The 'Man-I'm-Glad-It's-Officially-Spring', Update:

                   

        So...What are you going to do... What can you do?

Don't just sit there and feed your bananas to the goat!

My Gosh, man, where have you been?--Well, when the LowCountry got cold, we went south.  We left Charleston on January 7 for a scheduled Winter excursion to Central America.  On the day we left, it was 21°f at our house and I knew the plants were in for a big hit.  It was not cold enough for a fatal blow, but deep damage was certain.  As Winter dragged on, I could only hand wring from afar as our 'tropical' plants were battered again and again by cold wet weather. 

I certainly believe--that this year mirrors the Winter of 2011.  My records indicate that we had cold weather well into April.  In fact, our Saba finally put out a tiny new sprig on APRIL 20, that Spring!  On our FaceBook page, I documented the phoenix-like return of the Saba Banana with "The Wednesday Afternoon Saba Report" photo album.  Here is another link: Click Me!
We just need a few 80° days to get things going.  If history repeats itself, I suspect we'll some green above ground in then next month.  Everybody relax.

So what can you do now--If you have not done so, cut away the dead parts of the plant.  I needed to cut most of mine away before I got any indication of life inside of the trunk(psuedostem).  After a normal Winter, I would not suggest such butchery.  A rotting core can spread downwards and kill what's is left of that stem.  Cut away the stink and the mush. 
Here is how I did it a few weeks ago:

 
What was I doing in Costa Rica?--Well, there was research to be done.  You may recall our camera-trap project that we initiated in the jungle last July.  We set out 12 motion activated cameras and let them snap away for 6 months.  We are in the process of cataloging our findings from the over 12,000 images.  Here is more of what we found: CLICK ME!

One night, the Kinkajou came for a banana snack.

How's it Hangin' Section
Obviously, there won't be much to see...but I ran outside and shot a few pictures. 

The Saba, working hard on a leaf.

 

Michael. my neighbor, has this new 'leaf' on his Ice Cream mat.

 

The Namwah shows a little green.

Remember, these early leaves will be shredded and ugly for the first month or so.  When you get 3 or more leaves, shredding should decline.

See you next time!

Comments are welcome.

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