jeffreyp

Hey Jeff,

Check all of my posts..I personally have NEVER insinuated that being on good eats made me a banana expert. It was a fun show to participate in, and I am glad some on the board got a chance to see it and enjoy it. Nevertheless, I'm not sure how that related to your comment "We are supposed to be sharing the knowledge we have ... not spouting off." Hmm..I kinda missed your logic on that one..Anyhow.. I DO claim to know more than the average joe about banana plants since I have been growing many different varieties for over 20 years here in south florida. 20 years is like 40 years of growing bannas for those living in northern climates (we have twice the growing season). We can grow things year round outside and make observations on our plants year round. Those living up north have a short limited growing season and this limits your overall experience. Currently I have over 20 varieties and over 300 banana plants in my yard. I have yet to see unique varieties spontaneously appear via sporting..Here's a quote from the plant breeding unit of the fao/iaea "Although spontaneous mutations have contributed to the genetic diversity of Musa and significantly increased its variation, their frequency is very low." That's why most banana plants are genetically frozen in time.

Hey I am happy for you that you can make that kind of money selling your plants...more power to you. Orinoco is commonly grown in Georgia, the Carolinas, Louisiana, etc where winter temps regularly and commonly hit the mid to high 20's. I have seen many a orinoco easily recover from winter temps in those areas thus I am not particularly convinced you have some new mysterious variety. I have even seen large stands of SABA as far north as Knoxville with fruit. That's why in my original post, I question the value in buying a 40 or maybe 60 dollar plant on ebay when the only benefit seems to be in a small geographical area in california. I have friends in louisiana and georgia who regularly get fruit off their orinocos (and these areas regularly experience freezing temps in the winter).