The Simply Bananas May 2012 Update

Well....it has been a long time coming....but here's the dang newsletter.

New Technology=New Format--The Simply Bananas non-monthly newsletter had so many subscribers that emailing it out every month/quarter became cumbersome.  The email services that I used required me to send to less than 50 email addresses per time and therefor, that became difficult.  So here we are.  You can always get info from the Simply Bananas Facebook Page page or email me at SimplyBananas1@gmail.com.

Dry--While it has been dry, it has also been windy.  Your few leaves may be torn and in some places shredded.  As long as they are green they are working for the plant, so let them be.  As new leaves arrive, they will create wind resistance and thus minimize the fraying of the lone leaves.  This is another example of how a banana mat can alter its micro climate to help with survival.

Now is the time to trim--take a pair of scissors and cut those dead leaves away.  Take them to the compost heap, the curb, or feed them back to your plants as mulch.  All the fertilizer and nutrients are still held in the the dry material and can be used by growing plants when it is broken down. 

WOW! What a Winter--We had just a few cold spells and plenty of warm sunshine. It seems like we were over due since the last few years winters really whacked our Musas pretty good.  The 'goofy' leaves are nearly finished protruding and we are back to good old regular beautiful banana leaves. 

With warm winters come big banana plants.  With big banana plants come banana flowers and then come bananas.  I've seen 2 twin edibles fruiting on Daniel Island, one Basjoo downtown and finally a Raja Puri will flower here at the Simply Bananas Banana Plantation.  We expect more...a lot more plants to fruit throughout the summer.  In fact, I will wager that 2012 will yield the most edible banana fruits of all time here in the Lowcountry.  Notify us and we'll put you in the blog or the on the Facebook page.  Fruiting plants need a little different care, so if you have a big rack of bananas on your plant, don't be afraid to drop us a note.

Daniel Island Fruits

Downtown Basjoo.

Raja Puri Bloom on James Island

Odds and Ends--I am still at the Charleston Farmer's Market(year 7!), nearly every Saturday from 8-2.  Its been great to see many of you who have stopped by to tell me about your plants.. Thanks!-- We have not moved to Costa Rica.  The farm updates and photos can be viewed at OchoVerde.com.  Here is a silly video of me taking down a huge Saba plant in Costa Rica.

Asparagus....nope...

For whatever reason, the Century Plants are preparing to bloom here in the Lowcountry.  To see pictures and find addresses check out the Lowcountry Century Plant Facebook Page.  If you know of more, add a picture and/or an address.

If you have read this far... you may want to hit the subscribe by email button at the bottom of this blog.  I likely won't be doing more than a couple updates a month.

See ya soon...perhaps in June!