Bananas

[secrets in symmetry]

I work with a woman who wants to grow bananas. Is it possible to do that in Scotland without a tropical greenhouse? Has anyone tried?

[Dadie]

its a herb not a fruit!
and it would die
end off!

[secrets in symmetry]

Why would a herb die and a fruit not?

I have seen bananas growing in many commercial indoor tropical greenhouses. How hot does your greenhouse have to be before the bananas will grow?

[Dadie]

hot enough but not too hot as bananas are on the worry list in becoming extinct ....due to agriculture and overfarming and overfarming and fungi/bacteria as bananas are infertile fruits...........

[secrets in symmetry]

I saw at least twenty bananas yesterday - and not in a supermarket! Not one of them intimated that they were in danger of becoming extinct.

Nevertheless, if the situation is indeed as dire as you are perhaps suggesting, is it not incumbent on us to try to grow bananas in the County?

[Dadie]

they are dying out over natural predetators that have got one up on the nanas!
And they cant be bothered to fight back these days........

[secrets in symmetry]

Are there not brands of bananas with fight that we can bring to the County? If someone can grow those, then will all not be well?

Seriously, could we not heat tropical greenhouses with power from small windmills? It could be a major new industry for the County.

[macadamia]

I wonder if somewhere in tropical Ecuador, Colombia or the West Indies some bloke is sitting on the beach, the azure waters lapping warmly at his ankles, shaded by the wafting palm trees, thinking out loud to himself "You know, I wonder where I could get some real Scottish haggis right now"? ..........

[joxville]

I'm confused Dadie; in your first post you say it's a herb, not a fruit, then your next post says its an infertile fruit :-/

I suppose by lunchtime you'll be telling us it's a malformed coconut :-))

[John Little]

Are there not brands of bananas with fight that we can bring to the County? If someone can grow those, then will all not be well?

Seriously, could we not heat tropical greenhouses with power from small windmills? It could be a major new industry for the County.

Probably not an improbable suggestion given the use of appropriate technology...

http://www.thanetearth.com/

[ducati]

There is a surprising number of bananas here, so someone must be growing them

[sids]

If they feel the cold, give them pyjamas to wear.

[Alice in Blunderland]

If they feel the cold, give them pyjamas to wear.

What like this do you mean. It might catch on and become quite a fashion trend for bananas.

http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/16201431/Bananas+In+Pyjamas.jpg

[sids]

I work with a woman who wants to grow bananas. Is it possible to do that in Scotland without a tropical greenhouse? Has anyone tried?

She wasn't talking literally about tropical fruit you dope!

[Kodiak]

You want to grow Banana's then these links could help you.


http://www.bananalink.org.uk/how-bananas-are-grown


http://www.banana.com/farming.html


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRPVDzgaIbA

[Green_not_greed]

I work with a woman who wants to grow bananas. Is it possible to do that in Scotland without a tropical greenhouse? Has anyone tried?

The old hyrdoponicum at Achiltibuie had a banana tree, if I remember correctly. I know they are no longer in that building but it sounds like you may be able to ask them for advice

http://www.thehydroponicum.com/page.php/51/Visiting_The_Achiltibuie_Garden.html

I've not been to the new facility yet. The old one was under glass which was heavily insulated on the inside by sheets of bubblewrap. The whole project ran from locally produced power and was a real insight into what can be done in terms of renewable energy and insulation, even in the Highlands !

[Shaggy]

I hear that bananas are grown in Scotland easily.....apparently theres loads of them down in Fife.....but they have trouble keeping the geese off them so lose out a lot....

[Shaggy]

Is this SiS's new thinking cap?


http://rlv.zcache.com/kitsch_vintage_bananas_ad_banana_head_girl_speckca se-p176865745775891868bhar2_400.jpg

[George Brims]

As long as you can heat your greenhouse adequately you can grow bananas just about anywhere. In Iceland they use geothermal heat, and during the summer when they have near 24 hour daylight, the country produces more bananas than they can eat, so they actually export them.

[Rheghead]

the country produces more bananas than they can eat, so they actually export them.

That sounds like an urban myth. A quick google seems to confirm that.

[Shaggy]

Not only do Icelanders eat bananas more enthusiastically than any other country in Europe, but they grow them too. Huge reserves of geothermal energy are ideal for greenhouses and the Icelandic authorities have decided that growing bananas locally makes good sense and is environmentally a lot sounder than importing the fruit from Latin America.


No mention of exporting though only net importing of 14-15kg per capita

[Bill Fernie]

I work with a woman who wants to grow bananas. Is it possible to do that in Scotland without a tropical greenhouse? Has anyone tried?

Yes I have grown a dwarf type of Musa (banana tree). A number of years ago I was curious about this and bought some seed from Thomson and Morgan seed merchants. It is perfectly possible to grow them in a normal home with normal heating. i followed the instruction that involves a little bit of copying the conditions but replacing a flask and hot water for the tropics. This is to break down the hard exterior of the small nut like seed. The are planted after the heat treatment in a pot with polythene bag and placed in a hot airing cupboard for a few days. They will sprout and then your off. And boy do I mean off. They grow rapidly.

Change pot sizes as you need to. I gave mine away to charity for sale once they were about to hit the ceiling and had spread huge leaves out. They were perfectly healthy plants but as the packet said unlikely to bear fruit in the UK due to lack of the correct conditions. but they were nice big plants if you had room and that was the dwarf versions.

A nice experiment for anyone with children to try out and let them see how fast some things can grow.

[George Brims]

Thanks Bill, I was trying to remember the name of that seed catalogue. I used to get it when I lived in Scotland. Always fancied trying the banana plant but never got a greenhouse before fleeing the country. Here in Southern California a lot of people have the plants outdoors but periodically lose them to frost in drier winters. They're normally just a big collection of leaves and don't fruit. However a few streets away from me there's actually a plant with fruit on it. It's in a sunny corner right against a wall and with a bit of overhang to the roof, which must protect it from frost and concentrate the sun.

[Bill Fernie]

For anyone wanting to try growing a banana tree even as an ornamental plant look here for seed - http://search.thompson-morgan.com/search?w=musa

If you succeed in growing them they are much cheaper than buying the plants that can run expensive.

A Chines dwarf type is http://www.thompson-morgan.com/flowers/all-other-seeds-and-plants/foliage-seeds-and-plants/musa-lasiocarpa-chinese-yellow-banana/808TM

Keeping it pot bound may help to keep it in check. I suggest no larger than 12 inch pot but even then it might just keep growing. You need a reasonably sunny spot and plenty of space for the large leaves.

Well worth it to see the speed it grows once you get it started which is the hard part. You need a high temperature for possibly weeks or months. They are eratic. I used an airing cupboard but any place that is reasonably warm all the time and you need to check it every day to see if it has sprouted. Then take it out into the light.

[secrets in symmetry]

Thanks everyone. I didn't expect this amount of information and advice. I will pass it all on.

She makes a mean banana loaf. :cool:

[Dadie]

bill....think I will stick to cress as kids experiments go!
After the Colin the caterpillar who overwintered as a crysalis and turned into a moth....
But isnt there good heating to be gotten from having deep dung beds in trenches generating heat beside a greenhouse ...

[secrets in symmetry]

But isnt there good heating to be gotten from having deep dung beds in trenches generating heat beside a greenhouse ...Yes, especially if you like the smell of poo.

[Dadie]

tried to avoid getting into the pitfall of poo smell......
Oh well you sunk up to over the wellie tops on that one.......:lol:

[secrets in symmetry]

Waders beat wellies in the Battle of the Poo.