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Tropicallvr
10-22-2007, 11:36 AM
I haven't seen one of these yet on this forum so here goes from my experience(and things I have heard) in a cold northern Califonia zone 8a, but probally closer to zone 7b(walked on the frozen pond last winter).
1. Musa basjoo (Musa basjoo 'Sapporo' supposed to be hardiest)
2. Musa sikkimensis (many varities avaiable, hardiness may vary)
3. Mussela lasiocarpa
4. Musa 'Yunnan'(agri starts calls it simply Musa initerans)
5. Musa 'Nepal' available in Europe, as well as maybe Musa 'Tibet'
6. Musa 'Helens hybrid' (other sikkimensis hybrids may over winter well also)
7. Musa thompsonii (seemed hardy for me, but not for others)
8. Musa 'Bhutan' (some seedlings much hardier than others, and looked different)


The rest I'm not so sure about the order, but here goes any ways.
9. Musa veluntia
10. Musa violescens (waxy veluntia hybrid)
11. Musa orinico (spelled wrong)
12. Musa ornata (from seed)
13. Musa ornata 'Royal Purple'
14. Musa cheesmanii
Feel free to add or rearrange this temporary list from your experience. I probally forgot or haven't tried a few others(M. manni, M. brazilian, ect)
What has been your experience?

D_&_T
10-22-2007, 08:48 PM
would like to test few of the Musa sikkimensis varieties our way!
as our ground can and has froze to 4 foot in depth here
been outside in freezing weather when hot chocolate froze on my mustache in about 6 seconds:coldbanana: :woohoonaner:

Dan

bigdog
10-22-2007, 09:44 PM
I'm in zone 7a, and saw 8F last winter for my absolute minimum low in my yard (12F was the official low for Knoxville I think) last year.

Both Musa cheesmani (covered with a bag of leaves) and Musa 'Royal Purple' (just a little extra mulch) came back for me here.
Orinoco came back, right against the west side of the house.
Musa velutina is very variable (I've killed it bunches of times!), but I think Randy has the best, most cold-hardy variety I've seen yet (and the largest).
Musa sp. 'Yunnan' came back in March!

From what I've seen in Anniston (zone 8a):
Musa balbisiana is pretty hardy (the form that he has anyway).
The Musa itinerans variety he has down there (suspected to be var. guangdongensis) is very hardy, with the pseudostems not freezing down to the ground.
Musa mannii comes back in February down there! It will bloom there also.
Musa coccinea returns, but doesn't bloom (yet anyway).

He has others that shouldn't survive, but do anyway (Dwarf Cavendish, a plant that looks just like Jamaican Red, a wild Musa acuminata, etc.), so I don't know if that's a fair observation or not. It is a nice microclimate there at the museum.

redflash
11-17-2007, 12:58 PM
Hi,
is Musa buthan not the same as Musa thomsonii?

Musa nepal is here called Musa yangtse!

Have everyone heard about Musa velutina green form?

Sorry my bad englisch........

bigdog
11-17-2007, 01:35 PM
No, Musa 'Bhutan' is definitely not the same as M. thomsonii. What is this M. velutina 'Green Form' you are referring to? Is it a green flower?

Tropicallvr
11-17-2007, 08:44 PM
Hi,
is Musa buthan not the same as Musa thomsonii?

Musa nepal is here called Musa yangtse!

Have everyone heard about Musa velutina green form?

Sorry my bad englisch........

Hey Redflash,
The Musa Bhutan was actually sold as Musa paradisica seminifera, and it was thought to be Musa thompsonii at first, but the seeds were slightly different, and the plants are definatly different.

Musa Bhutan - http://www.bananas.org/showthread.php?t=2811
I wish there was some M. nepal available over here!
Please tell us more about the green velutina (pictures please)

redflash
11-18-2007, 10:40 AM
Hi,
I think I have a Musa paradisica seminifera!
I got it from Itlay. The musa shold get big sweet fruits.
Here a picture:http://s152.photobucket.com/albums/s193/redflash2007/garten/?action=view&current=unbekannt-2.jpg

Musa nepal/yangtse is here in Europe very rare.

About musa velutina I can´t say anythink, I only knwo who you can buy seeds.......

Here some pictures from my garden:
http://s152.photobucket.com/albums/s193/redflash2007/garten/

Andreas

AllenF
11-18-2007, 02:14 PM
There is a banana with a similar growth habit to M. velutina. It's fruit remains green on maturity and splits open like M. velutina. It is named Musa hirta. I don't have any additional information on this plant other than it is native to Borneo and is in the Callimusa section rather than the rhodochlamys section, to which M. velutina belongs.

Allen

Tropicallvr
11-18-2007, 03:15 PM
Nice album redflash. You've got some really nice plants, especially the Musa sikkimensis 'Red Flash' varigated. Did you grow it from seed?
I noticed that a couple of your other plain(without red marks) Musa sikkimensis looks like a hybrid. It has alot of wax, and the where the petioles meets the leaf they are recurved. Maybe Daj Giant or thompsonii hybrid?
What Musa is the third picture? Looks alot like Thompsonii.

redflash
11-19-2007, 06:32 AM
Hi,
yes the sikkimensis variegata I have grown from seeds.
The third picture is a Musa itinerans, I had written the wrong name (sikkimensis).

Andreas

Mustang
11-19-2007, 08:28 AM
Hi Andreas. Very nice photo of your garden plants. The one I was particularly interested in was the sikkimensis white tiger. Now where did you manage to get that from? It's very very nice! Does it pup? :)

redflash
11-20-2007, 03:14 AM
Hi,
thanks,
it was a pure chance!
I have seed out(?) 100 seeds of sikkimensis red flash,
and one get variegated.
Now it`s 1,5 years old, and make one small banana plant.
I`ll hope i get more!
Sorry about my bad englisch....

Andreas

Mustang
11-20-2007, 08:25 AM
I've seen a few white variegated sikkis now, so they do appear from time to time. I've just never managed to get hold one one for myself :(

And your English is fine Andreas. :)

Tropicallvr
11-20-2007, 09:47 AM
The third picture is a Musa itinerans, I had written the wrong name (sikkimensis).

Andreas

Hi Andreas,
I was refering to the Musa sikkimensis farther down the page.
Here's the one I was talking about, hope you don't mind me posting it-

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s193/redflash2007/garten/sikkimensis3.jpg
Is this also Musa initerans mislabled?

redflash
11-20-2007, 12:01 PM
Hi,
its okay. Yes it is musa initerans, very waxy.

Andreas

bikoro child
11-21-2007, 09:11 AM
Hi! I would simply say: Wunderschoen!! It ' s a very beautiful garden and you probably have some difficulties with place in your location...Where do you find all that species in Germany?

redflash
11-21-2007, 01:08 PM
Hi,
here in Karlsruhe with the climate its good. It`s the warmest city in Germany,
in winter we have temperatures with the minimun of -12C. in the night. The most Musas I have grown of seeds, and some bought in internetshops.
Andreas

bikoro child
11-22-2007, 12:07 PM
Cities like München or Nürnberg are more cold than yours?I live in a place which is like your for the winter temperatures but all the year long they are quite high...Do you breed some bananas in earth?

wamstick
11-22-2007, 03:09 PM
Hi Redflash, your garten is wonderful. Take care of those bananas now.

Tony

redflash
11-23-2007, 07:16 AM
Hello,
München and Nürnberg you can´t compare with Karlsruhe.
I´have successfully plant out the following bananas:
M. Basjoo
M. Sikkimensis
M. Balbisana

This year the first winter plant out :
M. velutina
M. initerans
M. nagensium
M. cheesemanii ( I think it s the same as nagensium)

Next winter when my Musa ice cream, Musa rajapuri and M. buffalo horn are big enough I´ll plant them out in my glasshouse (minimum temperature -4/-5C in extreme cold nights).

Andreas

Tropicallvr
11-23-2007, 02:25 PM
Andreas, just wondering where you got you M.balbisiana. Is it from seed, or is it like that that other "balbisiana" that is planted in that park in Germany that survives the winter and has more color than other balbisianas.
:0496:

And do you have Musa yangtze yet, and have you tested it yet, or heard of it's hardiness from others?

redflash
11-24-2007, 12:19 AM
Hi,
the balbisana is grown of seed. I don´t konw which form it is. I havn`t seen the balbisana in the botanical garden in Köln. But I know that this balbisana is there plant out for a few years. I get for a few weeks seeds of m.balbisana "new form".

The m.yangtse should be more harder (temperature) like a m.basjoo, but I havnt test it.

Andreas

marco
12-05-2007, 02:04 AM
I'm very new to this site and I haven't even a clue as to what type of bananas I've been growing for the last few years.
But I've done a decent job of growing them. :2223:
(They have a very 'generic' banana leaf)
I'll get pics sometime...

But my focus up to now has been to use them ornamentally in the landscape throughout the summer while growing them in the ground still in 10 gallon pots with extra drain holes I cut.
I then transition them inside as the Ohio fall temps cool, spraying the leaf tops with a hort oil I use as an anti-desiccant, to combat the dryness of our home's interior.
With horticulture oil I essentially make them house plants in a normal home environment.
(But as long as the leaf tops are coated and they're in the house I have to be careful not to hammer them with too much light!)


My question to you is what type(s) of bananas, if any, would have any chance of cold hardiness in the area I'm in ?
I live in southern Ohio, about 35 miles north of Cincinnati, and here we're strongly zone 6.

(Please tell me there's one that might make it!) :2761:

dablo93
12-05-2007, 10:58 AM
Thanks for the Cold Hardy lists!
now I know which species I can grow here:D

mskitty38583
12-05-2007, 11:04 AM
well i know that at the nursery that i got my musa basjoo the owner told me that i could plant that outside and leave it all winter long. he said that they were cold hardy.the tag on it said that it was hardy to 3 degrees f. i dont know about your part of the country. the banana wiki has a lot on the different nanas and i think most in the wiki tells the hardiness.

marco
12-05-2007, 10:54 PM
would like to test few of the Musa sikkimensis varieties our way!
as our ground can and has froze to 4 foot in depth here
been outside in freezing weather when hot chocolate froze on my mustache in about 6 seconds:coldbanana: :woohoonaner:

Dan

Whoa...

Are you saying that you think you can overwinter that variety in the ground in N. Indiana? Under a vast blanket of plant fiber insulation maybe?

I'm looking for a banana that I can try in S. Ohio that has had a history of cold hardiness in zone 6 temps.
Is there such a beast?
If so, what?
And what is the picture of it?

I'd like an alternative to hauling these pots in and out twice a year.

magicgreen
12-06-2007, 12:32 AM
Marco Iam trying Musa Basjoo in my front yard now. I'll post a picture in the gallery. I cut two polyester pants legs, then put them one over the other, next I found a blanket I didnt want upstairs in the attic someplace on the 3rd floor,wrapped it on up goodddddddd on that nanna, yea I did! NEXT.....i TOOK ME SOME OF THAT SMALL SQUAREd hard wire...like they sell at home depot or lowes or somethin like that.And put it around my banana plant, BUT, GIVING it enough circumfrarance around it for me to me comfortable with the width around it. I then filled up around my baby with mulch. I hated that! Thats why with this new obsession I am pretty sure Iam moving to FLORIDA. LOOK-OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:04:

mm4birds
12-09-2007, 12:14 AM
Don't go crazy worrying about the cold weather. I live in New York City and have successfuly overwintered my basjoo in three seperate locations around my house for the past 5 years with varying degees of protection. Last winter I piled bags of leaves around the large clumps of banana plants and filled the center with more leaves for insulation. In the spring I removed all the leaves and bags and cut back any soft stem. By April the new growth started to emerge and then just took off. This fall the plants were huge, growing to a height of 15-20 feet until the first frost. They are now sleeping under a blanket of leaves and I hope to see them again in the spring. Mind you this won't work with any plants you hope to flower but who eats basjoo bananas anyway! The results are on my homepage.

dablo93
12-09-2007, 03:19 AM
You can also try a Musella with some good protection?:)

magicgreen
12-09-2007, 07:28 AM
MM4birds your basjoos are beautiful! They were so healthy looking and not shredded up! I guess with the other plantings and houses they are offered some wind protection. I noticed that about mine also. No shredded leaves! I guess that says something about city living .:nanarobot: MG

D_&_T
12-09-2007, 11:20 AM
Macro

that winter we had single digit temps and no snow on ground to insulate it from freezing hard, we dont get that very often so hope with free mulch from the town and bunch of leaves we can winter a few when get get some this spring and maybe few M. sikkimensis X paradisica if they grow from seed by them

Tony O
12-13-2007, 08:26 AM
I've had one planted for 10 years now. I did cover it with a pile of leaves the first couple of years, then it was on its own. Except one year that I protected one to keep its hight. That one bloomed & had little bananas that froze before ripening.

Here's a picture of it after 7 years in the garden.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v322/TonyO/Bananas%20in%20OK%20-%2004/Banana-Musa-Basjoo-13_9-04.jpg

mskitty38583
12-13-2007, 10:48 AM
nice.

dablo93
12-13-2007, 11:08 AM
that's a large clump!:D

marco
12-14-2007, 10:20 AM
Thank you all! :2747:

I believe I'm going to try the described 'leaf bag' method in a few protected spots around the yard next fall.

The soil's generally pretty crummy though ( a LOT of clay!)... so I'll have to work until then to make that situation better.

Until then I've got to stock up on my supply of basjoos.
I didn't get many pups this year, and I've given a bunch of my larger ones away to neighbors on our block, and to my daughters' school for use as a nice 'hallway plant' in a big picture window near both their classrooms.

I'm sure I'll find a couple more at a garden center in the spring.
This time I'll know what to look for on the tag (if it's marked correctly).

mskitty38583
12-14-2007, 11:55 AM
IF it is clearly marked. if is the biggest word in the english lang. if you lived closer i know where you can get basjoo(tc) for $3.00 a 4 inch pot. they are healthy and they are just beautiful. ill check his webpage and see if he ships. i told him if he would ship id post his website. this is where i bought my hcm,bop,basjoo. his greenhouses...oh my gosh. they are so clean.

Tropicallvr
01-24-2008, 10:53 AM
Another one to add to the cold hardy list. Musa balbisiana grown in Germany-

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://velutina.brinkster.net/Basjoo/Bananenbilder/B-MUSA-BAL101.JPG&imgrefurl=http://velutina.brinkster.net/Basjoo/freilandarten.htm&h=429&w=325&sz=53&hl=en&start=4&tbnid=JwXRI4hCA0V8IM:&tbnh=126&tbnw=95&prev=/images%3Fq%3DMusa%2Bbalbisiana%2Bhimalaya%26gbv%3D2%26svnum%3D10 %26hl%3Den

algis66
07-17-2009, 01:36 AM
Hi, I'm a newcomer to this site. I live in Los Angeles, California but I visit my cousins in Lithuania frequently. Over dinner we were talking about growing various fruits and my cousin commented that he would like to grow a banana tree but it was too cold to do so. I said we should check the internet and we found this group with references to cold hardy bananas. I even saw one of your members that lives in Vilnius the capital of Lithuania. So I joined to find out if cold hardy varieties where available and how to get, plant and grow them in Lithuania.

Thanks!

Richard
07-17-2009, 03:16 AM
Here is a list of Edible Bananas sorted by estimated USDA Cold-hardiness Zone. Your mileage may vary:

Name USDA_Hardiness_Estimate
Texas Star 7.0
Amistad 7.5
Carolina King 7.5
Golden Rhinohorn 7.5
1000 Fingers 8.0
Dwarf Orinoco 8.0
Orinoco 8.0
California Gold 8.5
Cardaba 8.5
Double 8.5
Dwarf Brazilian 8.5
Dwarf Puerto Rican 8.5
Ebun Musak 8.5
French Horn 8.5
Giant Plantain 8.5
Goldfinger 8.5
Gran Nain 8.5
High Color Mini 8.5
Ice Cream 8.5
Kalela 8.5
Lady Finger 8.5
Mahoi 8.5
Mauritius 8.5
Mona Lisa 8.5
Monkey Fingers 8.5
Mysore 8.5
Pisang Ceylon 8.5
Pitogo 8.5
Rajapuri 8.5
Saba 8.5
1780 hybrid 9.0
African Rhino Horn 9.0
Argentino 9.0
Belle 9.0
Brazilian 9.0
Dwarf Cavendish 9.0
Dwarf Namwa 9.0
Dwarf Thai 9.0
FHIA-18 9.0
FHIA-20 9.0
FHIA-21 Plantain 9.0
FHIA-23 9.0
Green Red 9.0
Hua Moa 9.0
Iholena 9.0
Kandrian 9.0
Misi Luki of Samoa 9.0
Pace 9.0
Popoulu kaia 9.0
Red Iholene 9.0
Red Jewel 9.0
Sweetheart 9.0
Tuu Gia 9.0
White Iholena 9.0
Williams Hybrid 9.0
Zan Moreno 9.0
Ae Ae 9.5
Dwarf French 9.5
Ele Ele 9.5
Enano Nautia 9.5
FHIA-17 9.5
Golden Beauty 9.5
Manzano 9.5
Namwa 9.5
Pisang Buai 9.5
Praying Hands 9.5
Sumatrana X Gran Nain 9.5
Super Plantain 9.5
Tall Red 9.5
Valery 9.5
Kaulau 10.0
Kofi 10.0
Pisang Klutuk 10.0
Cavendish (banana) 10.5
Cocos 11.0
Dwarf Gros Michel 11.0
Dwarf Red 11.0
Gros Michel 11.0
Jamaican Red 11.0
Kappa Pazham 11.0
Pisang Tandok 11.0
Rose 11.0
Karat 12.0
Kru 12.0
Latundan 12.0
Nino 12.0
Utafun 12.0

cowboyup4christ
07-17-2009, 10:19 AM
I have found several sites listing that the Dwarf Orinoco and the Texas Star and the Califonia Gold are the same plant is this true just courious.

Jack Daw
07-17-2009, 11:24 AM
I have found several sites listing that the Dwarf Orinoco and the Texas Star and the Califonia Gold are the same plant is this true just courious.
It shouldn't be, although they are all some Orinoco variants.

Dalmatiansoap
07-17-2009, 11:38 AM
Is this a list with or without any protection?
:woohoonaner:

kaczercat
07-17-2009, 01:22 PM
Thanks for the list Richard, its good to know these types of things . Here is a banana site where i found over a hundred banana species. Feel free to check it out here's the link: Banana (http://mgonline.com/articles/banana.aspx)

Richard
07-17-2009, 03:16 PM
Is this a list with or without any protection?

Assume good horticultural practices but no extra measures. Note I said "your mileage may vary" because (1) a map can say you are in zone 9 but your neck of the woods is zone 8, and (2) the listed zone of the cultivar might have been at the top or bottom of the range.

Here is a banana site where i found over a hundred banana species.

Err ... banana cultivars. Here is are discussions of Species (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Species) and Cultivar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultivar).

lkstapleton
08-30-2009, 11:03 AM
Does anyone know where to get Carolina King or Golden Rhinohorn? I am having trouble finding them anywhere except Ty-Ty, and I definitely don't want to order from there.

Lisa

cowboyup4christ
08-30-2009, 11:44 AM
I have an email out to a gentlemen on the outerbanks of NC. that grows Carolina King but have not heard back. I hope to get some next year. if you find a supplier let me know I don't ant to deal with tyty either.

PT DUffy
08-30-2009, 12:23 PM
And that's just the general "Will Survive the low Temps of this Zone" rating. Blooming, Fruiting and Ripening are totally different things...unfortunately. This yr looks like a "zip" for me and my Mature Dwarf Namwa, FHIA23 and SHIA2340's with no flags yet...
Maybe next yr.....
Cheers,
Pat

fishoifc
08-30-2009, 01:05 PM
I have golden rinohorn and actually have about six nice pups I will be removing soon.Wait I should say It is suppose to be rinohorn, it does match descriptions,It has never bloomed for me was hoping this year but dont think its going to happen.I am looking for some plants and would trade.Thanks

lkstapleton
08-30-2009, 01:46 PM
I also see that Thousand Fingers is very cold hardy, according to this list, and I've seen other lists that say the same thing. Has anyone actually fruited one? It looks amazing, with that huge banana stalk hanging down, in all the pictures I've seen.

Lisa

Blake09
08-30-2009, 01:47 PM
may I ask but, whats the difference between Carolina King/and queen?? and tyty?

lkstapleton
08-30-2009, 02:05 PM
I haven't heard of Carolina Queen, but Ty-Ty nursery and Aaron's nursery have gotten very bad reputations with rare fruit growers. I have heard many reports of dead plants, abusive customer service, and misrepresentations. I'd rather learn from others' mistakes than repeat them, so that's why I said I didn't want to order from them.

Lisa

Abnshrek
05-28-2010, 08:11 PM
I can't believe kru is 12? WTH?

palmtree
05-28-2010, 11:05 PM
I havent cold tested too many plants but super dwarf cavendish stays pretty green down to 30F for me and actually looks okay down to about 28F which is pretty unusual for a banana. Also I think musella is just a generally hardy plant (and also apparently pretty cold hardy too). Mine got chopped down to the ground as a small plant (not sure how it happened) and is now sprouting back from the roots and I found that pretty interesting since it was a weak and almost dieing plant.
Thai black is also suppose to be one of the more cold tolerant bananas but I wont be testing that until it makes some pups.

Good luck!

Dean W.
05-29-2010, 03:56 PM
I can't believe kru is 12? WTH?

Where do you see that, Migael?:0519:

sunfish
05-29-2010, 04:12 PM
Where do you see that, Migael?:0519:

http://www.bananas.org/f15/cold-hardy-list-2788-2.html#post84962

Dean W.
05-29-2010, 04:31 PM
Now I see it's Zone 12 not 12th place. lol:bananas_b

Abnshrek
05-29-2010, 04:44 PM
Now I see it's Zone 12 not 12th place. lol:bananas_b

Yeah, what's the lowest temp they can take 50F? lol :^)

sunfish
05-29-2010, 04:47 PM
Yeah, what's the lowest temp they can take 50F? lol :^)


I have Kru and pups have had no problem in low 40's

sunfish
05-29-2010, 04:52 PM
Kru and rare pink ladder

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=32190&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=32190&ppuser=2868)

Abnshrek
05-29-2010, 06:29 PM
Kru and rare pink ladder

Real men aren't afraid of having pink ladder's :^)

Jananas Bananas
05-29-2010, 06:34 PM
the RARE PINK LADDER!!!! HA! HA! HA!:ha::ha::ha:

You're killing me here Tony! ~J

MediaHound
05-30-2010, 06:06 AM
Thread stuck just now btw.
:)

elgordo
06-08-2010, 01:49 PM
Hi everyone. I was wondering if anyone knew if I would be able to grow a Dwarf Orinoco in White Rock, British Columbia, and if I can, where would I get some roots to start it?

saltydad
06-09-2010, 08:39 AM
Just to put in my 2 cents here-my Musa basjoo survives well with no protection. I left the leaves and all and they fried in the hard frosts but acted as mulch. I also had a lasiocarpa come back, although it looked rather tiny and forlorn. It was under a foot of straw. Sikkim failed to survive.

bananarama2
06-11-2010, 03:36 PM
I've been led to believe that the short season of coastal B.C. is the limiting factor on banana cultivars ability to set and ripen fruit. Given adequate sunshine hours and heat, the time is the problem. It would seem that if someone was really determined to pick fruit from their own plants, the only recourse would be to have well started plants indoors, to be moved outdoors, all for the status of picking fruit that is $0.39 a lb at the local grocers?
On a slightly different but related topic, I'm on Vancouver Island (east side) and have two bananas, one musa basjoo, one chinese yellow flowering. The basjoo burst out of the ground once I cleared back some of the mulch and winter covers, while the chinese yellow taunted me until just the last week or so, (I thought it had not survived our past very rainy and cool spring), but it is close to unfurling it's first leaf now). I noted somewhere else on the site that people were using a large size mulch, which may explain my situation with the Chinese yellow. I used fine peat moss, which may have absorbed too much moisture, keeping the soil too cool. I'll be switching to wood chips the coming winter to reduce the risk of delaying earlier growth and some stress.

elgordo
06-11-2010, 04:59 PM
Yeah, our weather has been awful. But we had a decent winter, so I guess we can't complain too much.

ragmop
09-11-2010, 02:32 PM
I havent cold tested too many plants but super dwarf cavendish stays pretty green down to 30F for me and actually looks okay down to about 28F which is pretty unusual for a banana. Also I think musella is just a generally hardy plant (and also apparently pretty cold hardy too). Mine got chopped down to the ground as a small plant (not sure how it happened) and is now sprouting back from the roots and I found that pretty interesting since it was a weak and almost dieing plant.
Thai black is also suppose to be one of the more cold tolerant bananas but I wont be testing that until it makes some pups.

Good luck!

Alright, are you guys talking above zero?
I am lucky if we get that in the summer!
Leslie
Gone Bananas

Markku Hakkinen
10-29-2010, 05:34 AM
Hi Andreas,
I was refering to the Musa sikkimensis farther down the page.
Here's the one I was talking about, hope you don't mind me posting it-

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s193/redflash2007/garten/sikkimensis3.jpg
Is this also Musa initerans mislabled?

This is very clerly M.yunnanensis not M.itinerans.
Markku.

Markku Hakkinen
10-29-2010, 05:46 AM
Andreas, just wondering where you got you M.balbisiana. Is it from seed, or is it like that that other "balbisiana" that is planted in that park in Germany that survives the winter and has more color than other balbisianas.
:0496:

And do you have Musa yangtze yet, and have you tested it yet, or heard of it's hardiness from others?

There is not a species called Musa yangtze. They are all M.yunnanensis varieties collected from valleys along Yangtze river. Some of those varities are quite cold tolerant and I have seen them up to elevation 2.25 Km. Due to cold tolerant of these varieties farmers grow them for animal fodder as they can survive over the winter and their leaves can stand some snow too.
Markku.

Caloosamusa
10-29-2010, 06:31 AM
Is this also Musa initerans mislabled?
This is very clerly M.yunnanensis not M.itinerans.
Markku.

Thank you Dr. Markku!!:jalapenonaner:

bananarama2
10-29-2010, 04:38 PM
This is a late response to Ragmop in Rimbey, Alberta. And yes, I've actually been there, about 7 years ago! I'm impressed with anyone trying to grow bananas in this part of the world, where the climate is more known for killing plants than nurturing them. Again, late, this is an old thread, but welcome, and kudos on trying bananas in Alberta,(I'm a former Albertan (Calgary)). If it hasn't been pointed out yet, a large number of the members are in the States, and talk in Fahrenheit, not Celsius, so you have to read between the lines a bit, and not get bummed out by their griping about temperatures. After a while, I check their zone first, and location, then read the entry. Those in less favorable climes just suck it up and do the best they can. Like folks in Rimbey! Best regard, Rik:bananas_b:2723:

lwabirds
01-17-2011, 07:48 PM
I have 3 different plantings of musa sikkimensis. They have been in the ground for 5 years now. They are slower to start growing in the spring when compared to basjoo.

castawaykev
01-23-2011, 11:09 AM
I grow Musa basjoo outside in PEI, Canada (zone 5b/6a). The worst thing here is wind...not so much the cold. I am currently growing 10 types of banana for test in winter and to sell ( i set up a small ornamental nursery). Honey Tree Nursery (http://www.thehoneytreenursery.com) My website will be finished with prices etc by March. I love growing banana's,. I want to know a list of cold hardy types to try and a list of great indoor ones, and a list of fast groiwing from seed ones.

Thanks,

Kev

Honey Tree Nursery (http://www.thehoneytreenursery.com)

saltydad
01-23-2011, 01:09 PM
I know this is bananas, but just wanted to add that my European Fan Palm (var. cerifera) seems to be holding it's own outside so far this winter. I decided to try this with one of the two I have. The trachys and needles are also looking good, although we've definitely had lots of cold weather.

EuroBanana
05-07-2012, 04:31 AM
Good morning,

I was considering the following cold hardy list coming from the very interesting website webebananas (http://webebananas.com/)

California Gold
Thousand Fingers
Monkey Fingers
Orinoco
Brazilian
Golden Rhinohorn
Dwarf Orinoco
Dwarf Brazilian
Misi Luki
Mysore
Namwah
Raja Puri
Manzano
Ice Cream
Gold Finger
Dwarf Namwah
Sweetheart (FHIA 3)
Namwah Pearl
Praying Hands
Saba
Cardaba
Williams
Belle
Valery

Would you agree with it ?

Phil

caliboy1994
10-16-2013, 02:47 AM
Good morning,

I was considering the following cold hardy list coming from the very interesting website webebananas (http://webebananas.com/)

California Gold
Thousand Fingers
Monkey Fingers
Orinoco
Brazilian
Golden Rhinohorn
Dwarf Orinoco
Dwarf Brazilian
Misi Luki
Mysore
Namwah
Raja Puri
Manzano
Ice Cream
Gold Finger
Dwarf Namwah
Sweetheart (FHIA 3)
Namwah Pearl
Praying Hands
Saba
Cardaba
Williams
Belle
Valery

Would you agree with it ?

Phil

That's Jon's (pitangadiego) website, and I'm pretty sure that list was based on growing experiences by JoeReal, who was a member here from (I think) northern California, which would be 9a or 9b. Your climate is probably fairly similar to that. I don't agree entirely with the list though. I certainly think that Namwah is more cold hardy than Mysore, for example, but both do fine in my zone.

lkstapleton
03-13-2014, 02:31 AM
I am a little south of Joe, whose list is based on his experience near Sacramento in Northern California.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, the list seems to be pretty accurate. I have seen people harvest Sweetheart, Ice Cream, Orinoco, Gold Finger, Blue Java and California Gold from their yards. I have not seen anyone harvest actual ripe bananas on anything other than these in our area. It is relatively easy to flower a banana here, but getting it through our frosts with ripening bananas still on them is tough. We are in a Mediterranean climate, so we have a wet season and a dry season, and our nights are almost always cool, even when the days are nice and warm.

Lisa

shawndac1
03-13-2014, 10:01 AM
Just to put in my 2 cents here-my Musa basjoo survives well with no protection. I left the leaves and all and they fried in the hard frosts but acted as mulch. I also had a lasiocarpa come back, although it looked rather tiny and forlorn. It was under a foot of straw. Sikkim failed to survive.

wow this is awesome!!!! So what state are you in I'm in tn zone 7b and I to have a musa basjoo that I'm planning on leaving out but wasn't sure because we had an awful winter !!! :)) yayayaya

Abnshrek
03-13-2014, 01:03 PM
Considering we got 7b temps where I have one Orinoco planted.. It survives well w/ heavy mulch and frost cloth.. A heat-tape would guarantee it in a raised bed unless you had a power outage.. Even a small one survived last year w/o any frost cloth.. :^)

a.hulva@coxinet.net
10-22-2015, 09:47 PM
Your best source of information is "Cincinnana" who lives in Cincinatti. Great guy!
Thanks to everyone for all the good info. :goteam:

meizzwang
03-16-2016, 06:59 PM
In the San Francisco Bay Area, Raja Puri(edit:flowered july 2016, it's not rajapuri. it's an american goldfinger!) was able to maintain most of its leaves without any freeze burning despite a few nights that went below 32F. Maybe a the tip of a leaf here and there turned brown. Williams had most of its leaves fried, but the P-stem is all good. Dwarf Namwah (ID'ed as most likely rajapuri as of 12/26/16)) had a few fried (brown) leaves, but the P-stem is all good. Hi color Mini died all the way to the corm, and only the side suckers seem to be alive (the main P-stem turned completely brown to the ground). M. balbasiana, despite being exposed to the same temperatures, showed ZERO damage, it was pretty shocking.


From Top to bottom: Hi color Mini (the brown stem), most likely rajapuri , Williams, american goldfinger, and american goldfinger This photo was taken Feb 19. 2016:
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1701/24506056293_917545b542_c.jpg

I'll have more updates next winter with regards to how Ice Cream, Dwarf Brazilian, and Praying hands tolerate cold (update:praying hands rotted, but the real ice cream and D.B. will be left out in the cold winter of 2016). Those overwintered indoors because they were too small.

a.hulva@coxinet.net
03-16-2016, 09:17 PM
In the San Francisco Bay Area, Raja Puri was able to maintain most of its leaves without any freeze burning despite a few nights that went below 32F. Maybe a the tip of a leaf here and there turned brown. Williams had most of its leaves fried, but the P-stem is all good. Dwarf Orinoco had a few fried (brown) leaves, but the P-stem is all good. Hi color Mini died all the way to the corm, and only the side suckers seem to be alive (the main P-stem turned completely brown to the ground). M. balbasiana, despite being exposed to the same temperatures, showed ZERO damage, it was pretty shocking.


From Top to bottom: Hi color Mini (the brown stem), Dwarf orinoco, Williams, Raja Puri, and raja puri. This photo was taken Feb 19. 2016:
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1701/24506056293_917545b542_c.jpg

I'll have more updates next winter with regards to how Ice Cream, Dwarf Brazilian, and Praying hands tolerate cold. Those overwintered indoors because they were too small.

Very very nice. It's surprising that you can grow your plants that big in such a cool climate. I have a daughter in San Francisco, beautiful place. :03:

meizzwang
03-17-2016, 11:48 AM
I'm actually a 30 minute drive south of San Francisco, so it's definitely warmer here. It would probably be much more difficult to get bananas to fruiting size in San Francisco

Denverian
10-14-2016, 11:25 AM
I'm actually a 30 minute drive south of San Francisco, so it's definitely warmer here. It would probably be much more difficult to get bananas to fruiting size in San Francisco

I travel to SF regularly for work (stay downtown) and I was surprised to see a nice King Palm last month when I was walking around different areas. They're common where I lived in Orange County, but not as hardy as other palms. I saw Queen Palms as well.

I'm surprised there aren't more palms around SF. I figure it's a "protest" as to not look to "Los Angeles" lol!

meizzwang
12-26-2016, 03:52 PM
update on cold tolerance of some varieties. We had 3 nights so far this year with temperatures below 32F (0C) and so far only one variety has shown any signs of damage: a supposed dwarf brazilian (from a reputable source, but I haven't yet fruited it to confirm). An Ice Cream (also not fruited yet but from a proven, reputable source) is literally 2 ft. away and showed a few "sunburn" spots on new leaves, but other than that, it's in good condition.


All photos taken 12/26/16:

Here's my windshield this morning:
https://c5.staticflickr.com/1/697/31523324460_955ac7004c_c.jpg

light frost on an oxalis plant a few feet away from the bananas:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/767/31523309520_104995456d_c.jpg


Here's damage on the unconfirmed Dwarf Brazilian. Notice the brown necrosis on the edge of the leaf caused by the cold. In all fairness, this plant is still on the smaller side (smaller plants=less cold tolerance), and all other unprotected bananas are much larger or near maturity in size:
https://c5.staticflickr.com/1/613/31523312540_d439e7d28f_c.jpg


Only the lower leaves are damaged, which makes sense since cold air sinks:
https://c2.staticflickr.com/1/300/31086969273_49b0a9a204_c.jpg


clump in the front is the supposed dwarf brazilian, and clump in the back (taller plants to the left) is the supposed real deal ice cream (blue java). Even tiny water sprouts on the blue java showed no signs of cold damage yet, but I wasn't thinking and didn't take a close up pic of the ice cream plant:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/622/31523318400_ae37650f1a_c.jpg

Dario80
02-08-2017, 06:47 PM
Musa dwarf brazilian and ice cream can resist to -8 celsius winth the stem protect with leaves a and wrap bubble?

meizzwang
02-08-2017, 07:03 PM
Dario80-maybe one or two days of -8C, but I doubt they can withstand months of temperatures below 0.

sputinc7
02-08-2017, 11:18 PM
Last winter and this winter my Brazilian had a bunch hanging in a good frost.. This year's second one was 32.7 a half mile from me and the frost last year was much worse .. and seem undamaged. I ate the ones from last year.

meizzwang
02-10-2017, 02:21 PM
update:This winter was way more brutal than last winter! from December until now (Feb. 10th), we had 4 nights that dipped below freezing. The coldest was 30F (-1.1C) Out of all those freezing episodes, only some lower leaves on Dwarf Brazilian showed any frost damage, even a week after the last frost had passed. No damage was visible on any other plants from the frost!

However, months of cold rain, atmospheric rivers with 65mph winds tearing up leaves, and night temperatures in the 40's and 30's eventually beat these plants up to the point that they look the way they do pictured below!

Bananas that developed during July of 2016 of last year survived the cold because it had enough time to thicken up, but anything that flowered October and later rotted away because they were too tender. There are exceptions, it appears some FHIA 1 (american Goldfinger clone) have some bunches that might make it, but it's too early to tell.

All photos taken 2/10/17:

Verified Dwarf Cavendish, zero protection: It's still actually in good shape, P-stem has no damage, just the leaves look bad. This will come back just fine:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2590/32783297896_fcbe85ae4a_c.jpg


Verified American Goldfinger (mutated FHIA1 clone): looks bad, but it is in totally fine condition, zero damage to p-stems, but unsightly, burnt leaf tips and ends:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2876/32670560812_a9b88cbf3a_c.jpg



Musa Ice Cream-not verified, but from legit source, I'm 90% sure this is the real deal. Some damage to the new growth and some leaves, but this took the beating quite well:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2639/32824126235_a1179da604_c.jpg



Dwarf Brazilian (unverified, but from reputable source): few necrotic spots on the leaves, but otherwise took the poor weather very well:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2827/32783317676_0dfddc616f_c.jpg


Suspected Rajapuri : flowered late October, so I wasn't expecting it to make it. They all rotted away, even when covered under greenhouse plastic, so I gave up on it. Maybe the male bud will open, it still hasn't, so ID can't yet be verified:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2165/32824121565_9dc1563be2_c.jpg


Another shot of the rotting fruit, so sad but I got over it quickly because the first ratoon looks like it'll bloom soon:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/604/32670574452_28118170a6_c.jpg


Suspected Rajapuri : old, outer petioles are turning brown and rotting, but P-stem inside is still in good shape:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2764/32670579312_9958cbd364_c.jpg



One last shot of suspected Rajapuri-leaves are in great condition, this first ratoon looks like it'll bloom the second it warms up, so I think I'll get to produce mature fruit from it this year!
https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3786/32670569632_b6dc4ba05a_c.jpg



Suspected Williams: so many leaves turned yellow and brown, new unfurled leaves from growth points turning necrotic, but P-stem in excellent shape. These will probably fruit in the spring, the plants were gigantic and look very close to flowering:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/497/32783323286_9c19fb274c_c.jpg


Pot to the left is Pisang ceylon (unverified, but from very reputable source) and dwarf orinoco (unverified, but from reputable source). These have been sheltered under greenhouse plastic the whole time, so they haven't really been exposed to the elements and so I don't truly know how they will do when exposed to the elements. Pots were kept barely hydrated and only watered once so far this whole winter:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/584/32824096315_7695afbc2d_c.jpg


Not shown: Musa pisang raja (from reputable source, not verified yet), which is in another shelter and barely produced 3 leaves before experiencing the cold. I got a corm in Sepember or October of 2016. It's in perfect condition but hasn't grown an inch since mid November, it's a tiny plant.


To the left is Pisang Ceylon and the big plant is Musa Aeae. Lots of necrotic spots on the leaves under plastic, there's good air circulation, but they want more when it's this cold. These protected plants will take off when it warms up, they're in great condition considering the unoptimal climate. Ubnfortunately, I don't think the AEAE is big enough to fruit in time this year unless we have some freakish warm spring:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2316/32700729981_5003c9b80d_c.jpg


Overview of plants, they look pretty beat up:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3922/31981171564_346291888f_c.jpg


And some inspiration: American Goldfinger bunch that made it through the worst of this winter, it's only going to get warmer from today, so no threat of frost or anything else killing these off at the moment:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3814/31981169254_3c82e4c43e_c.jpg

JBijl
02-10-2017, 04:23 PM
Thanks Meizzwang for the update and the real nice pics.
You have some musa's i realy want to have.

meizzwang
02-10-2017, 05:02 PM
PM me in the spring or early summer, pretty much any large plant pictured above has pups that can be separated. Right now wouldn't be the best since they're all stressed out, but by early summer, they'll be strong again and you won't notice they went through what looks like hell.

HMelendez
02-10-2017, 06:33 PM
Thanks meizzwang for the update!......Thanks for sharing/posting the pictures!....


Brutal weather your plants took this winter.....Hopefully all your plants recover well!....:bananarow:

JBijl
02-10-2017, 06:58 PM
Thanks Meizzwang i will send you a PM the spring or early summer

Tytaylor77
02-10-2017, 07:11 PM
Looking great. Glad to hear you and your bananas are doing great. All the plants look ready to take off.

luisport
02-11-2017, 10:02 AM
I dout i have any of my banana plants survived this year. This is the most brutal winter ever here. My coldest temp usually is -3C and not every year, but this year was -6.5C! Even my avocado trees and many others are dead! What a lost!

meizzwang
03-20-2017, 05:01 PM
Quick update on the cold tolerance of several varieties here in zone 9, where we had a few light frosts and a cold winter with record rains. The few nights of frost we had did very little damage to the plants, I think prolonged exposed to cold rain was the main form of stress. All photos taken March 14, 2017:

1) Williams: leaves mostly fried, one of 3 p-stems fell over but P-stems for the most part had no rot issues. The 2 remaining p-stems are about 11' tall, if they don't flower by late May this year, they're getting canned. This variety is definitely not as cold hardy as others, but will survive light frost, and I still have a chance of getting them to fruit here. Here's a pic of the p-stem that fell over:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3696/33442770145_d507b6a845_c.jpg


1) American Goldfinger (FHIA1): leaves fried, but less damage than williams under identical environmental conditions. Bunches that flowered mid last summer all survived and are expected to ripen as soon as it warms up, whereas bunches that developed in late october and december all rotted away. This variety flowers like crazy and I have a pre-flag showing up already on one matt (this will be the 6th bloom). Bottom two mats below are American goldfinger, this is the only variety that I will likely have mature fruit from in the next 3 months or so:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3872/32628747913_0806aacc8b_c.jpg

This American Goldfinger bunch flowered in early-ish October of last year and most of the fingers made it:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2890/32599872674_e0ea4af660_c.jpg


This bunch of American goldfinger flowered mid December, probably won't make it:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/776/33442755405_9c3f190c76_c.jpg


And this bunch of American Goldfinger flowered last july, 100% unscathed, about 90% chance at this point that they'll reach maturity:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/755/32628752413_0dfd14da09_c.jpg

3) Aeae: The tissue on this plant is extremely tender and less lignified than the actual cold hardy plants. This plant was covered under greenhouse plastic the whole winter; it would have likely rotted away had it not been covered. The soil stayed dry, which is key to its survival. This plant will not likely fruit in zone 9 without protection, but if it gets big enough, I bet it'll survive our frosts unprotected (leaves will likely all fry though) :
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/609/32628755553_8a86167412_c.jpg

4) Rajapuri: flowered in November (I think), entire bunch rotted by late January despite being covered by greenhouse plastic. Cold hardy wise, seems to be on par with american goldfinger, if not slightly less tolerant. Some leaves fried, fruiting P-stem had some rot issues on the outer layers, but after pulling them off, tissue inside was in good shape.

5) Dwarf Brazilian: Very few leaves got fried despite frost being present around the plant (only the edges of the lower leaves showed any damage). This plant seems to be the most cold tolerant of all the varieties I have.

6) Musa Ice Cream-slightly more cold tolerant than American goldfinger: some leaves fried, but more green kept than American Goldfinger. It was also growing in a cooler, shadier environment, but the top of the canopy was fully exposed and unprotected, much like American Goldfinger.

7) Musa Dwarf Cavendish: about the same cold hardiness as williams: vast majority of leaves fried, very little green left on leaves, p-stem totally fine. This I wouldn't count on being able to fruit here, I've been growing it for approx. 14 years and have yet to get it to flower.

Overview shot of the main banana collection:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/711/33442767985_e63e4c8d15_c.jpg

sputinc7
03-21-2017, 10:52 AM
14 years? If the PS is undamaged, shouldn't it continue on where it left off?

meizzwang
03-21-2017, 12:41 PM
14 years? If the PS is undamaged, shouldn't it continue on where it left off?

Pstem was fine this winter for Dwarf Cavendish, but in the past 14 years, it has died to the corm several times.

sputinc7
03-21-2017, 01:47 PM
I guess what I mean is, if it's 5 feet tall, and the Pstem survives, shouldn't it fruit? Of course, you never get the hot n steamy they really like out there so maybe that makes all the difference. I am not surprised your Brazilian did well, mine hardly even notices a frost. My SH-3640 didn't mind the frost, either.

kaczercat
03-23-2017, 02:55 PM
Thanks for the update meizzwang. Your DC is in darn good shape for with standing 30F! The lowest in the GH here was 32 or 30F in Jan for several hours with the fan on. It went on for 2- 3 days causing the 4 ft stem to die right back to the corm. Luckily it's coming back from the centre and shooting a new pup. Maybe you'll get a bunch this season? Will your pisang ceylon go in the ground this year?

meizzwang
03-23-2017, 03:25 PM
Sorry to hear about your Dwarf Cavendish P stem dying back, I feel your pain most years :)

Definitely, I'm going to put all the potted banana plants into the ground this year as soon as the day temperatures warm up consistently to 70F or above. In a pot, you can get the roots to warm up better than in the ground, so on sunny days, even if the air temperature is relatively cold, the soil temperature goes past 70F and we still get some growth. In the ground, the soil stays cold because it's a much larger volume to heat up, so this is the reasoning behind keeping them potted for the time being.

bananza
06-03-2017, 01:41 AM
Why do people simply seek out a cold hardy banana for weather? Do cold hardy tste better than others? If not, then why not get one that does? THe thing is, plants can acclimate and evolve to withstand the environemtn with human assistance. Its called evolution. SOrry but its the fact Im tired of seeing cold hardy ornamentals in my nurseries when I want a good tasting fruit plant

beam2050
06-03-2017, 04:00 AM
Why do people simply seek out a cold hardy banana for weather? Do cold hardy tste better than others? If not, then why not get one that does? THe thing is, plants can acclimate and evolve to withstand the environemtn with human assistance. Its called evolution. SOrry but its the fact Im tired of seeing cold hardy ornamentals in my nurseries when I want a good tasting fruit plant

love to be able to grow bing cherries down here. flathead lake in my home state Montana has the best. but you cannot grow figs or bananas there either. whats a mother to do.

bananza
06-03-2017, 04:59 AM
love to be able to grow bing cherries down here. flathead lake in my home state Montana has the best. but you cannot grow figs or bananas there either. whats a mother to do.

But you can try to grow a tropicl and see what happens. Just put a tower of mulch around it in winter

André Troylilas
06-03-2017, 07:01 AM
It's not that easy.

beam2050
06-03-2017, 09:47 AM
It's not that easy.

that's right. now you take zones for instance, I am 9a by the map but I am about 30 miles [as the crow fly's] and 15 miles from the st. johns river which is bloody huge. so after over 20 years of fishing just north of tampa, which is 9b, I know that my weather in the winter time is almost exactly the same as tampa. now you go 20 miles west of me the temps drop dramaticly. and some bananas will not do well in tampa, or survive at all. but will do very will in Hawaii.

Vette-kid
06-06-2017, 07:54 AM
But you can try to grow a tropicl and see what happens. Just put a tower of mulch around it in winter

In still new, but add I see it, most bananas will not survive long enough to fruit under cold conditions. Yes, the corm may survive with precautions, but if you want fruit you have to get a plant through a winter. Unless you use a short cycle plant. So for people in zone 8/9 or less you need either a short cycle or a cold hardy variety in order to get fruit without extreme measures (greenhouse, pots indoors over winter, heat tape, etc)

beam2050
06-06-2017, 08:25 AM
In still new, but add I see it, most bananas will bit survive long enough to fruit under cold conditions. Yes, the corm may survive with precautions, but if toy want fruit you have to get a plant through a winter. Unless you use a short cycle plant. So for people in zone 8/9 or less you need either a short cycle or a cold hardy variety in order to get fruit without extreme measures (greenhouse, pots indoors over winter, heat tape, etc)

yes, then add in the fact that you can darn near throw a rock into the gulf, you should have better results than people who live near straight east of you. the ones that live inland like perry and lake city alltho they also share the zone of 9b. their winters will normally be much colder than yours.

edwmax
06-06-2017, 08:36 AM
Why do people simply seek out a cold hardy banana for weather? Do cold hardy tste better than others? If not, then why not get one that does? THe thing is, plants can acclimate and evolve to withstand the environemtn with human assistance. Its called evolution. SOrry but its the fact Im tired of seeing cold hardy ornamentals in my nurseries when I want a good tasting fruit plant

That is exactly what the 'cold hardy' list is about. Banana plants that have evolve to with stand colder temperatures for which their Tropical cousins can not. Look at the list for fruiting bananas for your zone. The Orinoco, Carolina King, and the California Gold plants have been fruited in Northern California, Seattle, and North Carolina.

luisport
06-06-2017, 09:08 AM
I dout i have any of my banana plants survived this year. This is the most brutal winter ever here. My coldest temp usually is -3C and not every year, but this year was -6.5C! Even my avocado trees and many others are dead! What a lost!

This winter was just terrible. Our lowest temp record falled to -6.5C from -3C! I lost some trees but only 3 banana plants. I just lost 1 dwarf cavendish, 1 dwarf red and the lacatan. The other banana trees are growing well! I will get more trees soon!

meizzwang
06-06-2017, 01:18 PM
Here's my unofficial results from last winter, in order of most cold hardy to least. Please note, this is based on a very limited number of cultivars. Plants were judged by the amount of damage to the leaves/p-stem after the cool weather has passed. These results are preliminary findings and may change next year because some plants like the dwarf brazilian, for example, were relatively short and were fully protected by a cement wall. Once it gets taller and is no longer protected by the wall, that will be the true test:
1) Dwarf Brazilian
2) rajapuri
3) Ice cream
4) American Goldfinger
5) Williams and Dwarf Cavendish

Williams and Dwarf Cavendish are on the chopping block. Williams reached flowering size and had 3 large p-stems on the mat, but zero leaves from last summer's growth made it through temporarily light frost. While other cold hardy varieties have already produced several new leaves this year, Williams hasn't produced any new leaves on the main P-stems (many side shoots have emerged though). There's no flower bud in sight and it's getting too late to have fruit mature before the next winter months, so for this reason, it's deemed unsuitable for my climate. You have to get lucky and have a very mild winter with no frost to get this one to fruit up here, but that rarely happens.

On the other hand, I have an Aeae that has produced 3 sets of leaves so far this year and is growing well like the other cold hardy bananas. However, it was covered under greenhouse plastic this past winter, so I can't say it's more cold hardy than williams just yet. This year, it'll be too tall to cover, so we'll see if it stands up to the elements. Even if it gives me trouble with fruiting up here, it'll be kept because of those amazingly beautiful variegated leaves.

Below are either new acquisitions or plants that spent the winter under greenhouse plastic. These will all be put to the test this coming winter:
1) pisang raja
2) dwarf orinoco
3) pisang ceylon
4) FHIA-18
5) namwah
6) SH-3640 (notes: I have a hunch this might be less cold hardy than reported. It's taken more than a month for a super healthy sword pup with roots to produce its first leaf. American goldfinger pups with roots and a rootless namwah, on the other hand, produced their first leaves in the exact same conditions 3 weeks after being separated from the mat. It has been abnormally cold overall this spring, but some varieties still grow pretty fast while others languish).

edwmax
06-06-2017, 02:15 PM
....

Williams and Dwarf Cavendish are on the chopping block. Williams reached flowering size and had 3 large p-stems on the mat, but zero leaves from last summer's growth made it through temporarily light frost. ...



This is June, has the pstem choked? There should be some leaves by this time unless the corm has died. But you stated there are several new pups. ???

meizzwang
06-06-2017, 04:16 PM
This is June, has the pstem choked? There should be some leaves by this time unless the corm has died. But you stated there are several new pups. ???

I'm not sure what happened to the Williams, but instead of seeing a normal cigar leaf emerge from the top, there's a shredded up leaf that's partially brown. Perhaps it has choked as you have alluded to and the new leaves are all backed up somewhere in the P-stem. There are new pups that have 2-3 leaves growing normally, but this is it, the plant is going to be replaced by SH-3640. I'm dreading digging it up, the corms are massive and the base of the p-stems appear to be more than 1' in diameter.

edwmax
06-06-2017, 04:36 PM
Since you are going to replace the plant anyway, cut the pstem to the center stem vertically from the top to locate the choke or cut the pstem off in short sections. Also, there may be a noticeable bulge at the choke. The plant might be ready to fruit.

sputinc7
06-06-2017, 08:15 PM
I have seen that before and for your sake I hope I am wrong. The PS slowly rots down and stops growing from the main growth point while putting all it's energy into water suckers. Peel off all dead material after cutting it about 3-4 inches down. Try a neem oil spray or something stronger for fungus...

cincinnana
06-06-2017, 09:27 PM
Metamucil fellas .....:woohoonaner:
This one was not doing anything last month.....so I had cut it horizontally, but after it stopped pushing I cut the stem vertically to show the choke

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4279/34750416600_1b19db31d9_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/UWLYaN)Untitled
(https://flic.kr/p/UWLYaN
)
by
Hostafarian (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hostafarian/), on Flickr

.https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4272/34750414640_fd4f3d40dc_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/UWLXA1)
Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/UWLXA1) by
Hostafarian (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hostafarian/),
on Flickr

edwmax
06-07-2017, 06:02 AM
@ Cinci

Thanks for the above photo. It appears to explain a lot.

It looks like that choke also caused an interior fungus to grow from the rotting stem. ... So after cutting the pstem vertically, did the pstem/fungus dry out and allow the center stem to grow?

I've had 3 plants that died this way. So now instead of slowly cutting the pstem shorter as it dies, I will try cutting the pstem vertically in hopes of killing the fungus while allowing the center stem to grow.

cincinnana
06-07-2017, 06:38 AM
@ Cinci

Thanks for the above photo. It appears to explain a lot.

It looks like that choke also caused an interior fungus to grow from the rotting stem. ... So after cutting the pstem vertically, did the pstem/fungus dry out and allow the center stem to grow?

I've had 3 plants that died this way. So now instead of slowly cutting the pstem shorter as it dies, I will try cutting the pstem vertically in hopes of killing the fungus while allowing the center stem to grow.


I cut the plant vertically just for the photo....I wanted to see what was going on in there and get a picture of it.:)
Just for you all!!

After the the photo was taken I cut the stem horizontally about 4 inches below the necrotic tissue of the stem /choke.
The brown material in the stem is dead plant tissue and not a fungus.

I would continue to cut the stem as you have always have just make a shorter aggressive cut.

The plant will be little shorter now:ha:

edwmax
06-07-2017, 08:26 AM
Thanks for the picture. Locating and removing the choke may be the only way to save the pstem and eliminate other associated problems where this type of problem occurs. Of course, the corm is pupping so the there is not a total loss of the plant.

meizzwang
06-07-2017, 01:48 PM
Here's the growth point of my williams, photos taken 6/7/17:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4237/35031503931_7331f8855a_c.jpg

It's a jumbled mess with no flower bud in sight. Even if it did flower, there's barely any leaves to get the fingers to fatten up. Last year before the cold weather, it had GINORMOUS, healthy leaves that were bigger than any of the other varieties:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4244/34352411273_7f0449433a_c.jpg

Literally, no new leaves have emerged since October of last year, one reason why this Williams plant is getting chopped:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4231/35031504811_85d15aee06_c.jpg


Williams in the middle of the photo. Many new healthy plantlets are growing and getting big pretty quick, but I'm done with this plant, it just can't take prolong cold like the others can. If I grow out them out, they'll likely end up leafless and choking just like the main p-stems. The only chance of getting them to fruit is if we have an abnormally warm winter like in 2015-2016, it didn't freeze and we had temps in the 80's in February:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4217/35031502951_dc06a93c09_c.jpg


as mentioned earlier, my aeae has been growing strong, although it was covered and protected during the winter. It's probably equally or less cold hardy than Williams if I had to guess:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4274/35162314005_98cb8973a8_c.jpg


The aeae hasn't shot out a variegated leaf for a very long time, this is the first one in a while, and it's barely variegated. This is likely environmental and pH related:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4268/35031505661_f94054b683_c.jpg

Tytaylor77
06-08-2017, 02:39 AM
Mine shoots 80% white every leaf! Send some of that green my way! Haha. What are you gonna replace the Williams with? Sweetheart! Praying Hands!

I have a few Saba pups lmao. AEAE looks great!

meizzwang
06-08-2017, 12:33 PM
Thanks Ty! Yeah, when I first bought this aeae clone, it was heavily variegated, but after adding an ton of P&K to the soil just before the cold set in (I think it had a lot of Calcium in it), the leaves turned solid green with no variegation.

SH-3640 is going to replace Williams, but I'm optimistically cautious about this clone because based on the way it's "behaving" so far (ie. taking more than a month from a healthy, strong sword pup with roots to form its first leaf), it might not be as cold hardy as many of the other cultivars. The varieties that require higher temps to grow normally tend to be less cold hardy from my experience, but that's very limited and you never know.

Anyone else have feedback regarding SH-3640's cold tolerance?

sputinc7
06-08-2017, 12:51 PM
Mine held nice green leaves as well as Brazilian last winter, uncovered in a couple low 30's frosts. Kept growing through the winter. Sigatoka must be dealt with, though. Neem oil is helpful for that.
I remember it took about a month to get going when I planted mine. I remember worrying something was wrong. It was a 3 foot pup with lots of roots and freshly dug just a couple hours before, from Worm Farmer. (Anyone heard from him recently?)

FusionGalaxy
07-16-2017, 04:08 PM
Is the Musa Blue Java considered cold Hardy as well?

luisport
07-16-2017, 04:32 PM
Is the Musa Blue Java considered cold Hardy as well?

For me it is. It survived last winter coldest lows i got and regrowth from the ground.

Tytaylor77
07-18-2017, 08:34 AM
Mine also! I find the real blue java is more cold hardy than namwas. Namwa is a way faster grower though. Blue java also takes longer to flower for me. It will take another year to verify this.

meizzwang
08-29-2017, 04:33 PM
After almost a year of only producing mostly green leaves, this Aeae is finally producing its first leaf filled with beautiful variegation! We had a heatwave recently, which caused some of the white pigments to overheat and burn. This plant isn't the most cold hardy, so it'll be interesting to see if we can get it to fruit up here in Northern California. I'm not aware of anyone successfully getting Aeae to produce mature bananas this far North. Photo taken 8/29/17:
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4378/36094199203_75de249eb7_c.jpg

Richard
08-29-2017, 04:42 PM
... This plant isn't the most cold hardy, so it'll be interesting to see if we can get it to fruit up here in Northern California.
...

If you are truly in cold hardiness zone 9b it should not be a problem. What community are you located in?

NZBanana
04-26-2018, 09:58 PM
Nice list thanks guys

luar1976
09-17-2019, 01:55 AM
:2691:

Which varieties of bananas grow above 7 meters, 23 feets and resist zone 8?
Banana trees that produce seeds.
:bananarow:

giorgosgr
03-22-2020, 10:59 AM
I also see that Thousand Fingers is very cold hardy, according to this list, and I've seen other lists that say the same thing. Has anyone actually fruited one? It looks amazing, with that huge banana stalk hanging down, in all the pictures I've seen.

Lisa

Does anyone know how long does 1000 fingers take from flower to fruit in mediterenian climate?