Preparing for the change
As fall continues to settle, we are making the last few changes to the farm to get ready for next year. When we moved into our new home, we took on all its glory, challenges and uniqueness in stride. The home was built in the late 1800’s, which despite many modern repairs over the years has retained much of its classical charm. The 1+ acre land had dozens of unique trees, grasses and features. We have restored what we could and removed what needed to go. One of the best features was a small grove of banana trees. Yes, I know that that banana aren’t really trees, but the cluster brought me back to the Island of Jamaica where I lived for two years in my early 20’s. So, they have always been dear to me. To keep them alive in southern Ohio we had to cut down our banana tree forest.
We enlisted the help of some teenagers cut them to about 2-4 inches from the ground. Not surprisingly the young men took great pleasure in the exercise. They welded their machetes like great swords of old, cutting through the endless hordes of the great zombies. Only after did they ask, “Why are we doing this?” The answer came easily. Like many tropical and Mediterranean plants banana trees cannot handle the cold too well. Once frozen, the tops of the plants will begin to rot, which places the roots in jeopardy. So, we cut down the tops and cover the remaining in 6 -10 inches of leaf mulch and plastic.
Then next year they will spring up and double their number. This expansion will allow us to move many of the pups (what baby banana trees are called) and plant them elsewhere. A variation of this will be repeated for our fig trees, and other plants.
I am reminded of a conversation had with one of my Drills. A soldier asked why the Drills are so hard on use if they wanted use to stay in. He replied that they didn’t want us, but what we would become once conditioned and trained. Much like the plants we are preparing for next year, we were trained, cut down, buried them and then encourage them to grow. Then, and only then, did we become valuable in our Drills, commanders and fellows in the fox hole. So, will these banana trees be ready to replant and grow anew next year? I hope so, it is a thing I look forward to. Something I hope to share with all those that buy a tree in 2023.