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arctictropical

Indoor Ensete from 6' to 17' in 1 and 1/2 months (pic)

arctictropical
14 years ago

Near the end of October, I transplanted my 20' outdoor ensete inside. I had to chop it off to 6' high just to get it in the door. After it got adjusted to it's new surroundings, all of a sudden it shot up, putting out four new leaves. Now it stands 17' tall inside our A-frame living room. I've never seen anything grow so fast.

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Here's a different picture with another ensete that I had down in the basement in an unlit, unheated hallway at the north side of my basement. It's doing the same thing.... it's just about a month behind the one that has always been in the light and heat. They look nice and tropical, despite the snow outside.

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Comments (9)

  • tropicpalms
    14 years ago

    beautiful ensete's glad to see someone else cares to bring them inside and doesnt just leave them out to die back all winter! thats beautiful being u are in a zone 4. Great Job!

  • struwwelpeter
    14 years ago

    You could have avoided that by drenching your potting soil with a growth regulator such as Arrest, Bonzi, or Sumagic.

  • arctictropical
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    struwwelpeter, are there any side effects by using these growth regulators? How long does it last in the soil?

  • struwwelpeter
    14 years ago

    struwwelpeter, are there any side effects by using these growth regulators?

    None, unless you consider the plant growing more leaves per unit time, or darker green, a side effect. If you overdose, the ensete will look like a bromeliad. You also need to apply several weeks before decapitation.

    How long does it last in the soil?

    It will last long enough to shorten growth for a month after you plant in the ground next spring, which is a good thing if your springs are windy and likely to blow over spindly plants. Of the three growth regulators I mentioned, only Arrest can be completely counteracted by applying gibberrellic acid but Arrest has less bang for the buck.

  • tropicalzone7
    14 years ago

    Those enestes are amazing!!!!!! I bought one in october and It could bearely stand up. Now it is standing up as best as it can, but the leaves are reverting back to green and they arent growing very fast. It has been about 3 weeks since Ive seen a new leaf come up. lets say it looks a little pathetic. Bright side is it is one of the few plants not infested by bugs (I say about half have something eating it that has to be treated). Hopefully mine will pick up the pace during the summer.

    I still cant believe you live in a zone 4. I can understand beautiful plants outside, but inside too... wow, that takes a lot. Good thing you have high celings! That snow outside probably makes a good reflector of sunlight into your house too. Are you going to give them a head start inside, or chop them up in the spring so they can fit through the door easier?

    Good luck and keep up the great work! Hopefully one day mine will at least slightly resemble that!! :)

  • knotz
    14 years ago

    Absolutely beautiful!!...What size pots are they in??...I have mine in my heated greenhouse...Hope they survive!!

    I don't have enough light in my house to bring mine in :(

    knotz

  • georgeiii
    14 years ago

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    I start to let my banana's go dormit. When the temp's here start hitting night time 45 I move mine into the shade for two weeks. After that I move them into deeper shade for another two weeks. After that month I take them inside to a cool room and let them sit in low light. They'll last a good 3 month and start to loose their lower leaves slowly over the next 3. So by the time Spring arrives just reverse the process. This is my water method of seperating the pups.

  • arctictropical
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Knotz, the largest one is in a 21-22" pot. The other ones are in 16" pots (about 15 gallon containers).

    Georgeiii, where do you live? It sure looks warmer than northern Utah! We've had -18 F. already, and have over a foot of snow on the ground. What kind of musa are you are growing?

  • georgeiii
    14 years ago

    I happen to live in zone 6 or 7 depending. It seems it's changing. And yes I've heard ya'll are getting hit pretty hard. I think it's a musa basjoo. Currantly I'm growing about 8 different types. Those are all seedlings right now. Only the basjoo has any size to it.

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