Mary Diamond

Welcome to the Pub, Mr. Potato(head)! Awww, you new that was coming, didn't you? I hereby demand a PHOTO! Else you will forevermore be known as Evidence must be provided of said Chicken ~ how do you keep it from becoming Soup with all those Pirates around? Pray tell, what instrument do you play? Please don't say it is the Chicken! I'm just kidding with you - few have provided such ample opportunity for ribbing at first post - welcome aboard!

Tom, I hope you are OK! M.A.d'Dogge ~

A favor returned in kind ~

You are too kind, Caraccioli ~ truly, I am a newcomer here, to be compared to great Men such as these! I, too, am looking forward to making formal acquaintance of the many fine folk I have met here ~

Now, Patrick, all that is left to do is sew a hemp tent large enough to cover the RV, you would have the coolest digs at PiP! Seriously, way cool projects ~ can't wait to make your acquaintance (again) at PiP.

Ah, it seems I am not alone ~ Poor Chole! I am sad that so many of your envelopes were plundered, mine included! Oderlesseye ~ lovely letter, and wonderful pirate-EYE plunder to go with! Well done! Now my electric ice box is guarded by yourself ~

A warm and fuzzy Happy Easter to all ~

Ah, but a TRUE pirate wouldn't have a measly little plaque ~ WE DON' NEED NO STINKIN' PLAQUES! A TRUE pirate would have a figurehead - now THAT is something to work for! Get a Barbie, hack her up, hack her up, hack her up, Get a Barbie, and a Plank ~ Add some paint, mount her and there you have it!

OK, here goes ~ bananas love water, but hate flooding, and cannot sit in saturated soils. If your soil is not drying out, you may have a fungus attacking your banana, which may be weakened from stress (drowning). Either way, if it is a Goldfinger, I am pretty sure you would not want it to bloom/fruit. It will require more room, as it is a production banana, not an ornamental, if you plan on keeping it around a while. My experience is limited to ornamental tropicals, so I am going to recommend you contact: http://www.lightworksnursery.com/bananas.html A good article on bananas: http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/banana.html Hope this gets you on the right track!

Happy to help, Bilgemunky! If you can tell me what variety you have, I can get you very specific information ~ Generally speaking, bananas are so herbaceuos (produce so much foliage) they can benefit from being trimmed back over the winter in cold, dry climates. They will lose leaves due to a lack of humidity and to reduce the nutrional demand on the plant (unless you have high intensity grow-lights, it is unlikely you are meeting the banana's photosynthetic demands). The stub you saw was out in our attached garage until 2 weeks ago, when I brought it into the laundry. The leaves were still still tall, but long-necked, and would be prone to breaking in our wind come summer. Cutting it back ensures shorter, denser growth. My banana is a Red Abyssian Banana. You can also contact your local botanic garden to see if they have any recommendations ~

Oh, I don't know about that! Especially if I sell it to him as playing in the dirt under the sun!

Patrick, actually, I do ~ one of each! Robert (21 mos. old, my godchild) and I are getting to know each other. He thinks I am a little weird ~ that's ok, I think he's a little weird, too! He is my first up close and personal continuous child relationship, so I don't know how to make him laugh or like me as easily as other people. But I know I interest him ~ every time I am over he watches me (unnnh, on second thought, maybe he's just scared). MOVING THE BANANA PLANT This is the same banana that is cut down in the other photo, on our deck July 2003. That pot is 30" high, and weighs about 150 pounds just with dry soil. Every year until last year, I had to enlist the help to move it inside for the winter! Hubby is most happy that I dug it out and put it in plastic to overwinter this year! Caraccioli - the domestic sweet banana has been selected and propogated to encourage the "seedless" tendencies. Read "The Botany of Desire" when you get a chance ~ I think you will enjoy it! Wild bananas still have seeds. Since you are "getting into" tropicals and starting from seed: http://www.rarepalmseeds.com/index2.shtml Oderlesseye - your pirate grotto must look magnificent with the bananas! Mulch or wrap the leaves in layers of burlap to protect them during cold snaps - you will lose less foliage that way. I prefer cutting back to encourage more dense growth, but it is shorter then, which works well in our windy location.

Go to: Why do men still have nipples? I think it is the same answer ~

Bilgemunky ~ whack the plant back to about 6" - should come back strong and more dense this summer. A grow-spot bulb will really help get it to a nice size before you move it back outdoors for the summer. A high nitrogen fertilizer will also help produce lots of beautiful new foliage (and will replace nutrients lost/used last year). My 5 year old red banana (grows easily 6' every year) - I cut it down/even about 10 days ago. My pre-greenhouse area in the laundry room (tropicals + seedstarting) Caraccioli ~ I am pretty sure store bought banana seeds are sterile! So they won't germinate. Better to pick up a tropical from the local garden center this season. If you do decide to still try to germinate the seeds, pick up a Planters Pride Heated Greenhouse kit from Menards for seed starting, about $25 - it has a seed-starting trays and lid plus the heat mat, so all you need to pick up is the seed starting mix. Cheaper than ordering them online, pretty consistent 72-75 degree temps, saves you money so you can also pick up the grow-lights. By then you could have bought 2 banana plants! But growing from seed is rewarding ~ Michigan ranges from Zone 2 (Lake Michigan edge and eastern U.P.), to Zone 5 (very southern edge of Michigan) - the majority of the state is Zone 4. Good Luck!

I believe you will need a heat mat, uv light, and high humidity ~ most will require some scarification as well to break the seed coat. Do you know what variety you have? I have my red banana in the "growing room" (corner of the laundry, close to the furnace, converted to mini-greenhouse) to get it started for the season. Doing quite nicely with the hot spot light on it ~ doesn't do as well without the intense heat and light. Chicago Zone 5 ~

Unnhh, lessee, that's 600 for the fin, 500 for the paw, 100 for the eye, but his policy is overextended for the year, per his PPO (Pengiun Privateer Option).

Wow! What a topic for pirates to get involved in ~ I repeat, I am a strong supporter of the environment and conservation. I quit my high paying job in the city, and now just get by, working at a job in the green industry, where I can help educate the public. I drive a 13 year old vehicle that has always gotten 30 miles to the gallon. We recycle/reduce/re-use everything. My husband is a fleet manager in charge of 1400 vehicles - taking my cue, has converted his ENTIRE fleet to bio-diesel. Nagging pays - the garden center/landscape company I work at is going to be recycling everything (plant pots, pallets, as well as aluminum, paper and plastic) this year. The list goes on. I acknowledge that humans play a large part in the many environmental problems seen today, and am working to do my part to reduce my impact every day. However, there is a very basic rule which we humans, self-centered, short-lived and egotistical beings that we are, are forgetting: the Sun. The Earth is a living organism, of which we are a part. We need to take into consideration the Sun is going through change as well ~ some of which may impact us here on Earth, as well as other planets. But, I am not a scientist. I'm a horticulturalist, and I hope every day that, by educating the people I come into contact with, I can make a small difference to improve the way we treat the Earth.

I strongly support conservation and the environment ~ and I believe we are definitely contributing to global warming, species eradication, and waste of limited natural resources (etc.). However, I also feel global warming, like so many things, it is unlikely caused solely by human error. Have a look at the Little Ice Age (in conjunction with the Maunder Minimum - a time period of reduced sunspot activity), which covers several hundred years, occurring after a warm period - the Medieval climate optimum. Think of extremely long term weather patterns. The Earth is not as stable as we might think - events just happen on a scale which is difficult to comprehend.

I agree - John Raven McCray, most pleasing to the ear ~

^ Not since we got Diamond! She's caged in the kitchen overnight ~ < Hmmm, forgot what goes next Ok, now me n my cold tootsies are off to find my unsuspecting hubby ~ g'nite.... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZ Huh? Oh, right ~ V Favorite cheese? (mmmmmmmmm cheeeese)

^ Historical fiction (more fun to read), or Shakespeare < Wish I had 4 lifetimes to do everything I want to ~ V What are you doing still awake?

I should be able to come up with something!

Maeve, my dear! Such lovely and thoughtful plunder, with a new plunder box to boot! Perfect, as I needed a small box for all my pyrat baubles which I wear to events, so I won't keep misplacing my jewels! And the crow ~ how perfect! with the lovely baubles (the pin - oh my!) ~ a wonderful treasure indeed. Keep an eye on next weeks post for your plunder!

My goodness! What a refreshingly alternative perspective! I haven't been in pyrates long myself, but the vast majority of newcomers are in the "it sounds fun" category (myself included). You, my friend, are someone I would like to get to know better! Perhaps a new topic thread on the subject, as time permits? I, for one, would be quite interested in the mercantile aspect ~ Lead on!

Careful where you be swingin', mate. A lot of quality material was pulled together very quickly by very few, in case you didn't notice how exhausted the Archangel crew was ~ a bit of tolerance, if you please. From a marketing perspective, a bell is a very recognizable tone, which can serve to bring groups to areas for demonstrations, events, etc. i.e. "Be sure ye swabs be back when 4 bells are rung, for the attack on the fort" (or whatever). People may not have a watch, or forget the time, but they will remember when they hear the bell rung.