Caribbean feeling in Mecklenburg: Bananenhof fully bloomed after 10 years!

Caribbean feeling in Mecklenburg: Bananenhof fully bloomed after 10 years!

in Neverin, a small town in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Falk Fuhrmann pulls all the stops to bring a real Caribbean feeling to the region. His goal? To design a flourishing banana courtyard from the home asparagus courtyard. The approach began over ten years ago when he and his son Paul were inspired by the tropical plants during their silver wedding trip to Cuba. Since then, the family has not left anything to bloom their green oasis.

The beginning was a simple banana plant from the hardware store, which has now grown impressive four meters high. Today she not only bears the title "banana palm", but also produces the first fruits that could be ripe in the next few weeks. This plant has astonishing leaves of more than two meters in length and is a real eye -catcher in the yard. It is surprising that after ten years of care she now shows her first banana flowers sitting on the four hands of the plant on which the "fingers" of the bananas grow. Falk pours the palm with two to three watering cans every day and mixes nutrients such as nettle flexes.

Challenges of banana breeding in the north

But the joy could quickly be clouded by the rough north German climate. Winter is approaching, and that means that intensive winter protection is necessary for the banana perennials. Banana plants are not fully hardy and urgently need protection to survive the cold season. Some methods that have proven themselves are the cutting of the shoots back at the hip height and the covering of the stumps with insulating materials such as styrofoam panels, wood or even old mattresses. These measures help keep the sensitive rhizome of plants from the cold.

For the hibernate, the bucket bananas have to be brought into a bright, cool room, where they are not exposed to below five degrees Celsius. The water requirement should be greatly reduced, and fertilization is also set. In this way, the plants can collect their strength and bloom again in late spring. It is also advisable to spray the plants regularly to increase the humidity and keep pests away.

The right environment for banana trees

The hardy variety "Musa Basjoo", which thrives on the mild climate of the Japanese island of Ryukyu, also places special requirements. Its natural habitat ideally offers wind -protected, sunny to partially shaded places with humus -rich, evenly damp soil - very different from the often windy and dry conditions in northern Germany. Despite its robustness, good winter protection is necessary because the plant can quickly suffer from frosty temperatures.

The Fuhrmann family believes in the success of their project. Your biggest challenge so far - the first bananas. The plants need time to grow, but with the right feeling and a portion of patience, the commitment will certainly pay off. It is only to be hoped that the strong wind will not destroy the hoped -for pride of the family. In addition to the banana palm, it is finally important to realize the dreams of a sunny vacation right on your own front door.

As the history of the Fuhrmann family shows, a piece of Caribbean can thrive even in the far north. And that is truly a message that gives hope!

Further information on banana breeding and the right winter protection can be found in detail at Nordkurier , Gartenjournal and my beautiful garden .