View Full Version : Growing bananas in southern Miami Dade county florida
JCA433
07-08-2012, 07:11 PM
I moved to south Miami Dade county Florida last year and have already planted mangos and avocado and now digging hole for bananas. The soil here is alkaline limestone very hard to dig(need auger or demolition hammer). Should I amend the soil? Anyone growing bananas in this type of soil? The variety I am interested in now are Ice Cream and Raja Puri.
bananimal
07-08-2012, 08:23 PM
Planting and growing successfuly in calcareous soil --- think backhoe and dynamite.
Seriously though, you need to immediately join the Miami RFCI and attend every meeting -- Rare Fruit Council Int'l. I have a cousin in Homestead and his topsoil is just 6 inches thick. They did the digging years ago and the avocados and mangos today are unbelievable -- great climate.
And if you are in Miami you are zone 10 -- not 9! I'm in 9b in PSL and I sure know the difference. The cousin is growing my truly tropicals and the plants love it down there!
Miami Rare Fruit Council International – RFCI | Tropical Fruit News Magazine (http://tropicalfruitnews.org/)
Caloosamusa
07-09-2012, 05:49 AM
Augment "soil" (limestone) with lots of organic material. Also go over and see Don at Going Bananas. There are some cultivars much better suited for South Florida and much more productive.
Welcome to South Florida. :jalapenonaner:
JCA433
07-09-2012, 07:05 AM
I am about 0.2 miles north of Homestead,Florida and near agriculture areas. I moved from zone 9 to zone 10. Should I amend the native soil with cow manure and garden soil?
There are a lot of weeds that seem to love the soil here.
Caloosamusa
07-09-2012, 02:23 PM
Cow manure and garden soil are good organic augments. Yes. :jalapenonaner:
bananimal
07-09-2012, 02:33 PM
Augment "soil" (limestone) with lots of organic material. Also go over and see Don at Going Bananas. There are some cultivars much better suited for South Florida and much more productive.
Welcome to South Florida. :jalapenonaner:
JCA ----- I agree with Ken. Go talk to Don and he will tell you what you need to do to grow stuff. Call first for a visit. Sitting on top of a ancient coral reef is a totally different deal. And go to those RFCI meetings. Many doors opened for me when I joined my club. Cut my fertilizer expenses by 60% and gained lots of practical knowledge.
Why don't you pin yourself on the map so I can see how close you are to my cousin. They willl gladly give you a tour of their place. The monster avocado trees alone are worth the trip. And you will see my tropical naners growing there too.
Dan
JCA433
07-09-2012, 10:39 PM
I would like to meet some of the people here that are also residents of southeast Florida. Southeast Florida and the Keys are among the few places in North America where you can reliably grow Mangos and other tropical plants. Good luck to you all!
I have many fire ants on this property. You dare pick a spot to sit down and high risk they are all over you and they soon thereafter attack with gusto.
mm4birds
07-10-2012, 01:22 PM
I'm growing in Hollywood (Ft Lauderdale) and have found the same problem. Wherever I dig I hit sandy soil with chunks of coral all over the place. I went to homedepot and bought bags of compost (many) and every time I dig I remove any sizeable coral and mix the removed dirt with the compost at a 1 to 1 ratio. The plants are growing really fast. I've tried to post pictures but the site says I am already filled up (will try again)
TrailGaiter
07-12-2012, 06:02 PM
Stupid, I know... but I've been watching Animal Cops- Miami on Animal Planet....and am REALLY enjoying (and drooling over) the plants I see! I don't know how many people watch the plants on these shows...lol. But, I've seen a lot of beautiful bananas on this show, and so envious of people who can grow all these beautiful tropical plants in Florida! Some of the bananas I've seen appear to be growing outside of people's yards....wild like. Love it!
bananimal
07-12-2012, 07:40 PM
I'm growing in Hollywood (Ft Lauderdale) and have found the same problem. Wherever I dig I hit sandy soil with chunks of coral all over the place. I went to homedepot and bought bags of compost (many) and every time I dig I remove any sizeable coral and mix the removed dirt with the compost at a 1 to 1 ratio. The plants are growing really fast. I've tried to post pictures but the site says I am already filled up (will try again)
Delete everything but 2 pages of pics.
kaczercat
07-13-2012, 02:47 AM
Ive been to Hollywood FL and miami twice. perfect weather for bananas best of luck!
JCA433
07-14-2012, 09:05 PM
I dug a hole three feet diameter and two feet deep and added 500 pounds of composted cow manure and mixed with native soil. I have not yet planted though.
bananimal
07-14-2012, 09:08 PM
I dug a hole three feet diameter and two feet deep and added 500 pounds of composted cow manure and mixed with native soil. I have not yet planted though.
Stick an Ae Ae in there --- it will be very happy.:08:
JCA433
07-15-2012, 07:23 PM
I still have not yet planted my first banana. The soil is ready though. I must decide on a good cultivar. Earlier I decided to plant raja puri and ice cream, but not so sure now.
palmtree
07-15-2012, 08:38 PM
If I lived in Southern Florida I would grow Saba, Ice Cream, Ae Ae, and praying hands to start and work my way from there!
JCA433
07-16-2012, 10:10 AM
The only bananas I have eaten are Grand Nain and Williams found in most grocery stores. How do the other cultivars compare in taste to Grand Nain? Are there big differences in flavor? I am very eager to try some cultivar other than Grand Nain to sample the flavor.
Have Grand Nain always been the most popular cultivar? Are there better tasting cultivars?
bananimal
07-16-2012, 07:48 PM
For a first time growing something special --- Goldfinger, aka FHIA 1.
JCA433
07-30-2012, 02:27 PM
I planted my first banana Friday ; it is a Blue Java (Ice Cream). So far it is growing well and hopefully this continues.
trebor
07-30-2012, 02:55 PM
I planted my first banana Friday ; it is a Blue Java (Ice Cream). So far it is growing well and hopefully this continues.
Good choice.. ha ha But thats the first one .. home grown bananas are really different tasting than store bought .. so a Gran naim from your yard will be a good one
JCA433
07-31-2012, 10:20 AM
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=49906 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=49867)
Here is the Ice Cream banana recently planted.
trebor
07-31-2012, 10:47 AM
]Banana Gallery - IMG_00302 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=49867)http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=49906[/url]
Here is the Ice Cream banana recently planted.
:woohoonaner:OH man ! If I had room like that Id be Mr Fruit tree express
Lychee's
Mangoes
Avocado
Jack fruit
Citrus
Papaya's (Cuban dwarfs and red (tall) from Mex) papaya seed Aloha Seed (http://www.alohaseed.com/)
Just to name a few
Good luck to ya and happy growing
JCA433
07-31-2012, 10:52 AM
I mow that yard with a push mower and this time of year it is very exhausting.
I planted some mangos and avocado, but you cannot see them in this image. Still a lot of space to plant more bananas.
trebor
07-31-2012, 02:39 PM
Haaaa Now I dont feel so bad about mowing my lawn here where I live.. Im in a normal sized lot in a single family housing project.. We moved here from 140 acres in Georgia. “Huge difference“
You must be focused on Bananas and looking to plant some good ones or different than the normal ones we see daily. And on your open area there you probably would consider a few shorter types to be able to relax during wind storms .. In our area most everything grows. And its smart to look at the cold tolerant ones as even better then say something like Gros Michel.. Funny thing is I have Gros Michel here just got them this year.. I wanted them even though they are not suppose to be cold tolerant at all.. but I want to eat one :)
Keep on this board and you will see great deals ! People offer lots of plants and usually of good size... Tissue cultures are cheap and good but thats starting at the beginning of the plants life cycle . Getting a pup from a plant has much faster fruiting results..
bananimal
07-31-2012, 08:20 PM
JCA ---- how much land do you have to fool around with?
Dan
JCA433
07-31-2012, 09:47 PM
I have 1.2 acres of land to plant and many fire ants. Hopefully no tropical cyclones or freezes this year.
bananimal
07-31-2012, 11:44 PM
Don't forget mangos. I can definitely recommend some of the new varieties that were featured at the recent Fairchild festival.
And you gotta plant a few varieties of atemoya. One of the world's greatest fruits.
JCA433
08-01-2012, 01:22 PM
Don't forget mangos. I can definitely recommend some of the new varieties that were featured at the recent Fairchild festival.
And you gotta plant a few varieties of atemoya. One of the world's greatest fruits.
I have Glenn mangos. What other varieties would you recommend? When is the next Fairchild festival? I have two papayas planted but they are small since they were planted in late May/ early June. How does Atemoya taste? I have a lychee tree in a pot that will planted soon.
JCA433
08-01-2012, 01:45 PM
I planted an Orinoco banana in south Louisiana in March 2010 and it flowered in November 2011 and frost got it in December. So I never got to enjoy a harvest. Is the Orinoco banana good to eat out of hand or as plantains? I do enjoy plantains but I do not know how to cook and prepare them. They are a real treat though if you know someone who can cook them correctly.
The only bananas I have ever tasted other than plantains are Great Nain and Williams found in grocery stores
verndoc50
08-01-2012, 04:26 PM
Welcome to South Florida! There a good number of members from here and I think you'll find they can be generous with their spare trees.
I have a devil of a time with wind blowing over my trees unless I have secured them in deeper digs through the subsurface lime rock. We also have very basic (pH) soil here for the same reason. I amend with compost and mulch very heavy to control weeds and to provide some acidic material. So far I've been pretty successful. Don't forget the water if we get into a dry spell.
Don at Going Bananas is a friend and good source of information and plants too. If I had this much space I'd plant some lychee and dragon fruit, too.
Steve
JCA433
10-09-2012, 04:17 PM
I planted my second Blue Java(Ice Cream) banana today. The first Blue Java is growing fast and is already 40 inches tall! Here are some pictures!
This is the first one planted in late July.
><img src=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=50893&size=1 border=0></a>
This is the second one planted today.
<a href=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=50892><img src=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=50892&size=1 border=0></a>
Here is picture of both.
<img src=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=50894&size=1 border=0></a>
Obviously they have a long long way to go before they mature. It is very fun watching them grow and the weather has been excellent with rain and high temperatures in upper 80s F and lows in mid to up 70s F. No cold weather here unlike most of the mainland USA.
pushak513
10-09-2012, 06:46 PM
If I could only find a job in my feild in south florida I would be there tomm with a truck full of nanas ready to plant.. my love of plants and northern winters are really starting to conflict..
JCA433
10-12-2012, 09:27 PM
My banana plant is producing pups already. Should I allow one to grow or is too early? P stem is not even 4 feet yet.
JCA433
07-28-2013, 05:44 PM
Here is a picture of the Namwah Ice Cream banana planted one year ago on this date. One year from planting to banana bunch.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=53897&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=53897&ppuser=7368)
trebor
07-28-2013, 09:42 PM
Hey :) thats good to see.. ya dun good.. its nice to see a follow up of a plant you posted last year. Ha ha I have about 6 with fruit on them or a flower. Its been perfect weather for Musa this year. Thanks for your update....
vBulletin® v3.6.8, Copyright ©2000-2020, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.