The Post Summer slash Fall Newsletter

 

See....they really do eat Bananas!***See below

While we were monkeying around...the summer passed us by!  Well, of course, that is perfectly normal. We head into shorter days and cooler temperatures.  We can still enjoy the bananas plants for perhaps a couple of months. 

Preparing for Winter--Around this time of year, I usually start getting email about banana protection during the cold.  My mantra...is "Mulch".  Sure, you can wrap the stem in burlap and c-7 Christmas lights, but I don't really think it is necessary. That certainly won't save the leaves from a frost and it won't prevent the trunk from freezing should we have severe cold temps.  The best thing that you can do is mulch around the base of your plants with free grass clippings or leaves.  Heavy mulching will provide protection that has been adequate here in the LowCountry. Cut brown/drooping leaves if they offend you or leave them attacthed for unsightly pseudo stem protection until Spring.  Remember...never run with a machete:

All you need to know in 45 seconds!

3+ inches or 8+centimeters of rain the last few days of September

Typically... and I say, typically--in the absence of tropical disturbances, September is one of the drier months. This September has been an exception. I have personally emptied over 4 inches of water from my rain gauge twice this September.  Even more remarkable than the rainfall is the lack of clear skies this month.  Never have I seen so few sunny days in a month's time.  What does this mean for bananas?  It means that entering the Winter the p-stems will be full of water.  Water and potentially ice can act as insulation for the core from freezing temperatures.  This, of course, is a key necessity in fruit production for our area.  Barring an extreme Winter, fruit production should rebound in the Summer of 2015.
 

Tropical Iguana visiting the Simply Bananas stand in Marion Square

Season 8 was really Great--Simply Bananas has now completed 8 seasons at the Charleston Farmer's Market, one of the top farmers markets in the country.  We always enjoy 'talking bananas' with everyone who stops by.  Thank you for making season 8 so fine, and we'll see you in April for season nine!




This Space Intentionally Left Blank






A dramatic pause...








.. for the incredibly anti-climactic How's It Hangin' Section!

'Wild' Orinocos from abandoned house on Edisto's Big Bay Creek

 

Ben's Bananas from Downtown Charleston

Ornamental Bordelon from here on James Island

Well, that will do it for this edition. Remember that if you have questions or concerns about bananas, I am easy to contact.
You can reach me on the Simply Bananas Facebook Page,
by the comment box below, or via email.

***This photo is from our Trail Camera Project in Costa Rica.  
See more pictures by clicking here:
Rainforest Animals on Trail Cams.