CaptDonI

Hey bigdog it’s so nice to meet you too. I thought this was a garden forum not a political forum. I was sorry to see you put a negative spin on my recommendation to check out the information from the Australian government website on bananas. I guess I should have said it was a good website if you are growing EDIBLE bananas in a SUBTROPICAL environment. I have been monitoring this website forum since it started and have read many recommendations that I feel are not totally accurate. I thought I could make a positive contribution to the forum by providing an information resource that was based on sound scientific research and not the anecdotal opinion from someone with limited experience growing bananas (I include myself).

Everything you said is correct about the control of homeowner grown bananas in Australia, however, you fail to mention the reason for the controls. The Australians have a considerable investment in growing bananas commercially and have put the controls you mention in place to protect that investment. I’m sure the bananas they restrict the homeowner to (7 varieties I believe) have been selected through careful research to protect the commercial crop from diseases (panama disease, black sigatoka, etc.) and at the same time will also do well in a home grown setting. It made sense to me that the cultivars recommended by the Australians should receive serious consideration as varieties that would grow well in my own zone 9 garden. I’m sure you are aware that there are agricultural growing restrictions in our own country that limit the kind of plants we can grow; an example is the severe restrictions on invasive plants in particular. These controls are very necessary and I don’t think are part of some socialist conspiracy.

Correct me if I’m wrong but I would think that the same cultural practices that are recommended by the Australian government that benefit edible bananas would also apply to ornamental musa species as well.