This is my first year really growing tropical plants, and I love it. I was amazed how fast my banana grew this summer; I swear I could almost watch the thing grow. My coral tree grew like a weed, and my other banana grew their first suckers! yeah. Just wanted to take a poll I guess on how long other people have been into tropical plant gardening.

I started growing tropical shortly after becoming the webmaster for the banana-tree.com about 2 years ago. I was into traditional, organic, permaculture, gardening before that so I know the basics of growing plants. But growing tropicals is much different then growing typical plants; much more challenging and rewarding I think. You just have to do your home work first before you start planting, so that you understand the particulars of each individual plant a little better.

And I have the best mentor in the world, i.e Fred Saleet the founder and owner of The banana tree .
Many people don't realize this but he many years back was the first person to start importing and growing and cultivating tropical plants and seeds and exporting them all over the world.
If you wanted tropical seeds 30 years ago, you got them from this man. These days many of the tropical plants and seeds you find people selling are originally from Fred.

Many people have over the years tried to copy The Banana Tree, but I no one has the variety, prices, quantity, and customer service and experience as Fred and his team. It's funny lots of times when you are trying to located a hard to find seed or plant that no one has available, you'll notice all of a suddenly everybody has it, guess where they bought it from?

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'All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes to make it possible.' - - - T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia)
Edited by Administrator on Nov 5, 2004 at 10:49 AM

I've been growing tropicals off and on for atleast 25 years in the St. Augustine, Fl area, Ft. Myers, and in Delray Beach. I started with seeds that I bought from Dow Seed in Australia and Hawaii. Australian and New Zealand plants are most interesting and challenging. Last year I joined Fairchild Botanical Gardens and have been there 5 or 6 times. It is a great place to visit with more tropicals than you will see anywhere on the East coast of the U.S.
My 'ice cream banana' is just now (after 12 months) putting out bloom and the 'rajapuri' is already with bananas. They grow many Louisiana Iris in Australia with some of the largest blooms and diverse forms ever imaginable. If we get a member of the forum from there,
they should have a lot to add.

I started growing tropical plants about 4 years ago while taking a class about world crops at university. I got some seeds and cuttings from a few of the plants we were studying in class and that's how I started.

I started growing bananas since 3 years; I planted 1.5 hectares. I got good production of an average weight per bunch about 45 kg of the Grand Nain variety. I got this from my father who was in the banana business (planting, ripening then selling) for 40 years.

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bob

Bought a tiny banana plant at the plant shop as a gift for my son in 1999,since then it has been repotted and had a batch of bananas,cut down, and is once again huge with many sucklings around the bottom.Am wondering if any of these could be cut out and rooted to grow more trees or would they root?I live in the mts. of B.C.,so it lives inside year round as it's too big for me too move back and forth!Any tips or info would be appreciated.Have also started seeds from fruit from the grocery store,grapefruit and orange,they have grown,the grapefruit to an enormous hieght,but has thorns all over and dont believe it will ever produce fruit.So far it has been a hobby for a novelty but am wishing to become more serious about producing fruit from my endevours.Thanks for any help....Holly

About 30 years. I bought my first tropical seeds from The Banana Tree when I lived up north for a short spell and they saved my life from a long, hard, winter. ;-) I used to wear out my catalogs each year! Now I have ten acres in the deep south and grow all kinds of tropicals from seed and cuttings.

me about 5 years, but my father about 45 years, and he stills loves it alot.

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bob