PalmsNorth.com

Posted: **Thu May 12, 2011 8:30 am**

These 2 pics represent it's growth from May 7-9

What it basically looked like on the 7th of May.
This pic was taken on the 1st but it didn't move until
the 7th when the temps were May 7-8-9 (82F)-80(F)-90(F) respectively.

<a href="http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -11032.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -11032.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

And on May 9th

<a href="http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -11002.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -11002.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://www.wunderground.com/US/IA/Fairf ... ipes"><img src="http://weathersticker.wunderground.com/ ... anguage=EN" alt="Click for Fairfield, Iowa Forecast" height="90" width="160" /></a>

Posted: **Thu May 12, 2011 8:38 am**

Nice, Jim
You've had some warmth recently. I'm sure everything there loves it. --Erik

Posted: **Thu May 12, 2011 11:31 am**

Holy cow, Jim.
You're gonna need a crane to take pictures of its flower this year!

Presume you're using the Banana Fuel that Billy uses?

Congrats on your early summer.
Will look forward to more progress pics of all your stuff!

Barb

Posted: **Thu May 12, 2011 12:39 pm**

Jim that Banana is set to explode! I can just imagine how tall it`s going to be in a couple of months. Great pic.

John

Posted: **Thu May 12, 2011 3:07 pm**

Thanks guys/gals.

I do nothing Barb-yet-it's just the warmth of the past few days.

I posted this on another forum so ...easy enough to share-

June 6 2009,put out it's first leaf(here)(-:

<img src="http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -09003.jpg" border=0>

August 30 2009

<img src="http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -09034.jpg" border=0>

June 4th 2010

<img src="http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10010.jpg" border=0>

Oct 8 2010,about 12' tall.

<img src="http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10032.jpg" border=0>

Oct 31 2010,in the basement...it's the fat one
almost all the way over on the left.

<img src="http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10008.jpg" border=0>

If the wind is kind,it will be a beast this year!(grin)

Posted: **Thu May 12, 2011 3:17 pm**

Yes it'll be a beast this year for sure.
The burgundy color is spectacular, Jim.

I can only imagine how heavy that thing was to drag/push down into the basement.
And then bring back upstairs

Barb

Posted: **Thu May 12, 2011 9:11 pm**

Man...that is so darn cool.

Posted: **Fri May 13, 2011 8:09 am**

Thanks-

It wasn't to bad to get downstairs bringing it up....
well,although harder was not ridiculous because it
lost a lot of(water)weight on it's winter starvation program.

Basically no water for 5 months,so it was lighter.

Next winter is a different story,not to mention it
will probably flood the front yard when it's cut back to fit
the basement.

We are back to the cool weather now,no more 80s and 90s
for a while.............

Posted: **Fri May 13, 2011 12:17 pm**

Next Fall, any chance you can lower it through a basement window.
Instead of taking it down a flight of stairs?

You had such great weather lately...

I just saw a report we had our third coldest April on record.
Could've guessed.

Barb

Posted: **Sat May 14, 2011 12:54 pm**

There is an easier entrance to the basement I will try next year
and I will(I'm sure)need some help this time

Posted: **Sat May 14, 2011 1:40 pm**

Might be worth a move

and buying an excavator.

Sounds like "You know you're a palm nut when..."

Posted: **Sun May 15, 2011 3:24 pm**

You know your a palm nut when........

you lose both of your ***** putting you Banana plants in the basement.

Posted: **Sun May 15, 2011 3:29 pm**

Posted: **Sun May 15, 2011 5:27 pm**

Barb

No doubt this will be a fun plant to watch this year...
no other plant anything like a Banana plant has grown
even a forth of what this monster has....

I just wonder how tall it can get,after hitting 12' last year..
theoretically it should be a show stopper this year or at least,car stopper

Posted: **Sun May 15, 2011 6:22 pm**

Showstopper, indeed.

After 12 feet last year, it's not going to slow down anytime soon.
Have you seen pics of them in, say, a farm or orchard grown for the fruit?
they'd have to pick the bananas with a crane if it's 40 feet tall

I love the burgundy leaf color, that's a real eye popper.
Hopefully your winds will leave it alone, or plant 5 around it for wind protection

Barb

Posted: **Mon May 16, 2011 7:49 am**

It's in a pretty good spot as far as wind goes..
totally blocked from North/Northwest winds but they
are not very wind resistant.....
Bill can confirm that one!

Posted: **Tue May 17, 2011 11:26 am**

Jim, those look awesome! Good work.

Andy

Posted: **Tue May 17, 2011 2:22 pm**

Thanks-

I should post another pic-the roller is about 3' now!

Posted: **Tue May 17, 2011 4:08 pm**

Jim You're winning! I bought a couple small ones on e-bay, they are about a foot tall. I hope they don't drown in all this rain - I have them in one gallon pots until I figure out where to put them when (if) the rain ever stops.

Paul

Posted: **Wed May 18, 2011 10:12 am**

Definitely don't let them sit in the rain if you can avoid it

Posted: **Thu May 19, 2011 9:05 am**

Wow comes to mind Jim

How old is it?

Posted: **Thu May 19, 2011 2:10 pm**

I don't believe that they actually get any thing like a banana fruit
also not sure about this particular type-pretty sure Ventricosum can
hit 40'(ish)?

http://thehoneytreenursery.com/images/abyssinian.jpg

Posted: **Fri May 20, 2011 6:54 pm**

that is one big dude! How big is it now?

Posted: **Fri May 20, 2011 7:13 pm**

Jim,
you've got me about sold.
I've found one source for these in Tulsa and another here in Bixby. Not cheap, but not outrageous, either, in 5 gallon pots.
I plan to put one where the late Butia "bigger than a horse" palm grew last year.
But about the wind thing--are they much more sensitive than Musa basjoo? My M. basjoo get tattered but still look OK to me.
--Erik

Posted: **Fri May 20, 2011 8:21 pm**

Yours looks nicer than the ones I see here. Hopefully you can still move it after this summers growth.

Posted: **Sat May 21, 2011 8:42 am**

J-

Luckily it goes down the stairs in fall!

Eric

The thing is,they are vulnerable to snap at the base in high winds,
I may secure mine when it gets more leaves.

Tim

To the top of the leaves it's already over 7' feet.

Z

I got it on 2009,there is a time-line of it's growth on the
first page of this thread.

I will get another picture of it in a couple days,it's roller is opening
and there is another that poped up yesterday.

Posted: **Sat May 21, 2011 9:10 am**

Jim

I thought ensete didnt grow pups?

Posted: **Sat May 21, 2011 3:14 pm**

Never seen one do it,this one is no different.

Posted: **Sat May 21, 2011 4:46 pm**

Mine are starting to push now Jim.

85 tomorrow, 80 Monday... crap weather Tues and Wed.. then back to normal later in the week.

GFS is showing mega heat wave after Memorial Day.

Posted: **Sat May 21, 2011 7:56 pm**

Jim,
thanks.
I'll give it a go anyways, but rig some stake and tie system as my garden gets blasted by 60 mph/100 kmh winds fairly often.
--erik

Posted: **Sun May 22, 2011 11:19 am**

Good Luck Eric....
Maybe you have a spot on the east side of your house???

Tim

Some heat would be nice to get the gardens caught up after all the chilly weather this spring.

The only problem is that the way the jet stream has been this year/spring,we would probably
be talking about a lot severe weather too!

Posted: **Sun May 22, 2011 12:40 pm**

Hey jim looks like I will be in your area next weekend. The city is starting to get that sizzling feeling. Heat radiating off buildings and black top roofs and streets.

Posted: **Sun May 22, 2011 3:09 pm**

Yea,87 here today.
Just missed the bad storms.

As Tim pointed out looks like a big warm up after Memorial day???

Posted: **Sun May 22, 2011 3:14 pm**

No wonder Mike's heading out of town...look at his humidity etc.

Enjoy the fine weather coming up.
We've cooled off again.

Barb

Posted: **Sun May 22, 2011 4:53 pm**

Posted: **Sun May 22, 2011 5:56 pm**

The cactus in the 2nd and 3rd pics are really really beautiful

We used to have colored stones in the birdbath.
Magpies stole all of 'em.
Good luck keeping yours.

Holy cow, look at how that Monster has grown!

Barb

Posted: **Mon May 23, 2011 5:59 am**

Those marbles can get HOT.. We used to put them in some of the reptile enclosures. Turns out they hold heat really well LOL

The brugs look quite happy too... And of course the albyssian......

Posted: **Mon May 23, 2011 7:41 am**

Thanks guys/gals-

You really have to see the glass beads in the sunlight to appreciate them..
I have not been able to capture it with the camera.

The Abyssinian has been a lot of fun to watch,it's put out -like
4 leaves in the last 2 weeks and they are already huge!

The Brugs(after not flowering last year)have already got
buds all over them-they will be trees by the end of the season!

Posted: **Mon May 23, 2011 8:29 am**

the glass beads in the sunlight to appreciate them.

Probably reflect red/blue light that has been proven to stimulate growth.
AHA! That's your secret, Jim!

I'm betting the Aby tops out at 25 feet this year.

Barb

Posted: **Mon May 23, 2011 10:50 am**

Wow Jim that is growing fast! I loved the Pics of your Abyssinian last year, it inspired me to order a couple seedlings on eBay this spring. Paul

PalmsNorth.com

Check out the Abyssinian

Check out the Abyssinian

wind?

Next week

Few more pics