago after moving it in it's container around the yard for a few months to determine the best location for it. I'm proud to say it has a new leaf about to unfurl as I type this and two pups! Now if you really must see it I can and will post a picture but it's really nothing to look at yet, and this particular plant doesn't seem to have a lot of pure white in it. As for mature Ae Ae mats I would recommend you visit this web site. There are plenty of photos of "mature Ae Ae mats" They don't seem to like everyone, and especially not you!! lol

Here is a link that might be useful: Proof

John, I want to say I hope after reading about all the people here who are successively growing them that this statement was in jest! "Hi beachplant,pitangadiego grows more varieties to maturity than most of us on this forum.He had an Ae Ae die so if he can't grow them who can?john"

Jon does grow tons of Bananas to maturity but this does not make him some kind of Banana God that can never fail. He lives at the top of a hill and maybe, just maybe the Ae Ae's don't like the wind he gets there? Maybe they don't like his soil PH. Maybe they don't like chemical plant food he uses? Maybe they don't the company of the other Bananas he grows. Maybe they just don't like Jon?

I kinda get the feeling that your just trying to push some buttons here because you have failed to grow what everyone knows to be a finicky plant. I have seen pictures of your garden and it's obvious you know what your doing, it's beautiful, but to tell people what to spend their money on because you can't grow them is just ridiculous.

OK, rant over! : )

momo1,I must have missed all the Ae Ae pictures on the web sight.I only saw 5 or 6 mats.There have been thousands sold by nurseries,online and ebay .If i missed some and there were 50 mature plants it is still a very low percentage of what has been sold over the years.I have seen several Ae Ae's on ebay with the description that they are easy to grow.I'm just trying to save people some money by telling them I thing they are hard to grow.I have had several emails telling me there Ae Ae's die but they did not share this info. on the froum.All I said to you is you maybe right(who a is a bit confrontational).If orchiddude has grown tropicicals for 25 years and killed five Ae Ae's then I will listen to his advice. If your trying to shoot the messenger you missed.john

You asked to see mature mats of Ae Ae and I showed them to you. No there are not thousands of mats there and part of the reason may be that the grower doesn't want an Ae Ae plantation covering his whole property even if he had enough property to grow "thousands" Another reason your not seeing thousands of pictures of mature mats is that not everyone is sitting here posting pictures on the web. That does not mean they don't exist! As an example how about you show me a thousand mature mats of Tall Red Jamaicans even though they can be TC'd unlike Ae Ae, and they are much easier to grow.

While I can't speak for everyone I can say that I enjoy a good challenge even if it costs me a few hundred. If I'm successful at growing Ae Ae it will be that much more rewarding to me. I bought one of the $99 pups from natural selections and it never took root but I didn't come here telling people not to buy them. I'm really enjoying my expensive 6" Ae Ae plant and isn't that really what gardening is all about?

I guess if they were real easy to grow and or could be TC'd they would not command the prices we have seen but they are rare and anything rare or difficult is going to cost you. Supply and demand, pure and simple!

momo1,are you agreeing with me that Ae Ae's are difficult to grow?If we think they are difficult to grow why not let everyone know so they can be aware it is possible to loose there money.I don't regret losing over $500 because I knew is was risky.I'm sure some people did not know before the bought.Demand might not be as high if they hear other opinions,john

Click on the link to see one with some fruit.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ae Ae Pictures

I have no problem saying they are hard to grow, I think everyone agrees on that. But that in itself is a big part of the allure of this plant. I don't think any amount of Ae Ae bashing/educating is going to lower the price of them. They are just too pretty and too rare. I have heard through the grapevine that they are either close or have already TC'd them, so maybe we will see prices fall if and when that happens.

Hello,

I have grow 1000's of orchids, etc... but never tried an AeAe. I want too. Anyone want to give me one so I can try? :-) I have a green thumb and I bet I could make it grow.

I went through this whole thread looking for some one that could show me a mature plant. My site has a lot of mature Ae Ae bananas. I am growing the same pups from the original Ae Ae that I was given 40 years ago. Until Katrina we averaged 3 stalks of fruit a year (it was slow two years after Andrew).
This address will get you to the Ae Ae page. Just copy and paste:
http://togofcoralgables.com/AeAebananas.aspx
Below is the home page of my site and the Ae Ae is under the albums.

Here is a link that might be useful: TOG of Coral Gables

Hey Jon!!! What a beautiful pic!!! I'm in N. Tx as well I would love some advice on over wintering outside in our area..
As many people who have the Ae Ae you would think there would be more available..LOL And not so pricy..I guess I'll just have to wait to give it a go...
Blessings
Chena

Hi Chena,What are you trying to over winter?Thanks for your kind comment about my picture.Current pictures below.John

Here is a link that might be useful: backyard

Hey Jon!
WOW!!!! Looks like Paradise to me.. You have done a wonderful job everything is just beauitful...Your pics turned out wonderful as well Thanks for sharing them...
I am starting to get concerned about this cold front.. I have already dug up the
Burmese Blue
Cuban Red and
Rose becoz they are still pretty small I did dig up my Ice Cream and Dwarf Cavidish. The Maurelii is my biggest concern becoz it has gotten so large and I don't want to lose it. I have plenty of space under the house I just need a little more time..LOL This is the first year I have put everything in the ground.. I have gold fingers but I'm sure they will be fine...Okay is that enough questions for you to answer or should I rattle on?? LOL.. Thanks for any advice you can share.. I live about 50mi W of FTW..
Blessings
Chena

Hi Chena, Maurelii's are not easy to grow for most people so your are doing a good job so far. I have always moved Mauelii into my temporary greenhouse. I have never left one in the ground or put one in the garage before.If you have a sunny window you might repot and try inside for the winter.If you do watch them for spider mites.Sorry I could not be more help.I live in Denton and have been here for about 30 years.Any of your bananas fruiting?My Texas star and Saba are showing a inflorescence.Thanks again for your wonderful comments. john

Hey John!
I was hangin out and found this I thought you might not have seen it yet...

Here is a link that might be useful: Bananas.org

They need shade and use acid plant food to bloom. Wholesale nursery in Palm beach county fla. sells them for $75.00 3 gallon 2' search it at palm beach growers assoc.

Here is a link that might be useful: banana growing info

Hi chena,I've seen it before but I prefer this forum.Thanks for passing it on.I see on a oct. 25th thread on this forum a member lost an AE AE.Two years is about how long mine lived. john

I have been growing Ae Ae for the past 4 years and have had no problems at all. They have all fruited and were about 15 feet tall when they did. However, a month or 2 after fruiting they would literally fall over which pretty much sicked. They sucker like crazy though and I have some small ones and large fruitng ones currently. They can take some cold as we routinely get into the low 40s in the winter. During this time, there is no growth whatsoever, but they still look prettygood.

Banana god! I like that! Can we call you the banana god from now on?

I'm a plant junkie, I go to plant trades, wander through garden tours, visit nurseries everywhere I go, take an extra suitcase for plants when I travel, know every on-line nursery that exists, visit public gardens, trade plants on line, haunt e-bay, go to tropical plant sales....I've NEVER seen an aeae growing anywhere. Believe me, you name a plant and I can tell you if it grows in Galveston & where it is, down to the block and the color of the house. And the only times I've seen them for sale they average $100 for a very small pup. I still agree with Jon that this is probably a big waste of money. Would I grow it if given a chance? You bet I would. Would I spend $100 on it. No way!
Tally HO!

I have seen them in large pots and in the ground in LA. The ones in pots seem to do better. They dont seem to be as suceptible to root weevils and such in pots as in the ground, from what I hear. Stokes troicals in LA had some large ones in pots in thier greenhouse with many suckers. They all looked good but are pricey like all the others AE AE lol. They were just beautiful though :)
~SJN

Hi beachplant,thanks for your support on this issue.My intention was to save others money and the heartbreak of killing such a beautiful plant.I've been growing bananas since tne 80's and have seen thousands of AE AE sold( internet,ebay etc)traded and given away.That means we have killed or are killing thousands of them.None of these people want admit they failed to grow this banana.John

Jon

You know I believe people just don't want to save money these days !

I think this whole AeAe banana bickering is just a bit rediculous, no? On one hand the intent is to warn people that this somewhat hard to find plant is a bit more difficult to grow and its a bit pricey. Goes without saying. Anyone into growing bananas has known this for years. Maybe its the sadness or anger of loosing the $ thats the real problem? If I held onto that premise I wouldnt be able to enjoy the AeAe I have growing now. I lost the first 6 AeAe plants I bought. Thats an easy $600 right down the drain there. So what? I learned and asked lots of questions along the way over the years. Isnt that what its about? Lots of people ruin their lives with drugs for a LOT more and end up with lots less. I guess I shouldnt mention that I lost $1000 on my 1st Musa Red Tapo that died a month after I got it? Now I have 3 that are just beautiful! The whole idea here is to enjoy what you love to do, not how much $ you loose in the process. Its a balance that each person has to weigh. I wouldnt be trying to grow orchids in Antarctica outside and then complain that they were too difficult to grow and died and then 'warn' everyone else. I wouldnt have 18 different variegated Musa sports from all around the world in my collection right now with that attitude, Id probably just be growing sanseverias on my kitchen window sill! Push the envelope so you can learn more and then share that with others who love what they are doing too! PS Nothing is difficult to do IF you know how to do it.

Miamimax,

I'm very interested in owning an AE ae and would appreciate hearing about your experience with this plant (especially after your many attempts with it). What are some important things to keep in mind for those who own one or are planning to own this variety?

Musa Red Tapo must be a very rare item. You started my curiosity. Do you have a picture of it?

Basically these are the 'short' tips to growing AeAe. #1. DONT overwater a newly potted sucker. They have a tendency to rot very easily. #2. Pot it in a well drained soil mix. I use 50% Professional Potting MIX and 50% perlite. #3. Provide plenty of indirect SUNLIGHT and warmth. Most information on AeAe will tell you they are PH sensitive and prefer PH of 6.0 or lower. Ive never checked my soil and I haven't had any problems as far as I know with soil PH. They are slower growing than all green plants as they have a certain percentage of non-functioning white tissue in the leaves lacking chlorophyll. Thats really the basics, the most important is the overwatering which kills the majority of AeAe suckers when they are re-establishing themselves. It is sooo much better to have an AeAe with limp leaves than a rotting corm! It also helps to cut off any excess lower leaves from these suckers so they can expend their energy into making new roots instead of trying to support an excess number of dying leaves. There are several pix of the chimera Musa Tapo on the threads here. Take a look in my gallery or in 'New Bananas'. Other names I have seen for this chimera are Burgandy, Red Thai, & Red Png.

Bananafan; I forgot to mention one other 'tip'. In your spare time, stare at it like you're an idiot in a trance, amazed by it's beauty. I don't know if this really helps, but I do it. :>)

bananafan;
Sorry, it's past my bedtime...and I don't know where I am!.....The pix are in the galleries on another banana forum site http://www.bananas.org Look for member Varig8 gallery. :>) ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

On Sept. 19, 2005, I posted a reply on this thread and posted a picture of my mature Ae Ae in the Banana Gallery. That picture is still there on the second page along with a picture of a second mat of the Ae Ae that I have. A week later, Hurricane Rita roared through Lake Charles, LA and tore up my yard, house and put both of the Ae Ae's on the ground. I was able to get them planted but the big one died. I still have the second Ae Ae with pup and they are both leafing out after a wet cold winter for Southwest Louisiana. I do wrap the pseudostem with a blanket when we are predicted to drop below 30 and it helps. This banana survived a night of 24, 25, 26 this past December. I do admit that this banana is somewhat problematic to grow but it is well worth the effort. I hope to always have one. It can be grown in Zone 9; I'm convinced of that.

Steve

Miamimax, your variegated bananas are awesome. I love all of them. Unfortunately, I won't be able to afford the more expensive ones, but I might consider getting one Ae Ae at some point. The only variegated ones I have now (if they're ever considered variegated in the truest sense) are Gran Nain Sumantrana X and Rowe Red. Thanks for the tips anyway. They'll count for all other bananas I suppose. And yes, looking at the banana leaves (especially the unfolding of the new leaves) is both therapeutic and so relaxing!

Bananafan;
Hopefully more hobbyists and growers will acquire these new and rare varieties, grow them up for propagation, increasing their popularity, and the price of the original plants introduced will dramatically drop as this happens. I'm all for that! Red Tapo sold for $2000+ a few years ago, now Ive seen it go for around $300+, soon it may be available via tissue culture at your local Home Depot for $5.00...............

I've come to the conclusion that the ID 'Tapo PNG' refers to it as coming from Papua New Guinea. I haven't been able to find any classification information about this plant, or any solid info about it's origin. I did find one source identifying it as AA diploid, and being a chimera-which means there is a 'normal' colored Musa Tapo. Being a 'sport', or chimera, I would tend to believe that TC is going to be problematic......guess we'll have to wait and see what happens.......any information about this banana would be greatly appreciated!

Here is a link that might be useful: Red/Green Tapo, Red Thai, Burgandy,Tapo PNG

Heard that it was reported by the orginal grower as coming from Paua New Guinea. But many folks also think that it may not be the case also. It could have probably just been reported so to protect the source of the plant from being poached or for financial reason to just throw collectors off. Its a great looking plant and they say its in TC right now. It seems kind of cold sensitive, mine shrunk in size during winter. =)

After 3 years a bloom.

Steve

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Now tell us again why one should not buy an Ae Ae banana plant. Mine are growing in southern CA. An area where banana plants survive, but its not like Hawaii or Puerto Rico or some other prime tropical place. They are certainly worth a try in CA, FL and even TX.

This is an updated picture of my fruiting Ae Ae.

Steve

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I'll see if I can borrow a cam from someone and take a picture of ours here. have seen many here in the Ft lauderdale area where I live, also several I know of in the Miami area. great plant, but dont think it will do too well in cooler climates

Hi John,
I can see how you would be frustrated. I have no experience growing Ae Ae on the mainland, but on my family property on the Big Island we have huge stands of many many types of banana, including Ae Ae. They get no fertilizer, no care whatsoever,(except for the ones nearest my kitchen door, which I used as a compost heap) and they flourish there. Some of our stands are over 20' tall and 10-20' around. You might want to try giving them a lot of kitchen scraps, egg shells, coffee, etc. because bananas are such heavy feeders. I'm tempted to believe the problem is not the banana, but the growing conditions.

Example: I would take old orchids (gifts, keikis,) and stick them in a bit of cinder in my yard or on my hapuu ferns, or attach them to an O'hia tree with a bit of string, throw a little water on them and they'd bloom for months, and reproduce like crazy. Here in San Diego it's a lot harder to make them happy. And it's pretty close to Hawaii growing conditions here, except without the humidity. I put a tiny staghorn fern in the crook of a poinciana tree at my aunt's house in Kailua, and it's at least tripled it's size in two years. Same with a bird's nest fern. A 2" pot for $3 is now, five years later, in a giant urn with leaves around 6' long and a center at least 12" around. I've come to accept that a lot of my "skill" as a gardener for the past 15 years was environmental rather than personal! :)

Have Ae Ae. Fruit is very sweet.
In So. Cal. back yard plant. had it for 6 years.
This is second year fruiting.
Doing well, have over 7 pups and others in containers and other parts of the yard.

I have been growing mine for 11 years. They grow, about 20 feet tall, flower, produce banana's, I eat them, they are great, they grow pups, I sell them, I have 2 for sale now. You were saying where are the mature plants, well,,, where do you think the pups come from dude?

I LOVE this banana variety. If anyone has a spare I would gladly pay them for it!

One of the gift shops in Honokaa, Hawaii has them for sale occasionally. They also sell baby ducks, so they aren't one of the usual sorts of boutique types of gift shops.

Thanks for the tip! If you remember the name let me know! I would really appreciate it!

It's Taro Patch Gifts - here's a Google Streetview and it even has some a'e a'e on the sidewalk in front: Taro Patch Gifts Hope the link works, if not, Google streetview 'Taro Patch Gifts Honokaa'.

I bought an Ae Ae in 2008 on e-bay and planted it in a pot immediately. It grew for a while inside, but then died off a little while later. For a long while, I've given up trying to own one again--both the cost and the chance of survival being the set back factors.

Lately though, I've been looking at some variegated dwarf Namwah bananas. From some pictures, it seems Ae Ae has more distinct contrast of the variegation than the dwarf Namwah. I'm ok with that if it will survive better. I heard that the dwarf Namwah is a kind of ice cream banana and ice cream bananas are said to be rather cold hardy. Does this mean that the variegated dwarf Namwah is too? I'm not sure. Would appreciate any feedback if you own a variegated dwarf Namwah.

nieledakine, Thank you so much! Actually the link shows them sitting outside very clearly!

bananafan2 Thanks for the info. I know how frustrating it can be when a banana dies seemingly for no reason! I keep loosing ice cream bananas so maybe neither is for me LOL! I will have to see I guess depending on the price.

Any Ae Ae's for sale, anyone?