Update,

The unknown could not recover and only new pups started a few weeks ago.It did the same last year.

The Gran Nains from inside only grew small leaves less than a foot long.There are now pineapple tops growing in their fancy pots.

The D.Orinoco has its flag leaf and bud starting on its main stem.Its big pup seems to of grown thicker than the original.My first batch of naners.It should have enough time to ripen here.

The D.Brazilian,Raja Puri and Mona Lisa are doing great now.Clipping pups off regularly.

Top coated the ground with steer poo and old leaves and chopped up pups.The Brazilian should flag leaf soon also.

The nepenthes Ventricosa died suddenly.It warmed up and then it died deader than a door nail seemingly over night and the Copelandii is now alive after turning 90% brown from winter.Ventricosa survived the winter all green and just died one week.

Cephalotus all are great with flower stalks now.

sorry to hear about the Nepenthes. I have found that if they are misted several time a day and watered only with distilled water they are easy and healthy. Feed once a month with 1/2 strenth Orchid food they will grow like weeds. Keep out of the hot sun .

The Ventricosa was the second to die like that right there.The year before I had another large rooted cutting...2' long,make it through the winter all green and just dry up when it warmed.Perhaps a micro organism,insect or other root eating thing.The Copelandii made it though.All brown but one little leaf,now it's thriving.

They are on the retainer wall,under two dwarf orange trees,deep sphagnum moss with misters that go on several times a day through a dechlorination filter.

Except for the coldest days,they thrive there.I have the Balmy Koto,Ventricosa red,Copelandii,two Hamatas,Maxima and several more that I picked up from Peter at California Carnivores or had mailed in from Wistuba in Germany.

Distilled water is best but my water is low in salts and gets filtered good.Nepenthes are the few carnivores plants that can handle tap water of mild sodium content.

In my little greenhouse where the temps and humidity are in the 80's,cool at night,the things really do grow like weeds.Clippings take every time.Even a half dead Home Depot orphan is now putting out giant orange pitchers of some sort.

Had a Raja but it died.

The greenhouse houses several tree frogs,a little pond with newts,fire bellied toads,minows and a Goliath Bird eating tarantula.3 levels.Plants and everything eat crickets...except the tarantula,she gets whatever it catches.

It has been a while but it has taken some time for the weather to cool down here in Melbourne but last week we had 4 frosts (mild) in a row and I figure if I want my 'cool climate' lady finger to produce some nana's next summer i had better start doing something.

Question is what do i do? It is on a porch facing east and gets good morning sun. In a wine barrel not in the ground. I feed him the wash out from my worm farm. I am still stuggling to figure out which are pups and which are the tubule thingies.

It grew a leaf last week but the temps will continue to drop for the next 2/12 but not get to freezing.

Should i put some potting mix/dirt around its trunk (5 ft tall) plus leaves. Should I protect it in some other way? Or should I just allow him to get used to it and he can sort it out the natural way. Although nanas don't grow in Melbourne generally speaking. What changes can i expect to see in the foliage.

Sorry lots of questions but you guys seem like the best people to ask, have been loving the C.H.B.T approach you should write a paper for a banana tree journal - come on there has to be one somewhere!

Thanks

Freyja and 'Him'

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Freyja

Good Morning

When I lived in western Washington State U. S. round about the first frost in Sept. or Oct I pulled down the leaves around the trunk of the Bananas and wraped the whole thing down to the ground with a couple layers of canvas and they were good for 6 mo.

Don G

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Don G.

Good Morning

My understanding is that the Pitcher Pllants do not like the very small amounts of minerals in tap water. I live on a lake and the lake water kills them if I water with it.

Don G.

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Don G.

Looking good here.

The main Orinoco has numerous hands with 14 fingers each and still unfolding and its large pup is now sending out a bud too.It's weird though as I has waited 4 months to let a pup start to grow there.It caught up somehow.With two batches on the same corm,I'm wondering if it will stunt the naners growth so I'm adding fertilizer and steer poo tea as water....that's just manure and water in an old garbage can and poured on a bucket a day....or so along with other organic junk.

Also the Dwarf Brazilian had its flag leaf emerge.It was hidden in the corner by leaves and suspected it was chocking so I stuck my head in there and saw the tip of the bud.Nice surprise too!

The Raja Puri and Mona Lisa are still sending large leaves out but are younger.

The first batch from the Orinoco should ripen but being July,the others are at the mercy of the weather.It'll be close.With a late winter like last year they may get pick able.

The Brazilians bud is 8 foot high.The Dwarf Orinoco's is 9'6"....to the top of the bunches stalks downward bend.Not sure what that is in metric.

The nectar really does taste like honey of some sort.It drips all over my strawberries.

The Dwarf Orinocos with their twin flowering stalks are not as productive as their single Dwarf Brazilian cousin.The first Orinoco to bloom only let the bananas get the size of a finger while its twin....on the same corm,put out regular size...6 inch fat ones...except 18 each....or one regular hand with a six finger hand below it.I cut down the original to get more energy to the flowering pup.To late I suspect.

The Dwarf brazilians bunch looks like what you see in pictures with 8 full hands with 14 fingers each.A whole lot of nanars except they are only about 6 inches long so far.Like those tiny ladyfinger you see at the store.Still early though.

I boiled the Orinoco bud after peeling it back to the pale layers and ate it like an artichoke heart.Not bad.Without the mayo it was a little bitter.

I read one can eat the center stem,I easily cut some out but it turned black before I could try it.It's like a 8 foot long white carrot or something.Food for a week if one can prepare it right.

Anyhow,one plant per corm is true.More and the nanars are small or few.