Apologies if this video is a bit rushed / subdued, I woke up with a proper headache today! On the plus side, I got loads done in the garden yesterday 😃
Hi George, this video couldn't have come at a better time. Just picked up tiny dwarf banana 🍌 about 3 inches high for £3. Looking forward to watching it grow.
Good analysis. FYI here in panhandle of Florida, Pensacola we can leave all varieties of bananas in round over winter and they all come back strong but Musa Bajoo is the best grower for height
Thanks! That’s really interesting to know, I assumed there’d be some more ‘tropical’ varieties that you’d prefer over there. Do you grow any specifically for fruiting or are they mainly just for foliage in gardens?
@@GeorgesJungleGarden personally I grow mine for foliage although I have Loquat tree that looks very tropical and puts out a small orange tart fruit each May.
Garden is looking lush George - very impressive gunnera. My poor bananas are definitely missing some sunshine, poor things. Great video and your Max is such a lovely little soul, adorable!
Another great video George. Every year about the end of October I put my five basjoo bananas in the garage. It is pitch black they get no water whatsoever. They have survived well for the last five year's on neglect. Cheers john
I grow loads of banana varieties. I’ve tried to overwinter cavendish and failed every time. I just divide off the pups and leave them inside. I let the mother plant die Then, when it comes to spring it’s all squishy, I dig it out and replace it with a pup I divided from the autumn before . It’s a continuous cycle, basjoo I leave and forget about. Unless it’s below -1 for a longer period of time. But I recommend St. Helens banana, Orinoco or namwah if you want. A shot in getting edible fruit in the UK. Or you can go for the collector items eg blue java ice cream or variegated ones. But yeah they are lots of work. Lots of organic fertiliser. I mix different fertilisers like 12-0-0 then 0-18-2 and 0-30-0. Or around thag number. It’s all organic. Plus lots of coffee grounds, grass clippings mulch and water, then your on ur way.
@ George I only started doing up the garden this year tropical style ,small garden in Waterford southeast Ireland I'm a landscaper by trade and learning a lot from your videos good man 😁 much appreciated keep the camera rolling
Just found this channel and I'm growing Musa dwarf nam wa right now in NY! Mine have pushed growth in as little as 7°C. Not sure how common this cultivar is in the UK but probably one of the best for edible bananas (alongside Orinoco)- also supposedly taste much better than Cavendish! They're less cold hardy than basjoo but can still dry store and are good at growing in low temps!
Hey George. Great video as always. I like the Cavendish but have failed twice to over winter indoors. For me now I just grow them as an annual, buy for £3 from Ldl then throw to compost in the winter. The first and only basjoo I bought was the best investment I ever made. So many pups given away over the last 4-5 years. Cheers mate
Thanks, I appreciate it! A mature clump of basjoo is crazy impressive, there's few other plants that deliver so much so quickly and like you say, pups to give away too! I don't blame you with the Cavendish to be fair, at £3 it's not bad compared to a lot of the other expensive and trendy tender tropical plants that struggle with overwintering / getting started in spring!
You've done Ensete vs Basjoo, now Dwarf Cavendish vs Basjoo, need Sikkimensis vs Basjoo next! Seems like those 2 are more similar to one another than the others and different sites argue over which is more hardy, so might be an opportunity for an even more detailed comparison.
Hi Dan, nice idea! Unfortunately I've only had a couple of Sikkimensis plants before (neither is still with me!) but if I ever get another one I'll certainly put up a vid on my experiences. The leaves are tougher on the Sikki but my opinion is that they're not quite as hardy in colder areas.
Thanks! To be honest the prime for any tropical garden is late August to early September and I've still got a lot of structural planting to get out at either end of the garden BUT the middle is definitely coming together and I'm excited to share the progress! Looking at the weather I'll try and film it next Wed / Thurs evening and upload the following weekend!
Ay up George,great timing for a nana vid,took a small pup cutting 4 maybe 5 weeks ago unfortunately it came away without a single root on it undeterred l thought what hell and potted it up anyway ,it's now a foot tall with masses of roots and romping away.probably more luck than judgement but it shows even if you've just got a fleshy bit at the base don't give up on it they're more resilient than you think
That's fantastic Craig and you've either been really lucky or got it just at the right time! Personally I like to leave them on a bit longer before dividing but it sounds like it's worked really well for you!
@@GeorgesJungleGarden l agree,normally I'd have left it to put a bit of growth on god knows why l did it but it's worked ,now it's in a pot with better soil it should do really well and bulk up enough to get it through a winter, that's my excuse anyway😂
Nice video George. Bit of a coincidence. I saw a plant last weekend, that wasn't labelled. It certainly looked like a slightly smaller version of your dwarf cavendish. I think it was £25. Anyway I didn't buy it because as I've said before, I'm running out of space here. But after seeing how good yours looked, I'm definitely tempted to go back for it 😀🌴 Thanks for the tip & link to the Vitax fertiliser. I may well give it a try
Great video George. love the cavendish. maybe next year il treat myself to one. Would be nice to see what your garden looks like at this time of year compared to what it looks like end of july to get a scale of growth.
Hi George, I find it simply amazing that here in cold dark grey and wet England, “Well most of the time it seems”, nature has provided a related species of the edible Banana 🍌 Musa Acuminata. The Musa Basjoo, The Japanese Banana, For our climate.......and yes I know I am drifting away slightly from the subject of bananas.......But I must mention the Chile Coco Palm or Chilean Wine Palm, Jubaea Chilensis, that is actually related to the Coconut Palm, Cocos Nucifera.....Fantastic.
Hi George, i bought a two foot Musa Basjoo from our local garden center last week for £ 12.99, i have put it in a huge pot for this year so i can bring it in indoors for winter, so this video couldn't have come at better time ......
Thanks Paul and you're completely alright, I just didn't want people to see the video, buy a small one and get it delivered at the back end of July when it doesn't have much time left to grow. In reality, they should be fine getting planted out soon!
Just replied to Paul saying I didn't want people to see the video, buy a small one and get it delivered at the back end of July when it doesn't have much time left to grow. Yours should be absolutely fine with 3 months left to grow big!
Yeeeeey ... Max is back in full effect with even more cuteness and sweet kisses ♥ Oh yeah and ur garden is looking fuller and better each day ☺ Oh and im starting in october with building my tropical garden starting with stonewalls and antique door and the pond ☺
Haha I thought you’d like that! Thanks, it’s coming together slowly 😃 It’s exciting that you’re starting yours soon too, just that list of plans already sounds like it’s going to be a great garden!
Have my eye firmly on the local garden centre that is growing them on in their polytunnels at the min, shall be down there like a shot when they go on sale 😂
Great video, a bit late to comment no doubt. But it's given me a few ideas for down here on the Isle of Wight. I know we have various type of tropical looking vegetation down here,but it's only very recently I've started taking an interest in plants.
Hi Alex and thanks for taking the time to leave a message! I've got several other videos that you might enjoy including one uploaded last year looking at 50 different exotic plant ideas. You definitely live somewhere where you can grow the unusual so it's well worth trying a few cool plants out!
Only thing I find with dwarf cavendish banana trees they tend to lose the brown spots on the leaves as it grows. Which is unfortunate but it’s definitely a lovely banana.
Hi George great video .its my first year with musa basjoo bananas and just loving the growth ,was wondering how often to feed poultry pellets to them ? Thanks for all the inspiration .
Hi and thank you! I'm not too precise about them, I tend to just scatter some around every month or so from May through to August. You can then use a water soluble feed too.
hi George what do you think to musa sikkimensis (red tiger) as there a lot of talk about musa basjoo and others but i dont see any one talking about musa sikkimensis as an option
Hi Anthony, they're really nice plants, I used to have one of the really well patterned clones from Jungle Seeds and they have fantastic leaves. They're definitely more wind resistant and the leaves are more 'interesting' but I don't think they quite have the hardiness basjoo have unfortunately!
Basjoo are definitely a great option for impact and hardiness but the cavendish are a nice looking plant too, as long as you’ve got somewhere to overwinter them indoors as a houseplant.
@@GeorgesJungleGarden the Musa Basjoo min is small but I'm hoping to get it big enough to plant in the ground! I live in a zone 6A was gonna go for the tiger stripped ones but I guess there kinda iffy here.
@@GeorgesJungleGarden thank you I actually just uploaded a video on the Musa Basjoo banana tree on my RU-vid channel! It's already gotten a new leaf thanks to the grow lights! I honestly can't wait to get it in the ground! And trust me Indiana definitely gets hot humid summers!
@@thegreenthumb6184 Nice one, I'm pleased it's already growing well for you! Make sure you harden it off well in spring before planting it but I'm confident it will grow really well for you. Good soil, plenty of water and stand back this summer!
Hi, it takes time for the pseudostem to get to the height / required amount of leaves for it to be ready to flower so here in the UK, it can mean having to protect the clump over winter so you don't lose it before the flower emerges. Other than that, I imagine just good watering and feeding will help accelerate the life cycle but I'm intrigued why you want to see it flower (and lose that particular pseudostem)? Is it for the novelty of seeing those amazing flowers?
They sell these for like 12-15$ from Walmart... I live in cold and wet NYC it's fall over here , im trying to see if I can keep this guy inside until spring
Cool, they sell them in some supermarkets here too. Things are definitely turning colder and wetter here as well so I'll be bringing mine inside soon. Keep it somewhere bright, away from radiators and water it when the compost is starting to look dry and I'm sure it'll do just fine for you.
Hi George ive got a Ensete ventricosum Maurelii| Red Banana| Plug plant, im feeding it just once a week on seaweed is that enough or should i be feeding it more now.
Hi and apologies for the delayed reply, that should be fine for now but you can start adding more when it's potted up / planted out and it's a bit warmer - it'll soon grow away!
Hi George hope you and family are doing well.i have recently brought my first musa basjoo it is 1 and a half foot tall from the base of the pot it isnt that tall yet.do you reccomend I not plant this out this year I havnt got a green house just a metal shed.thnk you your vedios really help.
Hi, we are thanks, I hope you are too! I’d definitely get it hardened off and planted out now, it’ll definitely size up well this year and can be left out next winter. I’m pleased you enjoy the vids, thanks 😃
Hello George. I have 3 musa bajoo that I bought and grew on from small plants. They got to about 30cm tall and I popped them outdoors to harden off. They were okay until a few days back when most of thei leaves went brown and transparent. The leaves aren't dry but feel wet like they are rotting. I'm in the south east and I don't think we had a frost. Any ideas please, will they recover ? Love your channel and Max. Thanks Chris
Thanks Chris and I'll try to help. How long had they been outside to harden off before they went like that and did you harden them off in a shady area? I'm sure they'll recover with some TLC, I don't worry about my outdoor clumps having any decent leaves before June really so plenty of time for them to grow as long as the pseudostem is firm.
@@GeorgesJungleGarden Thanks George. They had been out about a week but I think it may have coincided with the cold night in late April you put on your Facebook page. They were getting shade and sun in equal measure during the day. I was worried I may have overwatered them as the compost seemed saturated. I have removed the soggy leaves and repotted in a compost mix with perlite for drainage. The main stem seems okay so I'm glad to hear they could recover as they were looking fab before. My wife is a bit starstruck now you have written back to us. She loves your channel and we watch it avidly. Thanks for your advice, I just followed you on Facebook too. Chris
@@chrisreynolds7412 Hi Chris and no need to be starstruck, I'm just somebody with a garden and a camera! Personally I'd keep them well watered now it's warmer and I'm sure you'll see some growth over the next fortnight. While it's warm you'll struggle to overwater them but when it's winter I try to keep them on the drier side.
I have a dwarf banana plant, I'd say it's musa acuminata variety. When should I remove the pups? How tall should I let them grow before removal? What's the most amount of pups that I should leave attached?
Hi and nice one! Spring is usually good as there’s increasing heat and light but if you’re growing them inside / under glass then you could try other times. I generally wait until the pups are around a foot / 30cm tall but you can leave as many attached as you want. The plants naturally grow as clumps so as one stem flowers, fruits and dies down, the others will continue on 😊
@@GeorgesJungleGarden The thing is, my mother plant is still small itself, about 25 cm, while it already has 4 pups. 2 of them are maybe 7 cm, and there are two just coming out of the soil. I guess I should wait more, but I want the mother to have the energy to grow as much as it can.
Hi, personally I’d just use a good multipurpose, they don’t seem to be too fussy. Some soil conditioner or garden compost added will really help I’m add nutrients and improve water retention but the regular watering and feeding is what makes the magic happen!
Hi I just bought a banana plant and mine says musa but it looks like the Cavendish, it has dark spots and it’s velvety. Anyone could confirm which one I have? 😅
Hi, it sounds like the Cavendish if it has the spots, it's still a 'Musa' as such as that's the family of banana plants. Essentially a houseplant that'll get large if you pot it up, will enjoy a bright spot away from radiators and with plenty of summer watering and feeding. You can put it outside but generally June - September or so to avoid any cold damage.
@@GeorgesJungleGarden thank you, somehow it got sun burn even if watered properly! Is it possible that this happened because of the transition from greenhouse to full sun outdoor?
Ive had a banana inside for 4 years. Sold as musa basjoo but im not totally convinced it isnt a dwarf cavendish. It got far too big for the pot and dining room so i planted it 2 days ago and the new leaves have gone completely yellow . Have i killed it?
Hi Nikki, it's hard to confirm the ID without seeing it but I'd imagine any leaf change that quick is down to shock, going from a relatively dark and sheltered house to the outdoors and exposed to everything. I'm sure it'll pull through soon though and start putting healthy leaves out again.
George, how do you deal with pests on your Basjoo man? I've one that's getting jacked up by a few different critters, mealybugs being one. Any advice would be appreciated 🤙
Hi, to be honest, it's not something I've really had an issue with or noticed personally but I do hear a lot of people mention SB Invigorator - maybe worth looking into?
Main difference, cavandish produces edible fruit, masjoo not so much.(but you still can eat the stem/leaves. Currently growing cavandish, masjoo and blue java myself) 😚
Hi George, managed to snag 3 banana plants( 2 Musas and 1 cavendish) for £7. Worth hunting about eh? One of the sellers told me that Musa Basjoos are to be banned in the UK, is this true?
Hi, they’re fantastic and I’ve actually made a video looking at them vs basjoo earlier in the season if it helps you. Realistically they’re unlikely to survive an average - cold UK winter in all but the most mild of locations outdoors, even with fleece protection but they can be dry stored when bigger.
Hi Rebecca, you don't need to, no. You can use fleece / straw / tree leaves to protect the crown and leave the Gunnera leaves alone. But you'll probably find that the first frosts and storms of winter blacken them and leave them tatty so personally I use them to cover the crowns themselves. I'd usually have left it until just before the first real frost but did it a bit earlier this year to get the vid done!
Could really use some advice from the man himself or anyone else with the knowledge, 6 days ago I bought home a beautiful Dwarf cavendish around 1.5 feet tall with really healthy leaves and a new leaf shooting hard out of the top! Six days later and it’s covered in large brown patches on the leaf and is looking really unhealthy, I water nightly, mist when I can and I also put a nice layer of chicken manure pellets around it to give some nitrogen. Does anyone have any ideas as to what has gone wrong. Thanks I’m advance
Hi Luke, that sounds very much like sunburn or wind damage from not hardening it off, it’s presumably been somewhere sheltered then the shock of being out in your garden has damaged the softer growth. It should recover and send out new growth but it’ll take a month or so.
@@GeorgesJungleGarden thanks a bunch for that info George. I’ll keep a close eye on it and in the future I’ll be looking into soft introductions to the garden. Keep up the great content mate! And thank you for getting back to me
@@Luke-rg6dn Thanks. Yes, it’s all about hardening them off first, on w simplistic level introducing them to the conditions over a week or so. At this time of year it’s not the cold nights but the sun that can be the biggest shock so keeping them in a shady area for a while will definitely help.
@@GeorgesJungleGarden perfect mate thanks, I made the mistake of thinking I needed to use this brilliant weeks weather that we had since it’s a sun lover but I think I might have over done it now, sorry to bang on but is it true that you can’t really over water or feed a banana?
Hi George. Do you have an email address for me to send a photo of my banana. I’m really confused and don’t know whether it’s a cavendish or musta bajoo or neither. I don’t have an instagram account. Many thanks