I purchased a Ensete Ventricosum Maurelii off eBay (not from Sandy) and I'll admit so far I have yet to be impressed with it. Okay – maybe not as large as my cement planter is possible for some folks, but remember the plant gets big, so you want a good sized pot, not only to give it a nice soil environment, but because a large pot will hold down a large plant well in the winds and will require less watering because it won’t dry out as fast as smaller pots. They are crossed by a … The Red Abyssinian Banana is a cultivar of the False Banana or Abyssinian Banana, Ensete ventricosum. Hardiness zone 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b. Ensete maurelii only flowers in tropical climates, with more than a year of sustained hot weather and uninterrupted growth. This plant likes good consistent moisture, and in my large cement planter this was never a problem because it is so large, it holds the moisture well. ( Log Out /  I'd love to help my basjoos out too. Heck, I'm considering bringing my basjoos in (potting them) this year, because they're quite small...and not sure if they can handle a zone 5 winter this year, even protected. You can see I have many elephant ears and perennials planted around it. At the end of the season, I took a photo from the other side of the deck. It will remain there until Memorial Day weekend when all chances of frost have past. http://www.cathytesta.com I took a sharp clean kitchen knife and sliced it off very carefully. Looks like you are zone 7b – These do not over make it thru winters in that zone. We have long been amazed by Ensete maurelii, an outstanding ornamental banana from the high mountains of East Africa. Someday he’ll look back at this photo and say his Aunt was nuts about plants. Thanked 845 Times in 361 Posts. When you bring them in, keep a close eye out for spider mites. Benefits from frequent light applications of liquid fertilizer. Ensete ventricosum plants should regrow quickly from late-spring onwards. maurelii are easy in pots. Was I live in Omaha where as you know gets pretty cold winters and am planning on over wintering mine inside and hopefully keep it alive and growing throughout the winter. Ensete ventricosum can be grown from seed. Using Milorganite on Bananas-For the Ultimate Growth! musa ensete 'maurellii' We're not entirely sure that anyone knows what the correct name for this plant is but we call it the red leafed version ('Maurellii') of Ensete ventricosum. These are effectively clones, keeping the characteristics of the parent. I’m going to call you ! Due to our Covid year, as you may already know, all my workshops have been cancelled this year (2020). Ensete Maurellii is a huge banana cousin. When sitting outside there is probably other bugs in there besides spider mites that I don't want in the house. My maurelli is now putting out new leaves, its been pretty dry but frost free, my basjoos, in pots, seemed unhappy being dry, even though just frost free. Thanks, I'll check out your photos! Hardiness zone 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b. How to Determine which Plants to Bring Inside, 3 Signs it is Time to Move your Plants In. Was Jul 24, 2018 - Ensete maurelii aka Red Abyssinian Banana Tree. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. And while it may look tattered, not to worry, it will perk up and look better in no time. She lives in Connecticut also. So it'll be do-able to bring it in potted. Sasha, I LOVE the pot you have your maurelii in, it's beautiful! November is a good time to clean up the house while we plan for Thanksgiving with our small groups of friends and family, which will be the case for the Christmas Holidays as well. Growing to only 10' tall in temperate climates (20' tall in tropical areas), Ensete maurelii makes a superb ornamental for the summer border. The most ornamental characteristic is that the foliage is flushed with burgundy, especially concentrated as the new growth emerges. Adequate coloration depends on getting plenty of sunlight, so expect it to redden up in the summer. In autumn, cut the plants down and either dig them up and transfer them into pots, which you can move indoors until late spring. By the way, Ensete ventricosum are referred to as “look-alike” banana plants because they are similar to the Musa genus but not part of the Musa genus. And one other note, there were some outer sections which had some mold or fungus on it, where you can see the whitish area in these following photos. Ensete ‘Maurelii’ (Red Abyssinian Banana) – Ensete is native to Ethiopia and is a popular choice for creating tropical effects in ornamental plantings. Each leaf can reach gigantic proportions of … This beautiful perennial shrub is very similar to the banana tree, its close relative. We both were very happy to see the lush growth of our plantings. My love started with palm trees.... through those (which I haven't begun with yet...not ready to do the lights/heating and covering thing! Article by Dan-Debbie Leslie. The summer plant has the tendency to be transplanted multiple times, often 3 to 4 times; depending on the region it is planted. I don’t want rot to set in now that I have it alive and revived again. Have to admit, I'm not familiar with perlite, never used it...but will get informed on that now! They are the worst pest on ensete. I'm doing some looking on the milorganite....y'all must order it somewhere, as I looked on the website for distributers in WI, and there was only one, and it's quite a distance from me. So recently, I went down to my basement to check on the box. Generally, the ensete maurelii plant is transplanted yearly into new pots, until they are finally ready to be cultivated in the field, where they stay until harvest. She does garden maintenance, and was excited about her red banana plants last year too. As I mentioned, in my blog post last fall about how to overwinter (store) a red banana plant, I took photos of the plant repeatedly last season. It is beneficial if your Ensete has a couple of weeks to establish itself in its new home before things turn nasty. Grows in Sun to Part Sun. Reaching a mature height of 3m, Ensete 'Maurelii' is a striking exotic evergreen. As you can see, the leaves began to rise. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Planting in a container automatically elevates the pseudo-trunk more into direct view, and it's colorful and thick enough to deserve that prominence. ( Log Out /  The red form is called Ensete ventricosum maurelii and is prized for its red-tinged leaves. However, I am offering custom orders and holiday greens in late November. Red pelargonium in blue pots, Ensete 'Maurelii' Explore KarlGercens.com GARDEN LECTURES' photos on Flickr. If they do come back, spray it again. It happened to be a beautiful sunny day so my juices got going to get this baby into a better environment, and I watered it lightly again. Thanked 117 Times in 64 Posts. I also found the spot where it was placed to be a nice private place to sit and have a cocktail in the summer. The next day, I carried it upstairs to a room so it could get warmer conditions and some soft light. Supplied in a 1L pots, 30-40cm tall, ready to grow away quickly in Summer. It was a new experience for them to see a tropical plant produce fruit in their home. Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii' is almost impossible to overfeed or overwater when actively growing, these monsters repay your efforts in this direction with vigorous growth, sometimes making a new 2.5m leaf each week! Thanked 186 Times in 60 Posts,