Author Topic: growing figs, bananas, and pineapples, citrus  (Read 3997 times)

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Ed Sutton

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growing figs, bananas, and pineapples, citrus
« on: May 22, 2010, 06:42:57 PM »
Growing figs, bananas, and pineapples, and citrus is quite a treat.  If living in a climate with warm winters - Walmart will sell growing potted figs, bananas, and citrus.  Here in Nashville TN area it is too cold in the winter outdoors, but as an indoor potted plant Lowes sells pineapples in the garden dept, and a local garden center sells dwarf jamacian red bananas.  Figs would have to be ordered from the web.

But to start "free" pinapples go to a grocery store that cuts their own pineapples, ask for a box of tops.    Twist the "meat" of the pineapple of of the top and remove 1 inch of leaves offf of the bottom end of the foilage part of the top.   Plant a few of the tops in a larger big potted citrus as kitty latrine protection, or in a pot of dirt kept moderatly moist and out of direct sunlight, a few should survive and become nice but very spiky houseplants.

Bananas love lots of water but not continually wet feet, and lots of feeding.  They will grow "pups" and fruit when mature enough if the roots stay 75 degrees F.   during fruiting season (Oct aprox. after 1 yr in northern hemisphere.)     Caution if you use a frontend loader and manure to feed a row of jamacian red bananas - instead of being 5-6 feet tall, they will be 15-20 feet tall, one fellow living near us when in southern Alabama did that and ......... zoom zoom.

Figs are different, they are light feeders and have a shallow mat of feeder roots 1-6 inches below ground. Too much nitrogen and they spike vegatation and tall non fruiting thin trunks skyward, all thin trunk, limbs, leaves, and no fruit.  Phosperous and potash and minerals feed their conditions for fruiting better once the leaves start to bud.


Some lemons and grapefruit come true from seed, it just takes longer, and grafted plants are built in with desirable characteristics.
Grateful for Psalms 32 and Titus 2:10 - The divinity of Christ is acknowledged in the unity of the children of God.  {11MR 266.2}

Richard Myers

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Re: growing figs, bananas, and pineapples, citrus
« Reply #1 on: May 23, 2010, 08:05:36 AM »
Can we harvest pineapples from our indoor plants?
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Ed Sutton

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Re: growing figs, bananas, and pineapples, citrus
« Reply #2 on: May 23, 2010, 10:25:03 AM »
Yes it fruits indoors.  ;D

After the pineapple gets big enough it will fruit, it will first send up red or purple flower which become the pineapple on top of the plant.   Keep the plant in a warm sunny place, as dropping into the 50-60's ruins the fruit.   Once the pineapple is ripe on the plant, use a welding glove for protection and with heavy bladed pruning shears or knife, seperate the fruit from the main plant, and  water/ fertilize the main plant in the pot with a phosphate rich bloom booster and let it rest where ever it grew best.  

Savor the juicy ripe homegrown pineapple, wring off the top and repeat the planting process, fresher top might have higher rate of propogation sucess.    President George Washington (or one of those early presidents ? ) used to have a pinery ( a greenhouse where he grew pineapples to serve to important guests.)  

Buy some of the big white mexican pineapples (extra sweet low acid), and if they have good tops, so much the better.
Grateful for Psalms 32 and Titus 2:10 - The divinity of Christ is acknowledged in the unity of the children of God.  {11MR 266.2}

Ed Sutton

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Re: growing figs, bananas, and pineapples, citrus
« Reply #3 on: June 02, 2010, 09:25:35 AM »
Since this thread is geared toward more tropical gardening, I will bring up elephant ears.  They are in the same family as Taro Root.    In fact to get really big elephant ears you can eat - if your supermarket has taro root, our family friend from Barbados, says buy and plant taro roots (the bigger the bulb the bigger the leaves).      In Barbados they are called eddos or etos ?   (administration.... hint I need a spell checker . PLEASE  :)    )

On to what I started this post for :  Black Elephant Ear - mine has put up 2 + big leaves this week alone.  It's still in the original pot, in 4-5 inches of water / miracle grow, inside a big plastic round tub. I need 1-2 drops of liquid dish soap in the water to cause any mosquito wigglers to drop to the bottom and drown before maturing, maybe 1/2 squirt of insecticide in the water for good measure too.  (But then be sure and DO NOT EAT THE BULB later.)     ::)

link

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If it was a larger lot in the trailer park I could plant 1 or 2 Gunnera plants ( looks like a spiney wild rhubarb but is 10-12 feet tall and much wider,  nickname is "dinosaur food"  ;D   )  They like boggy conditions too.



a german speaking link 

turn the sound off loud music but timelapse of gunnera
Grateful for Psalms 32 and Titus 2:10 - The divinity of Christ is acknowledged in the unity of the children of God.  {11MR 266.2}

Ed Sutton

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Grateful for Psalms 32 and Titus 2:10 - The divinity of Christ is acknowledged in the unity of the children of God.  {11MR 266.2}

Ed Sutton

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Re: growing figs, bananas, and pineapples, citrus
« Reply #5 on: September 07, 2010, 03:35:00 PM »

Growing lemon trees from supermarket ripe lemon seeds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B13GUBuqWjc&feature=related

time lapse lemon growth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxPA_3HGlLg&feature=related
Grateful for Psalms 32 and Titus 2:10 - The divinity of Christ is acknowledged in the unity of the children of God.  {11MR 266.2}