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Arachnotron
09-09-2012, 08:17 AM
My Musa velutina looks like it will flower for the first time. I planted this one from seed in November last year.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=50472 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=50472&ppuser=4196)

I'll add more pictures as it grows.

Arachnotron
09-11-2012, 10:58 AM
Here it is today.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=50495 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=50495&ppuser=4196)

lloydy
09-12-2012, 02:42 PM
Hey, thanks for these pictures. What a beautiful and delicate flower! I'm actually looking to get hold of a Musa Velutina rhizome. Do you have any pups that you would be willing to sell? Thanks in advance - Lloyd

Arachnotron
09-13-2012, 01:55 PM
Today's update

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=50514 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=50514&ppuser=4196)

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=50513&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=50513&ppuser=4196)


:woohoonaner:

Hey, thanks for these pictures. What a beautiful and delicate flower! I'm actually looking to get hold of a Musa Velutina rhizome. Do you have any pups that you would be willing to sell? Thanks in advance - Lloyd

Thanks! I don't really have any pups that I'd send out at the moment.

Arachnotron
09-15-2012, 02:11 PM
There are 21 bananas so far. :bananas_b

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=50549 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=50549&ppuser=4196)

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=50548 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=50548&ppuser=4196)

lloydy
09-15-2012, 07:03 PM
Amazing! Are you able to pick the bananas to eat or do they just peel on the plant? Have had conflicting reports. Have just managed to score two pups from a UK seller so hopefully I'll be able to get going with those soon :08:

LilRaverBoi
09-15-2012, 07:24 PM
Velutina bananas are seeded and are therefore considered 'inedible,' though I suppose you could carefully eat around all those seeds if you're feeling patient. The fruit will tend to open up as they ripen. You could pick them early before they start to do this, but then again, they aren't really 'edible' so most people leave them up there for the birds to snack on.

Velutina is considered an ornamental not an edible variety. But I must say, pink fuzzy bananas are pretty awesome! :)

lloydy
09-16-2012, 04:31 AM
Hey thanks for the info! I hope to try them myself at some point.

I've read that they're very sweet and quite delicious but that, as you pointed out, there are a lot of seeds. I think generally people prefer seedless fruit, but I also think it would be great to try to get people to rethink the idea. My experience is that seeded grapes, for example, are much tastier on average.

Whilst personal preference is an obvious factor, I feel there's a need to get the general public to try to hop over this psychological hurdle (without meaning to sound pretentious). My limited research tells me that with our love for seedless bananas in particular, we're creating the need for a plant species that is grown through propagation and which thereby has a more limited genetic pool, which in turn means its immune system is relatively poor. Thus the need for more pesticides and what have you. And in the end that main industry species (at the moment Cavendish) gets wiped out. It happened already with Gros Michel.

Anyway sorry I'm rambling here and going off on a bit of a tangent...

jeffreyp
09-16-2012, 09:27 AM
My experience is they taste just like a store bought banana albeit small and full of seeds.

austinl01
09-16-2012, 11:39 AM
The flower is looking nice.

Arachnotron
09-21-2012, 04:00 PM
They are getting fuzzy now. :bananas_b

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=50636 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=50636&ppuser=4196)

NeedForSeed
09-22-2012, 07:05 AM
Awesome looking bananas you've got there! Must have grown really quickly if you planted it from seed less than a year ago. How tall is it at the moment?

Keep us updated! :)

Arachnotron
09-22-2012, 03:14 PM
The pseudostem is about 32" tall.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=50646 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=50646&ppuser=4196)


I guess the proper name should be M. dasycarpa
http://www.bananas.org/f16/musa-dasycarpa-given-priority-over-m-5952.html

sidpook
09-27-2012, 05:57 AM
What a beauty! Nice work! My musas just bloomed and I am in awe!!!!

Arachnotron
09-30-2012, 11:19 AM
Here's how it looks today.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=50738 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=50738&ppuser=4196)

Crab16
10-16-2012, 10:46 PM
Banana more than 200 hands :waving:
http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/KO6k0ptHaiNt0uS_Dv_ZBQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTMzNg--/http://media.zenfs.com/vi-VN/News/VTC/Bu_ng_chu_i__kh_ng__h_n_200-efedfc97e21b4584a22e1f5d61ae0bee

lloydy
10-17-2012, 01:30 AM
Wow, what species is this and what on earth have you been feeding it?!

LilRaverBoi
10-17-2012, 12:35 PM
That's musa '1000 fingers (http://www.bananas.org/wiki/Musa_%271000_Fingers%27).' Just how the bunch looks. I've seen even larger bunches.