Banana Care

I think I figured out the best way to water my SuperDwarf. I noticed that if I water it during the day it wilts even if it is drying out. But when I water it at night it perks up immensely and even "bleeds" water from the edges of its leaves by morning! It is a big drinker...I am also afraid I might have to get it a new pot soon. It is in the biggest one I have which is probably about 8 gallons...I don't know if I should repot it at this point or not because it isn't the time of year to be doing that kind of thing! It is such a beautiful plant...makes me so happy just seeing it in my dining room. Gives me the warm fuzzies :)

Super Dwarf Cavendish Banana

I finally found a picture of the banana tree I have...If I had a digital camera I would take my own but I don't! Check out this website for more banana info.

I will be living in an orchard soon!

I have now gotten 2 grapefruit seeds to sprout, something I did on a whim and didn't really think would be successful,(this pic is for reference only...not mine!) along with 2 Calomondin Orange tree seeds! My Macintosh Apple tree is also doing excellent, especially now that I have put it in full sun outdoors. Just goes to show that those seeds left in the fruit we eat really CAN become trees! Now, I have no idea what I will actually DO with these citrus trees in my house...I do live in Vermont where we have goddawful winter for about 8 months of the year! I just hope my banana survives long enough to produce fruit! It is like a child to me almost...no one else seems to like it much due to its sheer size and girth but I think its absolutely beautiful! If I can only stop my daughter from ripping off the ends of the leaves while she's in her highchair...!!
Hopefully I can get some good growlights set up in the basement for the winter. My grandmother gave me an orchid that is stunted because of poor soil quality and drainage. I haven't had much time to fuss with it yet but I want to get it going soon. They are so beautiful when they blossom. I am not sure what kind of orchid it is yet. It is in a ceramic pot with no drain holes in the bottom and she said it hasn't grown in months. It has put out air roots which is a good sign. That means it is able to get some nutrients and moisture from the air which is probably what is keeping it alive!

Blossoms

My Hibiscus Braid has a gorgeous tangerine colored blossom! It is ruffled, unlike the Hibiscus Tree I tried (and failed) to have last summer. I planted that one outside and the ants made an aphid nursery out of it. This one I have now is much smaller and I didn't plant it, I potted it and put it on my patio table. The ants haven't found it yet! My impatiens are also blossoming like crazy, which is odd enough for me to note because they are in full bright sunlight on my patio in a pot! I was always told that those needed to be in a shady area but they are doing awesome there.

Citrus Trees in Vermont?!?

I don't know what I am getting myself into...I recently threw some grapefruit seeds into a couple small pots of dirt and one of them has sprouted! It was from a Ruby Red that I bought at the store. I really didn't think those seeds were fertile but I guess I was wrong! Its about an inch high and very light yellowish green in color. I don't know what I will do if it really survives...I think they are about the same size as an orange tree that you find in Florida! I also have an avocado pit that is sprouting (can grow up to 10 feet tall inside) and I planted a peach pit last night. I had eaten a macintosh apple a few weeks ago and on a whim I planted the seeds in some regular Miracle Grow potting soil and three of them sprouted! Two of them died but the third one is doing great. I moved the pot outside and its really getting lush. The palm seeds I am trying to germinate keep getting moldy and I keep cleaning them and re-applying fungicide to them. I am not sure if it will help, and if it does and I do get a bunch of palm tree seedlings, WTF am I going to do with them???!! Its great fun though. Maybe I can bonsai some of them.

Growing Things

I am starting this new blog to track the progress, and hopefully success, of my indoor garden. I am mostly interested in tropical plants but I do not have a greenhouse yet so I am kind of winging it...so far so good! My Dwarf Cavendish banana is my favorite, and my healthiest so far. I am also trying to sprout palm trees from seeds but they are taking forever!! I have Kumaon and Chusan palms germinating right now. Of course, I didn't do much research on them until I had already received the seeds...and now I look them up and see they can grown to 40 feet!!! Not in this state they won't! Not sure what I'm going to do...maybe start them and then bring them to Florida when they get bigger and plant them at my in-laws house. Here are some pics of the trees I found on the web: Kumaon on the left, Chusan on the right.