Here is the update I promised you about growing bananas! (see earlier post here) I spoke to some of my friends in the Permaculture world and asked them about how to separate the baby banana tree from the adult so I would have two trees and sadly it doesnt work that way! It really is true that once a banana tree produces bananas it dies! Darnit! But as you can see below I have a great baby banana tree coming up to the left of the adult tree and they all said that means we would have actual bananas produced soon. Once the adult tree produces it will die and then you cut it off and you are left with the other banana tree. A complete life cycle in a pot!
A few weeks ago I could smell something weird near the banana tree - I never thought to look into the tree and I looked all over the floor and smelled all the other houseplants that were there. It was really an odd smell - almost like rotting food but sweeter. Could just be my sniffer is off though - not sure!
Then two days ago I was cutting the dead leaves from the adult banana tree (when it produces leaves on top a leaf at the bottom dies - they are tough as heck so you have to cut them for fear of damaging the tree). Anyway - I was cutting the dead leaves and noticed all this dead black stuff on the top of the tree - which is weird since it has always died at the bottom not the top. I pulled the palm tree leaves apart and there in the center of the tree are real bananas!!!!
This has been about 6 years in the making and the little bananas are about twice this size now - really going fast. I got this banana tree from Farmer's catalog. It does take a lot of space but it is worth it! Yes! We have some Bananas!
No comments:
Post a Comment