Dwarf CAVENDISH Has thrown another rack of Bananas

[@LittleRedBee]

I’m so glad to see someone get bananas. I have one and it hasn’t produced yet. I’ve got the giant vertical leaf. Hoping next is the flag leaf. I just love the challenge. It’s so hot where we live in California but the humidity is tolerable. Thanks for the video!

[@UndoKarma]

It took me 3 years to get my first banana. Now I am getting them regularly. I found the key is to heavily mulch with grass clippings, chop n drop and mulch. Give some human urine now and then and kitchen scraps. I have 1 dwarf that is about to finally throw it's rack and it is standing at about 6 ft. tall. The tallest dwarf one for me. They are loving this hot, humid and rainy weather here in central Florida. Just keep loving on yours, you will get some. :)

[@riosfamilygarden]

Hello and thank you from South Georgia, Zone 9a. Beautiful banana. I have Dwarf Cavendish also and never fruited because of the freeze we get. How long did it take you to grow yours and all your baby pups? Absolutely Beautiful and new subscriber here. 🌻🌿💚🌱 Thank you for sharing and Happy Gardening 🌱🌻🌾😊 Also, did you grow your Papayas from store bought seed? Thank you again. 😊 And I love how you compost in place 😊🙌🏾

[@UndoKarma]

Hello and welcome !! Yes, the freeze is a pain when it comes to the world of bananas. I can only speak for my experience with the dwarf cavendish. Although I did just add a new type to my garden, the "Musa". So, it took me roughly 3 years to get them to fruit, and that was because of the freezes we got in the winter. So, the first winter I had no idea what I was doing and about lost them. I think I was up to maybe 3 by the first winter frost. Second winter I put up chicken wire around the bananas and stuff with leaves. About lost them again. By the third winter I tried something different. I wrapped the trunks of all the adult plants with your standard christmas lights. No LEDs. Anytime the temps got 49 or lower I turned the lights on all night until the sun came up. If we got into the 30's I would complete cover all of them with blankets, as well as keeping the christmas lights on. I finally got bananas!!! We have enjoyed 2 racks already and I have 3 racks growing right now and I predict I will get many more this year. All from 1 plant. That is the 1 benefit of having a dwarf, you can cover it. I save any sheet or blanket I can get my hands on throughout the year. People throwing them away, pick them up at thrift stores, ect. Save them for the bananas in the winter. Now I put in tall stakes all around the bananas for the blankets to lay on. You want to try and keep the blankets off the leaves. It is a pain but worth it if you want the bananas. I hope that helps. Feel free to ask my any questions. I am only a 5 year gardener so still have a lot to learn, but I love it.

[@UndoKarma]

Oh, I forgot to add, you also have to feed them. A LOT.. I give them tons of organic compost, heavily compost with leaves, chop and drop and my own mulch I make. And water. I have mine growing in the lowest section of our yard so they get the most water. And, occasionally my husbands pee. Yup, they love it.... Good luck..

[@baneverything5580]

I`m on the zone 8b/9a line in Louisiana and fall, winter, and spring have had unusually cold periods since 2016. It`s difficult to impossible to grow our normal spring vegetables or have a fall garden without being ready to take drastic measures to protect everything from fruit trees to cold hardy vegetables from extreme cold. I`m trying Celeste & Brown Turkey figs and Dwarf Mulberries this year. I have wasted so much money planting things and having all of it wiped out. Last year we had one normal month in May...then the weather changed in one day to drought and daily temps from 102 to 115 until September. I`ve been growing food since about 1970. Maybe it`s time to turn my lot into a giant greenhouse?

[@UndoKarma]

Oh my gosh. I can't imagine what that must be like. We have had an unusual mild winter here this year but I have seen some of the crazy temps elsewhere. Brrrrr I have tried and failed at many things myself for whatever reasons. We just have to find the ways to make it work for us. You just may have to start creating some type of green houses. I have seen some make some pretty cool ones out of reclaimed material, like old windows and doors and such. Maybe some grow lights for indoor growing on smaller things like herbs, greens, tomatoes and peppers. Thank you for sharing. We never really realize what is going on elsewhere in the world.

[@baneverything5580]

I`ve been using the little indoor hydro growers since 2020 and building my own and learning it. But three new growers and one second use grower bought two months before all failed in October so I lost the expensive micro tomato seeds and other things because of it. China trash. The part to fix one very expensive one took two months to arrive. I didn`t even bother testing it. I got an older model I have and planted a few things but I lost all motivation because of it. From now on I`ll build my own. I can guarantee I won`t be buying another one from China. They aren`t safe much less dependable. Pumps quit, timers are defective, connections go bad, lights burn out, etc. I think they`re intentionally selling us defective products. @@UndoKarma

[@jocerod123]

Please help I have beetles eating the leaves. Neem doesn’t work 😩

[@UndoKarma]

Oh no. I did not know beetles would eat the leaves. Try bringing in more birds. They would love to take care of those beetles for you. Can you put up some bird feeders near the banana trees?