It seems fruitless!

17 years ago

My bananas, I mean.

I've really gotten into tropical plants over the last few years. On my second year with bananas I managed to just get a hand growing when the first frost came along and they just melted. That was year before last. I couldn't even tell you how many banana plants and their pups I have, and still, no fruit!

Last fall I started with brugs, aka angel's trumpets. I have 21 plants and none have Y'd and bloomed. Oh, let me take that back! I did take one plant to work (plant farm) and left it in the retail greenhouse. I was so busy with work that it Y'd and bloomed and I never knew until after the fact. So, I brought it home and still waiting for more Y's, more blooms.

My palms are in awful shape. A foxtail palm that was too tall for my greenhouse has been pruned down to only about an 1/8 of what it was. I think the fact that it touched the roof of the greenhouse over winter was a factor in it browning and dying off. I have 2 gorgeous butia's. Well, one of them isn't so gorgeous anymore. The last few fronds are completely yellowed and after several applications of epsom salts plus other fertilizers, it doesn't seem as if it'll improve. Spent big money on some palm fert sticks. Not helping. A big beautiful roebellinii is in deep decline. Yellowed and dying. Had hope for one of the clumps, but new growth starts to yellow after awhile. Majesty palms... yellowed. Fishtail, yellowed. Fantails, yellowed. European and windmills look great, though! So do the Mexican fan palms.

Bananas seem to be slow growing for some reason. Due to a storm that tore up the GH house winter before last, I've got plants mixed up. Don't know my goldfinger from ice cream, or gran nain from orinoco. And those, although mixed up, haven't pupped out well. Now, the very common, least attractive dwarf cavendish has pupped so well that I've given them away and planted others out in the yard. They'll be left to fend for themselves next winter, which means banana mush. But the good stuff???? Think they're gonna reproduce themselves?? Oh, no. Course not!

I've got a huge alocasia calidora that was just incredible last year. Now, it's leaves are so small and again... yellowed! Big beautiful pot of philodendron... now yellowed. New leaves on both mentioned continue to yellow.

I know what the problem is... lack of water. I think. Maybe. Work had me too busy all winter. Hardly watered, and now I'm paying for it. Just think of all the money used to heat the greenhouse. Makes me sick. ugh

Okay, I'm done whining! :)

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Comments (7)

Cherryfizz
17 years ago
I don't have a green thumb so I can't help you but I sure do want to see some pictures of your plants and greenhouse.

I've got houseplants plants that I wish would go away but somehow they keep on keep on thriving. LOL Some are from my Dad's funeral and that was in 1984! I've got one small 3 foot palm type plant and no matter how many times the cat chews the top of it off it still produces new shoots. I've often wondered who would die first from the chewed off leaves - the cat or the palm.

Anne
mcmann
17 years ago
It's OK to whine. When you put so much love, time, effort and money into your plants it can be a real heartache when they disappoint. I'll second Anne's comment about seeing photos of your greenhouse and plants.

I told my husband that if we ever build a new home I'd love to design it so that I have better windows for my plants. My orchids are doing great in the walk in bay window in my kitchen. But I don't have the right exposure for some of my other plants. I think my ideal would be a garden room with high ceiling and tall windows on three sides. Oh well - that will be in my next life.

I'm in zone 6B and we can grow brugs as an annual and I'd love to plant one or two, I just don't have room. How interesting to live in a zone where you can have tropicals outside year round. I'm envious.
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sheesh
17 years ago
I've wanted a greenhouse for 30 years, but, alas, I'm never going to have one. Bananas? Wow!

When we got married in 1968, a friend gave us a pretty plant. We still have it, thriving away! I've given parts of it away a hundred times, nearly killed it (by accident) a couple times, knocked it off its perch, repotted it, etc., but it's big and beautiful most of the time. Best wedding gift ever.

Post pics if you can.
susan_on
17 years ago
I know how frustrating it can be. I LOVE plants, and especially tropical plants, and look where I live - in Canada! I had a nice greenhouse installed two years ago, and this past winter someone knocked over my heater and I lost all but one plant. Anyway, I'm having a gas fueled heater installed this year, so that won't happen again.

Anyway, as much as I love plants, I do not naturally have a green thumb. I've made all kinds of errors, but I am determined to keep on learning. Yesterday, I did figure out that one of my grapefruit trees needs more nitrogen. The leaves are small and are starting to turn yellow. Yellow leaves can signify other things (like overwatering), but if the leaves on your plants are also small, try a fertilizer with a high nitrogen number (the first number), like an orchid fertilizer. That's what I'm doing for my citrus, until I can actually find a citrus fertilizer source that also has micronutrients. Oh, and don't overdue the nitrogen either, because that can cause other problems.
pauline13
17 years ago
Moonie,

It sounds like you need to move to Texas. Houston's climate will meet all of your needs. You can even move here in Tyler. You can't grow quite as many tropicals, but you can grow bananas and brugs. And, if you are in the medical field, you will have no trouble finding employment.
jannie
17 years ago
My dream is to have a small greenhouse glasshouse or just a sunny walk-in room on the front of my house. My sister had a glass house at one point,she could grow food year-round. She specialized in cactus and sedums.
moonie_57 (8 NC)
Original Author
17 years ago
Yes, it can be extremely disappointing, but, I just discovered a few buds on one of my brugs... the one that had bloomed awhile back at work. Could be that it's going to be too hot and it could drop the buds, but maybe not! And I also have a few buds on some dats. They should bloom great in the heat.

Soon I'll post some pics but beware... my camera is old, doesn't take great pics and eats my batteries (bat-trees as my dad used to pronounce them) like crazy.

cherryfizz - your thumb must be greener than you think!

mcmann - that would be my request, too. Better windows for plants

sherrmann - 40+ years... wow! What kind of plant?

susan - good luck with your citrus! I'm gonna cut back on fertilizers. In desperation could be that I -will- overdo it with nitrogen and everything else. LOL
I also plan on having a new heater installed before this winter. We have been using propane tanks. Gets expensive!

pauline - I would love to live someplace Z10 or better. I grew up in Panama and spend alot of time fantasizing about the place.... 32 years later!

jannie - Wouldn't it be great to have something attached to the house that could be an extension of your living space? I could never have that here. :(

It seems fruitless!

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Cherryfizz

mcmann

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It seems fruitless!

Comments (7)

Cherryfizz

mcmann

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sheesh

susan_on

pauline13

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moonie_57 (8 NC)Original Author

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