View Full Version : Truly Tiny Banana --worth getting?
andy17
08-03-2012, 01:21 AM
Hi all,
I am interested in a very small fruiting banana, and I've seen the truly tiny, which look really pretty cool. Does anyone have any experience with this variety? I am always leery of super dwarf types--my last attempt was Novak SDC that was terrible. It just grew really slowly and was sensitive to any changes in light or temperature. It would die back every year when being brought in for the winter. I've heard really good things about this one but it would be great to get some input from people who have grown it. Thanks!:2738:
gtrplr71
08-03-2012, 07:03 AM
I just bought one it is growing fine I bought it from wellsprings on the net for 3.95. I have it in the house as a house plant.
Worm_Farmer
08-03-2012, 09:26 AM
If you want fruit, No. ... if you are a collector or like the look of bananas or would like to have a bonsai banana then Yes, def.
andy17
08-04-2012, 12:38 AM
I just bought one it is growing fine I bought it from wellsprings on the net for 3.95. I have it in the house as a house plant.
@gtrplr71 that's good to hear! How long have you had it?
andy17
08-04-2012, 12:40 AM
Has anyone had a problem with poor vigor or choking with Truly Tiny?
gtrplr71
08-04-2012, 04:30 AM
@gtrplr71 that's good to hear! How long have you had it?
About a month it is truly tiny its was smaller than My TC plants the leaves are about 2 inches long
gtrplr71
08-04-2012, 04:42 AM
it had a single leaf when I got it now it has 3 I have my house at 72 degrees
andy17
08-04-2012, 06:45 AM
Wow! It sounds like it's a good grower--my DC TC plant only put out two new leaves in about 8 weeks in similar conditions.
Worm_Farmer
08-04-2012, 07:47 AM
I have had very good luck with TC's from Wellspring. How ever a few plants came from them and were mislabeled. I still consider them a good seller.
GreenFin
08-04-2012, 05:09 PM
I love the TT tc that I got from Wellspring. It's an extremely vigorous grower in my tropical greenhouse environment.
My DC tc that I planted at the same time is also extremely vigorous, yet the TT was almost keeping pace with it for about the first 2' of p-stem growth (both were planted as small tc's at the same time). The TT is now largely shaded by a neighboring papaya tree on one side and the DC on the other, so it has slowed and the DC is surging ahead.
TT is a mutated sport of Dwarf Brazilian (basically a Super Dwarf Brazilian), and the fruit is supposed to be quite tasty if grown in a tropical environment.
sunfish
08-04-2012, 05:20 PM
A sport of Dwarf Brazilian exhibiting super dwarf characteristics with vigorous growth. Does very well in containers and border plantings. It is reported to yield small fruits of 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches at around 3 feet with a flavor similar to Brazilian.
1/2" fruit ? I could eat a bunch of those. :)
andy17
08-04-2012, 08:15 PM
I love the TT tc that I got from Wellspring. It's an extremely vigorous grower in my tropical greenhouse environment.
My DC tc that I planted at the same time is also extremely vigorous, yet the TT was almost keeping pace with it for about the first 2' of p-stem growth (both were planted as small tc's at the same time). The TT is now largely shaded by a neighboring papaya tree on one side and the DC on the other, so it has slowed and the DC is surging ahead.
TT is a mutated sport of Dwarf Brazilian (basically a Super Dwarf Brazilian), and the fruit is supposed to be quite tasty if grown in a tropical environment.
Thanks! This is really helpful--sounds like a great container plant and a lot of fun to grow. Have you had to overwinter yours?
TNAndy
08-05-2012, 08:14 AM
I love the TT tc that I got from Wellspring. It's an extremely vigorous grower in my tropical greenhouse environment.
My DC tc that I planted at the same time is also extremely vigorous, yet the TT was almost keeping pace with it for about the first 2' of p-stem growth (both were planted as small tc's at the same time). The TT is now largely shaded by a neighboring papaya tree on one side and the DC on the other, so it has slowed and the DC is surging ahead.
TT is a mutated sport of Dwarf Brazilian (basically a Super Dwarf Brazilian), and the fruit is supposed to be quite tasty if grown in a tropical environment.
Newbie question: What's a "tc"?
I'm guessing that "TT" means "Truly Tiny" and that "DC" means "Dwarf Cavendish", right?
sunfish
08-05-2012, 08:24 AM
Info:Tissue Culturing - Bananas Wiki (http://www.bananas.org/wiki/Tc)
andy17
08-05-2012, 09:23 AM
Newbie question: What's a "tc"?
I'm guessing that "TT" means "Truly Tiny" and that "DC" means "Dwarf Cavendish", right?
Hi TNAndy,
Yes, you got it! TT stands for "Truly Tiny" and "DC" stands for Dwarf Cavendish. Oftentimes, people will abbreviate banana variety names to an acronym. I guess it's easier to write than the full name in a post. The one that took me forever to learn was "EE", which stands for "Elephant Ears." lol "TC" stands for tissue culture. It's one of the main methods of propagating banana plants. Most bananas don't produce seeds, so they have to be reproduced either using laboratory culturing "Tissue Culture" or by separating the little pups that pop up next to the mother plant. Hope this helps!
venturabananas
08-05-2012, 01:11 PM
A sport of Dwarf Brazilian exhibiting super dwarf characteristics with vigorous growth. Does very well in containers and border plantings. It is reported to yield small fruits of 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches at around 3 feet with a flavor similar to Brazilian.
I've seen this description in the Wiki, but I think it is wrong. All the pictures I've seen of Truly Tiny show a plant that is a Cavendish variety, not a Brazilian. The wine blotches are too intense and the petioles are too open and spreading to be an AAB plant, from what I can tell.
andy17
08-05-2012, 02:54 PM
That's interesting. I've heard some say it's a cavendish variety, and others say it's a brazilian variety. There seems to be a lot of confusion about it. This very topic was actually discussed in another thread. Jefferyp said he knew the owner of the original source plant at Truly Tropicals in Boynton, FL and said it was a sport of Dwarf Brazilian, but I agree, it does look very much like a cavendish at times.
andy17
08-05-2012, 02:55 PM
Here's the link to the thread: http://www.bananas.org/f2/difference-between-truly-tiny-little-prince-14624.html
GreenFin
08-05-2012, 05:33 PM
I've seen this description in the Wiki, but I think it is wrong. All the pictures I've seen of Truly Tiny show a plant that is a Cavendish variety, not a Brazilian. The wine blotches are too intense and the petioles are too open and spreading to be an AAB plant, from what I can tell.
I think there are rampant mislabeling problems behind that. A lot of pictures of plants labeled "Truly Tiny" are IMO actually mislabeled Little Prince or SDC. I've been raising all 3 of these in the same environment but my TT (originally a 2" tc from Wellspring) has behaved differently from the Cavendishes (which also includes DC, Double, and Williams) since the beginning.
My Little Prince, SDC, and DC all look remarkably alike, just different sized, but my TT is much greener (never had wine marks that I can remember), has a bunch of black on the p-stem, and seems to have thicker/stronger leaves that droop less. It looked wildly different from the Cavendishes during its first few months especially.
Given the number of pics I see that are labeled TT but look like my Little Prince or SDC, I had wondered whether my own TT was labeled wrong and was actually something else, but it's definitely a super small nanner (about 2/3 as tall as my DC) and I don't know what else it could be, so I'm thinking it is indeed a true TT and that there is just a lot of mislabeling going on.
I suspect that many people and even nurseries consider TT/LP/SDC to be interchangeable as a midget banana, which makes the problem worse.
Here are some pics:
Truly Tiny --
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dDUzXmMcjZY/UB7x0cKnlII/AAAAAAAAA5c/Nk4Se4lTBzs/s1600/SAM_4615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dDUzXmMcjZY/UB7x0cKnlII/AAAAAAAAA5c/Nk4Se4lTBzs/s320/SAM_4615.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g0B-XoHHoS4/UB7x1NKKp3I/AAAAAAAAA5o/Q7jbgtv3O3o/s1600/SAM_4617.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g0B-XoHHoS4/UB7x1NKKp3I/AAAAAAAAA5o/Q7jbgtv3O3o/s320/SAM_4617.JPG" /></a></div>
Little Prince with standard pink/red on p-stem (note the TT on the far right) --
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BLiF8H_UHK0/UB7x2jt2LUI/AAAAAAAAA6A/EwOycPp9RRQ/s1600/SAM_4619.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BLiF8H_UHK0/UB7x2jt2LUI/AAAAAAAAA6A/EwOycPp9RRQ/s320/SAM_4619.JPG" /></a></div>
SDC with standard pink/red on p-stem --
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vMjORgXcZkE/UB7x3k9HDrI/AAAAAAAAA6M/E1vSIr2OYkA/s1600/SAM_4621.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vMjORgXcZkE/UB7x3k9HDrI/AAAAAAAAA6M/E1vSIr2OYkA/s320/SAM_4621.JPG" /></a></div>
GreenFin
08-05-2012, 05:46 PM
Thanks! This is really helpful--sounds like a great container plant and a lot of fun to grow. Have you had to overwinter yours?
Mine arrived here in Kansas on January 31st this year, but it's been living in a greenhouse where I maintain tropicalish conditions, so it never really knew it was winter time ;)
My bananas actually grew faster in the winter than in the summer, since their greenhouse is just oppressively hot in the summer.
andy17
08-06-2012, 12:04 AM
I think there are rampant mislabeling problems behind that. A lot of pictures of plants labeled "Truly Tiny" are IMO actually mislabeled Little Prince or SDC. I've been raising all 3 of these in the same environment but my TT (originally a 2" tc from Wellspring) has behaved differently from the Cavendishes (which also includes DC, Double, and Williams) since the beginning.
My Little Prince, SDC, and DC all look remarkably alike, just different sized, but my TT is much greener (never had wine marks that I can remember), has a bunch of black on the p-stem, and seems to have thicker/stronger leaves that droop less. It looked wildly different from the Cavendishes during its first few months especially.
Given the number of pics I see that are labeled TT but look like my Little Prince or SDC, I had wondered whether my own TT was labeled wrong and was actually something else, but it's definitely a super small nanner (about 2/3 as tall as my DC) and I don't know what else it could be, so I'm thinking it is indeed a true TT and that there is just a lot of mislabeling going on.
I suspect that many people and even nurseries consider TT/LP/SDC to be interchangeable as a midget banana, which makes the problem worse.
Here are some pics:
Truly Tiny --
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dDUzXmMcjZY/UB7x0cKnlII/AAAAAAAAA5c/Nk4Se4lTBzs/s1600/SAM_4615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dDUzXmMcjZY/UB7x0cKnlII/AAAAAAAAA5c/Nk4Se4lTBzs/s320/SAM_4615.JPG" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eBQF0vSoTHs/UB7x11NL2OI/AAAAAAAAA50/KP-vuUmUWqU/s1600/SAM_4618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eBQF0vSoTHs/UB7x11NL2OI/AAAAAAAAA50/KP-vuUmUWqU/s320/SAM_4618.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g0B-XoHHoS4/UB7x1NKKp3I/AAAAAAAAA5o/Q7jbgtv3O3o/s1600/SAM_4617.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g0B-XoHHoS4/UB7x1NKKp3I/AAAAAAAAA5o/Q7jbgtv3O3o/s320/SAM_4617.JPG" /></a></div>
Little Prince with standard pink/red on p-stem (note the TT on the far right) --
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BLiF8H_UHK0/UB7x2jt2LUI/AAAAAAAAA6A/EwOycPp9RRQ/s1600/SAM_4619.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BLiF8H_UHK0/UB7x2jt2LUI/AAAAAAAAA6A/EwOycPp9RRQ/s320/SAM_4619.JPG" /></a></div>
SDC with standard pink/red on p-stem --
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vMjORgXcZkE/UB7x3k9HDrI/AAAAAAAAA6M/E1vSIr2OYkA/s1600/SAM_4621.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vMjORgXcZkE/UB7x3k9HDrI/AAAAAAAAA6M/E1vSIr2OYkA/s320/SAM_4621.JPG" /></a></div>
GreenFin, that could very well be what is going on here. The same can be said for the Ice Cream, Mysore, etc. some one makes a mix up, and then no one can be sure what's the "real" one and whats the "fake" one with so much labeling confusion, especially for those who are unfamiliar with banana genetics (like myself). If that is the case then, making sure a supplier can make that distinction is becomes really important. It sounds like you have the best of both worlds being able to compare the Truly Tiny growth to the SDC types and are able to see a real difference. I've seen pictures of two totally different plants both labeled "Truly Tiny." It's very interesting. How do the SDC and the Truly Tiny compare to your DC? Some gardeners say SDC is the way to go for containerized bananas, others say to avoid them.
GreenFin
08-06-2012, 12:57 AM
My TT and SDC seem to be about 2/3 as tall as my DC.
You'll have your work cut out for you getting good fruit from the midgets in your zone. I've read that they just about require year-round tropical conditions in order to create worthwhile fruit; otherwise, even if they eventually fruit, the size and quality will tend to be poor. Dwarf Brazilians are more cold hardy than Dwarf Cavendishes, so I bet a TT would at least be less touchy about cooler temps than a SDC.
I got my SDC from a member named Sandy who owns Northern Tropics. I think I remember that she fruited one after about 3 years in a pot, but I don't know how the fruit turned out.
If you're growing yours outdoors in the ground, I'd be inclined to build a little greenhouse around them (and probably put up some reflectors to direct additional sunlight onto the bananas) to keep them growing over the winter :08:
andy17
08-07-2012, 09:57 AM
Thanks for all the help and input everyone; I appreciate it! It sounds like Truly Tiny is a winner. I have one final question I'm split between getting a Truly Tiny or a Gros Michel--haha two complete opposites. Either one will have to be grown in a container, and the sheer size of the Gros Michel concerns me when it comes to overwintering. It's hard to pass up an opportunity to grow one though. I really only have room for one more plant, so unfortunately, this will have to be my last banana for the foreseeable future. Does anyone have any thoughts or recommendations? I'd appreciate any feedback :03:
GreenFin
08-07-2012, 11:09 PM
Thanks for all the help and input everyone; I appreciate it! It sounds like Truly Tiny is a winner. I have one final question I'm split between getting a Truly Tiny or a Gros Michel--haha two complete opposites. Either one will have to be grown in a container, and the sheer size of the Gros Michel concerns me when it comes to overwintering. It's hard to pass up an opportunity to grow one though. I really only have room for one more plant, so unfortunately, this will have to be my last banana for the foreseeable future. Does anyone have any thoughts or recommendations? I'd appreciate any feedback :03:
I'm growing a Gros Michel, too, and if you can figure out a way to make it work, that's what I'd pick. My GM tc has gone from 3" to 3' (with leaves reaching 6') over the last 3 months. It is an especially beautiful plant with a colorful p-stem, so even if it never fruits, it'll still be prettier and more regal/majestic than the Truly Tiny.
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