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View Full Version : First taste of SH 3640 - Wow!


bananimal
12-10-2011, 04:21 PM
The SH 3640 bunch had finished ripening when I returned from Orlando yesterday.

Had a few with breakfast, and I must say - this one is definitely a keeper.

Now I know what NANAMAN was talking about. Fantastic texture and taste.

Everybody --- you got to get you one of these SH 3640's!

Tastes better than most.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=47161&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=47161&ppuser=820)

Jack Daw
12-10-2011, 05:04 PM
The SH 3640 bunch had finished ripening when I returned from Orlando yesterday.

Had a few with breakfast, and I must say - this one is definitely a keeper.

Now I know what NANAMAN was talking about. Fantastic texture and taste.

Everybody --- you got to get you one of these SH 3640's!

Tastes better than most.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=47161&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=47161&ppuser=820)
First I've got to get myself a farm in the tropics. Then SH-3640. :)
But it's on my list. ;) This is one of the Honduras cultivars, right?
Did it have any struggling in Florida? How many hands did it yield?

Worm_Farmer
12-10-2011, 05:34 PM
Very nice picture, how fast did they all turn yellow?

bananimal
12-10-2011, 09:30 PM
Mike ------- They went from all green to all yellow in 5 days. They were hanging in the house for 2 weeks still green.

Jack --------- It's a Honduras standard hybrid. Has been thru trials in many countries. This first bunch had only 5 hands. It went thru 2 short freezes last winter and still produced a bunch. I attribute that to a change over to a new Ag supplier fertilizer blend 6-3-16. The take over pup, right now, has 3 inches on the caliper of the one that fruited and I expect better results if it makes it thru this winter.

The thing that also makes me optimistic for next year is I'm changing over to organic chicken litter as the main fertilizer. Another new discovery. And it's almost half the cost of the 6-3-16. We will see.

momoese
12-10-2011, 11:29 PM
But does it taste like chicken? :ha:

DoctorSteve
12-11-2011, 01:28 AM
Is it better than goldfinger?

Worm_Farmer
12-11-2011, 12:02 PM
I did not know we have a Chicken farm in the area. Where are you finding it? From what I read, it would make good worm food. Just gotta find a local source.

Natureboy
12-11-2011, 04:46 PM
Dan, how's the "cool-tolerance" in your experience (perhaps compared to Goldfinger or D. Namwah)? I haven't found much descriptive info on SH 3640.

bananimal
12-11-2011, 06:46 PM
But does it taste like chicken? :ha:

Yeah ---------- if you favor the posterior parts. :2725:


Dan, how's the "cool-tolerance" in your experience (perhaps compared to Goldfinger or D. Namwah)? I haven't found much descriptive info on SH 3640.

Just as good if not better. There is mention of it's cool tolerance in some of the trial data. It also flowers earlier thus avoiding the winter zap. It also has thicker skin than Gfinger, so no splitting. After a few more tastes I think I may rate it above FHIA 1. And that's saying something, since Gfinger has been my best performer/taster to date.

Richard
12-13-2011, 05:51 PM
The SH 3640 bunch had finished ripening when I returned from Orlando yesterday.
Had a few with breakfast, and I must say - this one is definitely a keeper.
Now I know what NANAMAN was talking about. Fantastic texture and taste.
Everybody --- you got to get you one of these SH 3640's!
Tastes better than most.


If Bioversity International is correct, the pedigree of SH-3640 (http://platforms.inibap.org/cultivars/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=118) it is a AAAB quadriploid with a pedigree of AAB Pome cv. Prata Ana x SH-3393.

I'm probably going to love it. So far the fruits I've tried of AAB cultivars are my favorites. I'm guessing the balbisiana influence gives it a bit more fruity taste.

bananimal
12-14-2011, 12:47 AM
I did not know we have a Chicken farm in the area. Where are you finding it? From what I read, it would make good worm food. Just gotta find a local source.

The stuff I'm using now is made by Purdue AgriRecycle division. Two versions. Microstart 60 is 3-2-3 with minors for bananas, tomatoes, peppers, etc - all veggies.
Microstart 60 Plus is 7-2-2 with feathermeal for trees - avocado, peach, citrus, persimmon, etc.

Our local supplier is Diamond R in Ft Pierce. Microstart 60 is like 14 bucks for 50 lbs and Microstart 60 Plus is about double that for 50 lbs. Diamond R processes and rebags after they add cytasin and yucca. You won't see the Purdue name on the bag. You won't see cytasin or yucca printed either - just the code word organisan. Great price for great stuff.

I hear Homeless Depot and Lowes are also selling chicken litter in some locations under the name Cockadoodle Doo.

Another manuf is selling stuff called Chickity Doo.

Richard
12-14-2011, 01:11 AM
The stuff I'm using now is made by Purdue AgriRecycle division. Two versions. Microstart 60 is 3-2-3 with minors for bananas, tomatoes, peppers, etc - all veggies.
Microstart 60 Plus is 7-2-2 with feathermeal for trees - avocado, peach, citrus, persimmon, etc.

The Microstart 60 is too low in potash for the listed plants. It should be supplemented with additional potash to achieve a net NPK of 3-2-4.5.
I would not use this formula on leafy veggies (e.g., lettuce, kale) it will cause them to bolt early.

The Microstart 60 Plus is also too low in potash. Add a potassium supplement to achieve:
For avocado, citrus, mango, and other near tropicals: 7-2-4.7
For persimmon, apple, pear, peach, and other pit fruits: 7-2-10.5.
In either case, use a maximum of 14.25 lbs per 5-yearold tree per year.

venturabananas
12-14-2011, 03:34 AM
SH 3640 is a half sib to both FHIA 1 and 18, which are full sibs. All three share dwarf Brazilian (Prata Ana) as their mother. Since I like dwarf Brazilian, FHIA 1, and FHIA 18, I'd have to think I'd like SH 3640, too, but I haven't tried it. Pitangadiego told me something along the lines of "if you already have FHIA 1 and 18, it's probably not worth devoting space to SH 3640 because it is so similar to them."

bananimal
12-14-2011, 08:36 AM
The Microstart 60 is too low in potash for the listed plants. It should be supplemented with additional potash to achieve a net NPK of 3-2-4.5.
I would not use this formula on leafy veggies (e.g., lettuce, kale) it will cause them to bolt early.

The Microstart 60 Plus is also too low in potash. Add a potassium supplement to achieve:
For avocado, citrus, mango, and other near tropicals: 7-2-4.7
For persimmon, apple, pear, peach, and other pit fruits: 7-2-10.5.
In either case, use a maximum of 14.25 lbs per 5-yearold tree per year.

Richard --------- I'm doing just that - adding potassium supplement with the higher K ratio 6-3-16. I don't bother with lettuce or kale anymore but I do know that my certif organic farm guy grows lots of leafy stuff with chicken 3-2-3. I'll ask about bolting. And his tomatoes are awesome. Especially the grafted ones with disease resistant rootstock. Those are part of a USDA trial run. All veggies are planted in raised beds in 100% compost in greenhouses.

Everything really changed for me when I found an Ag supplier with very affordable ferts close to home. Gotta be practical.

The rate recommended for the naners for 3-2-3 is 2 cups per mat every 2 weeks from March till end of Nov. Supplemented with K.

Richard
12-14-2011, 11:53 AM
Everything really changed for me when I found an Ag supplier with very affordable ferts close to home. Gotta be practical.


I agree.

Here's a way to be more practical. Your fruiting vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, bananas) and your pit and pome fruits (apples, pears, peaches, plums) all perform best with N to K ratios of 1 to 1.5. So you only need one of the 3-2-3 or 7-2-2, plus a potassium supplement. I would choose the 7-2-2 because your near-tropicals (citrus, avocado, etc.) would prefer the lower N to P ratio.

Fertilizer should be applied by weight, not volume unless someone has pre-calculated the volume knowing the density of the fertilizer.

To get a suitable mixture for your fruiting vegetables and deciduous fruit trees: for each 1 lb of 7-2-2 add 1+1/3 lbs of 6-3-16. This yields a mix that has an approximate N-P-K of 6.4-2.6-10 -- which has an N to K ratio of 1 to 1.5.

To get a mixture for your near-tropicals: for each 1 lb of 7-2-2 add 0.2 lbs of 6-3-16 to achieve approximately 6.8-2.2-4.3 -- which has an N to K ratio of 1 to 2/3.

In both cases (deciduous and near-tropical), the nominal application rate of these mixtures per 5-yearold tree is 7 lbs per tree per year, with a maximum rate of 14.5 lbs per year. This maximum is based on the trees' capacity for nutrients, and still way below toxicity.

Caloosamusa
12-14-2011, 12:02 PM
SH-3640 in SW FL grows more vigorously than does FHIA-1 & FHIA-18. The fruit tastes wonderful, with each pseudostem producing eight hands, each with 13 large fingers. Did I mention how good they taste? Much better tasting than FHIA-1 or 18, with much larger fruit than FHIA 1,(Length and width) (wider than FHIA-18).

SH 3640 takes cold temperatures much better than Dwarf Namwa and Goldfinger (FHIA-1). :jalapenonaner:

venturabananas
12-14-2011, 12:06 PM
Richard, don't these rates, especially the maximum rates, ignore the fact that your native soil also is probably providing some of these nutrients? For example, if you were working the piece of land that Nick has been working and you followed these recommendations, you'd be overdoing it on N because that soil is already so N-rich? If you were growing fruits for a living, wouldn't do a soil test and then decide what you needed to add?

venturabananas
12-14-2011, 12:16 PM
Thanks Caloosa. Your raves about SH-3640 were one of the reasons why I've been interested in them. I wonder how much your results are specific to where you are growing them. In a study done in the Philippines, SH-3640 and FHIA-1 were about equally productive (bunch weight and time to harvest). FHIA-18 was a little less productive in both both weight and longer time harvest. I wonder if SH-3640 prefers a little more warmth than FHIA 1 and 18, which would make it better for you and worse for us here in cooler CA. I definitely want to try SH-3640 at some point, but I just don't have the space now.

Richard
12-14-2011, 02:55 PM
Richard, don't these rates, especially the maximum rates, ignore the fact that your native soil also is probably providing some of these nutrients? For example, if you were working the piece of land that Nick has been working and you followed these recommendations, you'd be overdoing it on N because that soil is already so N-rich? If you were growing fruits for a living, wouldn't do a soil test and then decide what you needed to add?

The amounts I'm specifying are yearly consumption.

A five year-old under-fed fruit tree will have consumed all but trace amounts of N-P-K in the soil at root contact.

If I was growing fruits for a living, I would do soil tests before planting, then bring the soil up to balanced proportions (including micros and organics), then plant, and then apply the the above ratios of N:P:K in a complete fertilizer. I would also apply supplements at key times of the year.

As for the fruiting vegetables growing in the straight compost mix, we already know that each of the N, P, K provided by the compost will be less than 1%. So again the above ratios of N:P:K are appropriate.

Straight compost is better than some choices, but it is not a media I would choose for fruiting vegetables. The plants would do better if there was horticultural sand and either perlite or crushed rock pumice (1/4 inch) in the mix.

If I were growing tomatoes hydroponically, I would grow determinant varieties in a compact form. For this purpose N:P:K ratios of 4:4:7 are better suited.

bananimal
12-14-2011, 08:28 PM
SH-3640 in SW FL grows more vigorously than does FHIA-1 & FHIA-18. The fruit tastes wonderful, with each pseudostem producing eight hands, each with 13 large fingers. Did I mention how good they taste? Much better tasting than FHIA-1 or 18, with much larger fruit than FHIA 1,(Length and width) (wider than FHIA-18).

SH 3640 takes cold temperatures much better than Dwarf Namwa and Goldfinger (FHIA-1). :jalapenonaner:

Ken ----- Thanks -- I'm finding out later than you -- and I now agree with everything you said. :08:

The rest of the bunch that couldn't be eaten in time just went in the freezer.

Dan

Richard
12-14-2011, 09:45 PM
... SH 3640 takes cold temperatures much better than Dwarf Namwa and Goldfinger (FHIA-1). :jalapenonaner:

Really! That's outstanding. My Dwarf Namwa and Goldfinger grow slower during our "winter", but do not stop like some of the other cultivars. So the SH 3640 should power on through!

harveyc
12-15-2011, 02:13 AM
I've had SH-3640 for about three years but it has not done very well for me and it seems (to me) to be less cold tolerant than Dwarf Namwah. The first year the main plant had grown to 4-5 feet tall but died but a pup sprouted in the spring. It grew somewhat slowly last year and it did make it through last winter but never got very vigorous this year, though part of that is probably because it ended up getting shaded by larger banana plants that are nearby. Guess I'll try moving it in the spring.

bananimal
12-15-2011, 08:49 AM
I've had SH-3640 for about three years but it has not done very well for me and it seems (to me) to be less cold tolerant than Dwarf Namwah. The first year the main plant had grown to 4-5 feet tall but died but a pup sprouted in the spring. It grew somewhat slowly last year and it did make it through last winter but never got very vigorous this year, though part of that is probably because it ended up getting shaded by larger banana plants that are nearby. Guess I'll try moving it in the spring.

Harvey ----- My SH 3640's track record was exactly the same as yours for first and second year. But that all changed after I did a mycorrhizae drench early the 2nd year. This is the 3rd year and first fruit/small bunch. Months after the drench the mat shot a very robust pup that has a much bigger caliper now and is taller. I expect a better bunch in 2012. Same for D la L.

Have seen similar myco effect on everything else except one of the 2 Ae Ae. The wimpy one will be relocated and the robust one should fruit soon. The PK is bigger that it ever grew before and will fruit eventually.

Darkman
12-17-2011, 10:12 PM
SH-3640 in SW FL grows more vigorously than does FHIA-1 & FHIA-18. The fruit tastes wonderful, with each pseudostem producing eight hands, each with 13 large fingers. Did I mention how good they taste? Much better tasting than FHIA-1 or 18, with much larger fruit than FHIA 1,(Length and width) (wider than FHIA-18).

SH 3640 takes cold temperatures much better than Dwarf Namwa and Goldfinger (FHIA-1). :jalapenonaner:

I'll be looking forward to trying this one. It will just have to wait a bit as I have too many trials going on right now.

Caloosamusa
12-19-2011, 09:55 AM
I would post some really good pictures of the Two bunches I have growing, but pictures do not upload. One bunch will be harvested in the next few days. Merry Christmas!! :jalapenonaner:

robguz24
12-19-2011, 04:31 PM
I couldn't upload pictures either. Then I resized them so they were all under 1 MB and then they uploaded fine.

Darkman
12-19-2011, 04:49 PM
I have not had to resize photos and some of mine were over 3mb.

momoese
12-19-2011, 09:01 PM
Photobucket.com is easy to use, give it try. It seems faster now too.

Richard
12-19-2011, 09:08 PM
I will hazard a guess that the problems some people are having uploading images is due limitations imposed by their local network service provider.

Darkman
12-19-2011, 11:30 PM
I will hazard a guess that the problems some people are having uploading images is due limitations imposed by their local network service provider.

I believe Richard is right! I looked and did not see a requirement of size on the upload.

edzone9
07-08-2013, 05:38 PM
Oh Man I Can Not Wait To receive My #3640 From Dan !
Sounds Like A Great Tasting Banana !:08:

Ed....

Darkman
07-08-2013, 06:53 PM
Dan,

How about an update on this one.

bananimal
07-10-2013, 12:47 AM
Dan,

How about an update on this one.

Check out post #354 in What did you harvest today (bananas). The mat yields 2 bunches a year now as long as frostless winters continue.

Something new this year --- left the bunch hang longer than ususal and the fingers developed much thicker skins. Ripening was way slower during hanging in the house so we got to eat naners right up to the last hand without freezing. Still gave a few hands away. Taste was wonderful.