I too have a Hardy Chinese Banana tree (that after the leaves died off in the winter, I cut back and mounded W/mulch) that started the sping as a smelly bowl of soup. About 3 weeks ago shoots appeared around the base of the plant. Now I have 6 or 7 8'" stems-turning to leaves all around the old center. My question is ; should I select 1 stem to be the new plant and clip off the others? or do I let several or all continue to grow? this is the 1st spring I've had the plant so I have no prior experience with new groth habits. 2nd question; If the plant produces new shoots outside of the old center how do prevent it from "leaving" the area I planted it (if this pattern repeats year after year the plant will be several feet away from where it was planted). Any guidance would be apreciated.
Thanks

You can do either. Me, I like the look of a clump of banana's rather than one single, lonely, looking banana swaying in the breeze.

One way to try and keep the corms contained is to do as you would with bamboo and put in a barrier around the area you wish to keep them in. This will work for quite a few years but eventually you may have to dig everything up and re-plant your viable corms. Dig in some fresh compost and remove any dead or rotting old corms.

Make sure you don't fertilize outside the area you wish the banana's to stay or they will also want to wander out. They are terrific feeders and will follow food. Same with water. Keep the bed watered well but not around the bed.

I've been growing banana's for 35 yrs. so these are just my own ideas on how to handle them.

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Make your words soft and sweet; you just may have to eat them someday.

Thanks for the reply bamboochick, always appreciate some experienced advice. I think I'll select the 2 best and scrap the rest. The location is at the coner of two intersecting rows of pampas grasses and hardy hibiscus,its sort of the focal point and the tallest of the plants. Thanks again

Because of a mistake this spring. This long time lurker of this forum has came out of the woods and joined, I have to ask, The Donald what would it take to take your banana scraps off your hands? I am willing to pay shipping to NE,
I am tying to replace my banana's that I killed off at early this spring, My green thumb got jumpy and a late cold spell caused root rot.
And thanks to everybody that has to them unknowingly help me in the past.................

Beaver007,

I cut off a few yesterday and its too late for those,but there are 1or 2 I just clipped that may come back and 1 larger one I was undecided on. I would be willing to let them go cheap,but lets wait a week or so to see how these come back. There may even be a way to send a photo on this site(maybe private message or to your email) for your approval before I send them. I'm in Northern Virginia so UPS shouldn't be that much. Question is how to package them.

The Donald

I sell plants here at my nursery so I may be able to give you some tips on how to send your bananas. First, make sure you have viable plants. (rooted and growing) Then send by Priority Mail. It's much less expensive and both parcel services are rough on the boxes so that's a given.

For many of my plants I like the larger triangle boxes. Remove plant from pot after watering well the night before shipping and place in a plastic bag. Tape opening closed carefully around plant. Wrap foilage in several layers of newspapers and tape, leaving top opened. Fill the rest of the top with styrofoam peanuts and close.

I like to punch some holes in the box around the area of the foliage in hot weather. If it's very hot you can add a "cold pack" or in cold weather a "hot pack". You can buy them in quantitiy for cheap.

Plaster 'FRAGILE' all over the box. You just may get a kind postal worker who actually cares.

By the way, I don't think you can offer plants for sale here. Better finish this up off-forum.

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Make your words soft and sweet; you just may have to eat them someday.

The Donald
Sorry my last post got lost.
I will try this again can somebody tell me how to get The Donald my E-mail address without posting out in the open?

You should be able to just click on The donalds user name and get his profile with his email addy if he allows it. I noticed, though, that even my email doesn't show up and I clicked "allow others to see my email". Good question!

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Make your words soft and sweet; you just may have to eat them someday.

Bamboochik were you able to solve the the E-mail thing with this forum?
And Thedonald hows the naners doing?

No I haven't.

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Make your words soft and sweet; you just may have to eat them someday.

Banana Gremlins! I blame it on them.............LOL

Beaver007,
They seem to be roaring back just fine,next question is how to cut them loose without destroying mine or the new plants. Note to bamboochick; per your previous post about selling plants, it was never my intention when I contacted the group for advice, between digging,cutting,packaging, taking them somewhere to be shipped, this won't be a money making exercise in the least I assure you. Didn't want to bend the rules or ruffle any feathers........The Donald

Nor did I want to see them make you leave the forum This is one of the longest running threads

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Make your words soft and sweet; you just may have to eat them someday.

Hey there folks! Instead of "selling" anything to anyone, Would it be O.K. if you guys just did a swap of available plants/seeds? I have "met" folks on ebay and had lots of fun sending each other stuff we had extras of. We paid our own shipping to each other and the plants/seeds were gifts. Anyone who grows things well will always have more than they need before long. I grow Pawpaws and Chinese Chestnuts in numbers that only a fellow plant freak would believe.
By the way, I'd like to say that The Banana Tree has been a great source of plants/ seeds over the years. If I had as good luck with other companies who sell plants I'd say so, but these guys really are the best I've tried. This forum is just another example of how good they are! O.K. my lips are getting chapped so I'll quit sucking-up now :D

Just letting people know that this topic has been taken care of off of this forum. Thanks again for eveybody's help..............