5m 23s: Lenght
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A five minute look at a zone pushing subtropical garden near Cincinnati, Ohio consisting of Musa Basjoo, Mekong, Cavendish, Zebrina, Ensete maurelii & some other "mystery" naners plus castor beans and several varieties of elephant ears including Thailand & Jack's Giant. In this video, several of the Musa Basjoos had been divided up & replanted earlier that spring. The Thailand Giants(TG) also were multiplying at a rapid pace. For example, a TG shown at 2:34 was a bulb the size of a ping ball when I discovered it by a mature TG in late May. After spending a few weeks in a pot, I planted it and badda boom! The castor beans are all "volunteer" plants from the previous year. This year, the bigger ones peaked at 18' but I have had them reach 22' ! Btw, it has now been several years since I have actually sowed a castor been seed...It is amazing how fast all of these plants can grow in a single season - especially for Ohio! If you think I have great soil, think again. I only have about 6 inches of top soil then I start to hit clay... Anywhere I plant something, I have to amend the soil. I use play sand(bone dry), baled Sphagnum peat moss, fine hardwood mulch and well aged cow manure. Depending on the plant, I may amend a 1ft diameter circle or up to 3ft for bigger plants(naners). For these, I use a garden tiller. I water as needed but it's generally everyday. When planting, I mix into the soil: slow release Osmocote(flower or veg) & a very generous amount of Milorganite - shovels full per plant, then water in w/ a root stimulator fertilizer. For my established plants like Musa Basjoo, I mix or sprinkle in Milorganite(lots!), all purpose fertilizer (10-10-10 or similar) in late May & again in mid July. Most everything gets ground watered weekly w/ Miracle Grow. By mid June, I'll also fertilizer them w/ an "explosive" liquid mixture of Miracle Grow, Epsom salt, liquid root stimulator & pelletized Urea. In recent years I have been using this less & less of this mix and generally limit it to just the red bananas & "giant" elephant ears, to save time as the Musa Basjoos don't seem to care and the castor bean never get fertilizer of any kind. The only help the castor beans get is the aid of heavy duty staking for support. At various points throughout the season, bugs become an issue - first Japanese beetles then spider mites. I spray w/ Sevin and/ or neem oil as needed. Occasionally I'll get some very hungry & destructive caterpillars that I will spray or dust w/ Sevin. I think that covers it, but feel free to ask me any questions:)