Aquariums and gardening.

[Deadeye]

I've just been looking on line and from what I can see it looks like both your plants Fishman Dave and Deadeye are dwarf bananas! A lot shorter, very compact squat little things. Could be wrong but yours look more like this in comparison to my sprawling triffid, lol.

If so, yours will probably be well suited as a year round house plant, whereas I'm going to have problems with mine indoors unless it spends a few months of the year outside!

Dwarf below...

View attachment 1492523

Good to know - nice to have that in mind before I test if it can survive winter and lose it. Looks like this will have to only go out in summers. Still a great looking tree though!

 

[esoxlucius]

Well, my two red banana plants have arrived. They were well packaged and look great, unlike my green banana plant (Musa basjoo) a few months ago, which didn't look clever on its arrival at all.

These two are going to be stunning once they get going, and very large! I've told the missus they are the dwarf variety so in a few months time i'll have to backtrack a little and blame the supplier for sending me the wrong ones!!! Lol.

My eventual plan for these monsters is too have them outside in pots during the summer months, and then during winter trim them right back and bring them in.

Here's a pic of one of them now I've repotted it.

 

[esoxlucius]

Well, my indoor musa basjoo hardy banana plant, as you can see from the pics in post #129, was just getting too big, much to the annoyance of my wife. So I planted it outside about 2 weeks ago now.

Due to the shock of the disruption, and regrettably, slightly damaging its roots in the process, the plant has gone into shock and is looking terrible! The temps are cooler outside, it can also get quite windy where we are, which plays havoc with its large broad fleshy leaves. The bright afternoon sun, which it isn't used to, has also damaged it.

It hasn't shown any new growth in the couple of weeks it's been out, it's probably just "adjusting" itself. However in the past couple of days another leaf looks like it's ready for opening, so maybe it's coming out of the worse now.

Like I said, it looks terrible, as you can see from the pic below. But I'm confident it will pull through and eventually thrive again, fingers crossed.

 

[Deadeye]

My guys still going strong. Looks like next week will be the first time it’s 70 for more than 1 day at a time, so that will probably be its first venture into the great outdoors.
I’m probably not going to plant it, but get a large pot for it to really grow out in, and bring it in for winters.

 

[esoxlucius]

View attachment 1494717
My guys still going strong. Looks like next week will be the first time it’s 70 for more than 1 day at a time, so that will probably be its first venture into the great outdoors.
I’m probably not going to plant it, but get a large pot for it to really grow out in, and bring it in for winters.

As previously mentioned, I suspect yours is the dwarf banana. If it is, lucky you, I'm envious! Lol.

If yours isn't the dwarf variety, and it really starts pushing on growth wise, then believe me it will start to take over. Mine was becoming way too much, and it was still relatively small!

Unfortunately I have two other problems on the horizon too, my two red bananas! As far as I'm aware they aren't a dwarf variety, and to top it off, unlike my musa basjoo, they are not hardy at all.

My musa basjoo, with protection, will happily "hibernate" outside through our mildish winters, the red bananas will die outside when there's even a mild frost!

The Musa basjoo is outside for good now. I'll protect during the winter and see where it takes me. The red ones will have to go in big pots and live outside during the summer. The first signs of frost I will have to cut them right back and get them inside. I've learnt a lot about damn banana plants over the past couple of months, lol.

One of my reds below. The red veining is starting to show through now, these are stunners....and quite small....for now!

 

[Deadeye]

They look really good!
I agree that mine is probably the dwarf, hence bringing it in over winter. A musa could probably tolerate the coldest it gets by me, but I don’t think a dwarf could.

 

[Hendre]

Nice plants! I have been growing a lot of carnivorous plants since last year, mostly sundews and tropical pitchers. They are wonderful and many are easy to grow! That's what I have been busy with, as well as finishing my degree.

 

[esoxlucius]

They look really good!
I agree that mine is probably the dwarf, hence bringing it in over winter. A musa could probably tolerate the coldest it gets by me, but I don’t think a dwarf could.

I've watched that much footage on you tube on how to overwinter the Musa that I'm almost willing winter to come now so I can try the methods out, lol.

Apparently the musas are surprisingly hardy. As long as the root system and pseudostem are adequately protected some gardeners have claimed they will survive temps down to -15°C. We very rarely get anywhere near that in winter in the UK, so in theory mine should easily survive.

 

[esoxlucius]

Nice plants! I have been growing a lot of carnivorous plants since last year, mostly sundews and tropical pitchers. They are wonderful and many are easy to grow! That's what I have been busy with, as well as finishing my degree.

You do realise that when you pass your degree you are going to have to change your username, adding all the appropriate letterage and whatnot.

"ProfessorHendre" or "MScHendre" or "BScHendre", whatever's applicable.

How long have you got to go yet anyway?

 

[Hendre]

You do realise that when you pass your degree you are going to have to change your username, adding all the appropriate letterage and whatnot.

"ProfessorHendre" or "MScHendre" or "BScHendre", whatever's applicable.

How long have you got to go yet anyway?

Hahahaha I have 6 months of undergrad left, then hopefully an honours degree next year (3 years undergrad + 1 year honours) which equals a 4 year degree anywhere else. Hopefully after that I can get a job and keep more fish again. Just Ms Bichir at home!