The heat and humidity have arrived in Houston, TX USA, and the weather feels just like summer in Okinawa. At least a month has passed since i first started tilling and enriching my Ryukyu garden bed.
So, this week i decided that it’s time…time to plant my Ito Basho seeds…i am a happy gardener…
Ito Basho (Musa balbisiana), also known as the Ryukyu Banana Fiber plant, can take weeks to months to germinate. I’ve gardened and worked the soil to make the seeds feel just like they’re at home on Okinawa Island…
However, once Ito Basho germinates, it can grow up to 2 feet per day. Hooray!
When the Ito Basho trunks are mature and cut, they exhibit a wonderful fiber spiral…
After harvest, i will process the fiber just like my mother, grandmother and great-grandmother have done so for many generations…and, i will spin, weave and make Bashofu cloth just like the generations of family before me…
Scharine Kirchoff, Fiber Artist 
love this entry…very happy nature…i also work with banana stem….i am from Malaysia…join banana.org, then find my profile ‘kom’… i am conducting research about banana stem and intend to market my idea…now searching for company to develop my product….feel free to contact me: komgringples@yahoo.com and via Facebook Kom Gringples…