re: Louisiana Tropical Fruit Gardening - Experiences and Updates

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I don't know if it's possible to cut them off and ship one to you, but if it is, I would be more than happy to send one of them your way. No problem at all. You would have to help me with the packaging.

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They ship easily. You just wrap the roots in a damp paper towel, put a ziploc over the paper towel, and mail in a small box. But those are a little too small to ship IMO. Thanks for the offer!

I have maypop and dwarf palmetto seedlings to get rid of, if anyone wants them.





the maypop are sprouted roots, the sabal are transplanted seedlings. Both need moist soil and full sun. Maypop will attract the Gulf fritillary butterfly in mass quantities

In a good spot, the sabal will slowly grow into something like this

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on these trees, bananas is the goal. The two namwah have been in the ground since 6/15.

you’d know better than me but it seems like sometime after next June I should see a flower? That should be plenty of time to select another replacement pup assuming I keep these things alive?

Or is that wishful thinking?

In any event I’ll pot up whatever pups I can save for backup

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The ideal energy management setup for fruiting is only 3 stems at once. This year's fruiting stem, next year's, and a replacement.

But I wouldn't worry about that because for us timing is much more important. If you flower next July or August you likely won't have time to ripen namwah. I actually spend more time thinking about a stem's location and how easy it would be to protect. For example, if I have a big stem and a small/medium one growing right next to it, I can easily wrap both. The main thing is to preserve as many stems as you can because you never know which will be timed right. For example, if it is just about to flower and the freezes hit, the flower will probably die inside the stem. You want to it be maybe 75% of the way to flowering when the cold weather arrests the growth. Best way to ensure this is to have a bunch of stems you can easily wrap. Worry about thinning them in the spring when you know what survives winter.

a year or so ago daponch gave me several big pots of ginger rhizomes in a trade (thanks again brother). Most of them I planted and they are all growing like crazy







I ran out of places to plant and I had some roots leftover so after a few months I threw them in the back of a bed and forgot about them. The other day I noticed some orange flowers peeking thru and saw that they had sprouted. I think this is spiralis



I dug up a big clump and have some in a pot now it’s a very cool plant and once it recovers I have an awesome spot to put it in

I don’t think you do stop them, just keep cutting them off. That’s what they do. I’ve never seen anything grow so fast

Man that ginger looks great. Hoping mine will bloom next year.

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I don’t think you do stop them, just keep cutting them off. That’s what they do. I’ve never seen anything grow so fast

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Gotta be honest, it is kind of fun pretending to be a ninja when I take a machete to them.

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That's just what real growers do to force large racks.

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So I have this house close to me and I’ve never noticed this massive thing hanging from their oak tree but it is a damn monster. The photo honestly does not do justice on how freaking big this hanging plant is.


I swear on my expensive tequila that this thing is half the size of my truck. I have non idea what the hell it is.

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Looks like a staghorn fern
And a very very large one lol

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Id love to get out there and stand beside it for a picture so people know I am not bullshitting. That thing is massive. And I have probably driven by it for 3 years and never noticed it.


Im new to all these plants but that thing is HUGE. Just hanging on chain from a limb on the big oak.