COLD DARK ROOM

K8E K

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Apr 25, 2017
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91
Location (City and/or State)
N. CA
I wish I could

I wish I could grow some successfully
I had some tiny little things I was going to have as a houseplant, but was killing them off one by one. So by the last one, I figured, eh, I'll just throw it in the chicken coop so it can have a nice death (well, really, so I don't have to watch it die...). 10 years later it's almost as tall as our house. Stinker.
 

CarolM

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Oct 30, 2017
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19,492
Location (City and/or State)
South Africa - Cape Town
I had some tiny little things I was going to have as a houseplant, but was killing them off one by one. So by the last one, I figured, eh, I'll just throw it in the chicken coop so it can have a nice death (well, really, so I don't have to watch it die...). 10 years later it's almost as tall as our house. Stinker.
It obviously likes the compost from the chickens. But I am like that, not very successful with plants in pots. Some do work for me, but most of my plants do so much better when I plant them into the ground.
 

CarolM

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Oct 30, 2017
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South Africa - Cape Town
And Good Morning to one and All,

It is a beautiful sunny (but Cold) day here in SA.

I have got great news, we are getting the bearded Dragon so @Pastel Tortie I am going to need those tips on care. It is a boy and his name is Phoenix. Phoenix is brumating at the moment though. So although we will get him on the weekend, we will obviously not be able to handle him very much, as I don't want to disturb his brumation too much. But I am so excited and Jarrod is very excited as well. Phoenix will be staying in Jarrod's room, as the dogs etc, are not allowed in there, and due to the fact that Phoenix's cage is a low cage, it will be better if he is in Jarrod's room away from the other animals.

And I am still waiting for Cape Nature Reserve to give me my transport permit so that I can get my crested gecko. Ooh lots going on in my house. Today at lunch time I will be going to the local pet store to buy some dubia roaches and crickets so that I can start a colony and breed my own for my new family members. So @Pastel Tortie if you have any tips on that as well I would appreciate that too.

Anyway, Here's to hoping and wishing you all a beautiful, healthy, safe and sane day.
 

Ray--Opo

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Palm Bay Fl
Bananas are loving the heat & the 10 gallons or so of water I provide daily...as my wife says “self inflicted”...
Here you can see the large pot i have them in. When Frost comes, i cut them back & drag into the garage.
View attachment 300087
Here is my banana tree. 6 years old and used to be 6' tall.? It was down to one leaf. So 2 weeks ago replanted with better soil. The last leaf died and this is the new growth. Hopefully it might grow. ?
 

Maro2Bear

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Glenn Dale, Maryland, USA
Mark, do your banana trees produce fruit?
If so,have you heard that after the tree produces fruit. Your supposed to cut the tree back?
A friend of mine banana tree produced fruit once and that's it. I did some research for her but got mixed messages on cutting back or not.

Yes, if you see my banana grove, there are multiple stalks maybe 7 or 8. Some new, some 3 or 4 years old, one fruiting. The fruiting one will allegedly die once it flowers & fruits like this. But, they push more new baby stalks up, it’s a continual process. I can actually see one new baby stalk pushing up through the mulch.

The “fruit” on ours is more ornamental vice edible. I could/should probably trim the flower as soon as it forms but it’s fun to watch it grow. The buds are very unique & obvious compared to normal leaves.

I cut them all back in Fall once frost hits so that they will fit into our garage. Sooooo, the trick is to not have just one stalk. But, mother nature helps out with that -

Some info -
➡️ Bananas grow from a central corm (rhizome). In nature the parent plant dies back after producing fruit and its offspring shoot up from the corm to take its place.

➡️ This growth pattern, allows the plants to grow in small groves, the way nature intended. They need the shelter of one another as protection against wind and sun. Allowing them to grow in small groups helps them make the most of available nutrients.

➡️ This also helps create the humidity needed in order to thrive. Growing together in small clumps helps to protect banana plants against extremes of heat and cold, periods of drought and excessive exposure. This is essential in keeping them healthy and happy.
 

Maro2Bear

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Glenn Dale, Maryland, USA
I had some tiny little things I was going to have as a houseplant, but was killing them off one by one. So by the last one, I figured, eh, I'll just throw it in the chicken coop so it can have a nice death (well, really, so I don't have to watch it die...). 10 years later it's almost as tall as our house. Stinker.

They need lots of water, feed & compost. Your chicken coop provided the compost & fert. I guess it rained a lot too.
 

Ray--Opo

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Joined
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Messages
7,017
Location (City and/or State)
Palm Bay Fl
Yes, if you see my banana grove, there are multiple stalks maybe 7 or 8. Some new, some 3 or 4 years old, one fruiting. The fruiting one will allegedly die once it flowers & fruits like this. But, they push more new baby stalks up, it’s a continual process. I can actually see one new baby stalk pushing up through the mulch.

The “fruit” on ours is more ornamental vice edible. I could/should probably trim the flower as soon as it forms but it’s fun to watch it grow. The buds are very unique & obvious compared to normal leaves.

I cut them all back in Fall once frost hits so that they will fit into our garage. Sooooo, the trick is to not have just one stalk. But, mother nature helps out with that -

Some info -
➡ Bananas grow from a central corm (rhizome). In nature the parent plant dies back after producing fruit and its offspring shoot up from the corm to take its place.

➡ This growth pattern, allows the plants to grow in small groves, the way nature intended. They need the shelter of one another as protection against wind and sun. Allowing them to grow in small groups helps them make the most of available nutrients.

➡ This also helps create the humidity needed in order to thrive. Growing together in small clumps helps to protect banana plants against extremes of heat and cold, periods of drought and excessive exposure. This is essential in keeping them healthy and happy.
Thanks for all that info. Sounds like I need to get a few more. For them to grow healthy.
 

Chubbs the tegu

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May 9, 2019
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Ma
And Good Morning to one and All,

It is a beautiful sunny (but Cold) day here in SA.

I have got great news, we are getting the bearded Dragon so @Pastel Tortie I am going to need those tips on care. It is a boy and his name is Phoenix. Phoenix is brumating at the moment though. So although we will get him on the weekend, we will obviously not be able to handle him very much, as I don't want to disturb his brumation too much. But I am so excited and Jarrod is very excited as well. Phoenix will be staying in Jarrod's room, as the dogs etc, are not allowed in there, and due to the fact that Phoenix's cage is a low cage, it will be better if he is in Jarrod's room away from the other animals.

And I am still waiting for Cape Nature Reserve to give me my transport permit so that I can get my crested gecko. Ooh lots going on in my house. Today at lunch time I will be going to the local pet store to buy some dubia roaches and crickets so that I can start a colony and breed my own for my new family members. So @Pastel Tortie if you have any tips on that as well I would appreciate that too.

Anyway, Here's to hoping and wishing you all a beautiful, healthy, safe and sane day.
Congrats! I never had a beardie that brumated
 

Pastel Tortie

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North Florida
And Good Morning to one and All,

It is a beautiful sunny (but Cold) day here in SA.

I have got great news, we are getting the bearded Dragon so @Pastel Tortie I am going to need those tips on care. It is a boy and his name is Phoenix. Phoenix is brumating at the moment though. So although we will get him on the weekend, we will obviously not be able to handle him very much, as I don't want to disturb his brumation too much. But I am so excited and Jarrod is very excited as well. Phoenix will be staying in Jarrod's room, as the dogs etc, are not allowed in there, and due to the fact that Phoenix's cage is a low cage, it will be better if he is in Jarrod's room away from the other animals.

And I am still waiting for Cape Nature Reserve to give me my transport permit so that I can get my crested gecko. Ooh lots going on in my house. Today at lunch time I will be going to the local pet store to buy some dubia roaches and crickets so that I can start a colony and breed my own for my new family members. So @Pastel Tortie if you have any tips on that as well I would appreciate that too.

Anyway, Here's to hoping and wishing you all a beautiful, healthy, safe and sane day.
See if Phoenix (bearded dragon) will actually eat the feeder invertebrates before you start a colony. Especially if you're thinking about crickets. Our male beardie (Indominus) decided a while back (after he reached his full size) that crickets just weren't worth eating anymore. Apparently the small ones were too much work for too little substance, and the big ones are all exoskeleton, so he wasn't interested in eating them anymore. I think Red Lady came to a similar conclusion around the end of last year.

I haven't tried roaches with any of my crew, but I've heard that beardies tend to like them. At least they're quiet compared to the crickets. If sanity is a factor, go with the dubia colony instead of the crickets.
 

Pastel Tortie

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Unfortunately, my bearded dragon breeder doesn't have her care sheet on her website proper. I believe this is the one she recommends for bearded dragon nutrition information: http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

By the way... There is a sister forum to TFO on bearded dragons. I haven't been on it in quite a while, and it was fairly quiet the last time I checked. Honestly, if I had a specific bearded dragon question, I'd most likely post it in the lizard section here on the TFO. Our members deal with such a wide variety of species and come up with incredibly creative solutions. I'm admittedly biased, but I think we have a broader (and deeper, in many regards) knowledge base here than would be available elsewhere.
 

K8E K

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Joined
Apr 25, 2017
Messages
91
Location (City and/or State)
N. CA
It obviously likes the compost from the chickens. But I am like that, not very successful with plants in pots. Some do work for me, but most of my plants do so much better when I plant them into the ground.
Yeah, we're on an island and the dirt is super sandy, I think that's the one spot they get some nutrients. We get about 22" of rain a year, so maybe not as much as they might like, we get about five bunches of little bananas a year. I don't remember what variety they are...
 
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