Log in

View Full Version : Newbie Question


Blossom
03-08-2008, 03:07 PM
Hi All-
I've lurked for a few days, but decided to jump right in, so to speak, and ask what is probably a basic question of all you experts.

We have a banana tree in our back yard that is about seven or eight years old. It was given to us as a little sprout by our neighbor, who said the parent tree kind of bloomed, but never produced any real fruit or a real blossom. Our tree, which is taller than our one story house with leaves roughly 10 feet long, has the start of a bloom. I'd LOVE to get some fruit, and wonder if there's any chance we will. So...here are my very newbie questions:

1) Do banana trees need to pollinate with other banana trees to bear fruit?
2) Should I cover any fruit that starts with a plastic bag (my great grandmother used to do this with banana trees in her back yard in Los Angeles--my mom thinks this was to keep tarantulas out, but I'm wondering if it was for warmth).
3) Should we be feeding the tree at this point?
4) I know the tree will die after the bloom (which me makes in incredibly sad--I love this tree), what are the chances it will reproduce asexually and we'll find sprouts in the yard?

Thanks in advance for your answers and help!

(My avatar is the blossom as of last weekend).

ETA: We live in a temperate coastal climate and the parent tree came from a banana farm that used to be along the coast just south of Santa Barbara--I doubt we'll have any more frost this winter, but we don't get very warm here either.

Bch Grl
03-08-2008, 03:50 PM
Hi and Welcome!
Here are the short answers...

1.No
2.No
3.Yes
4.Most likely, yes!

From the looks of the Avitar, your plant is doing well!
Bananas are always hungry!
Most will have "pups", new sprouts/plants.
Altho I don't know why they cover the fruits, it isn't necessary for home grown plants!

Read, read, read on this site and all the questions about Bananas will be answered!

Margie
:gif_esqui (5 more days to ski trip)

Richard
03-08-2008, 04:12 PM
Hi All-
I've lurked for a few days, but decided to jump right in ...

Blossom,
Don't forget to introduce yourself with a "New Thread" here: Member Introductions, Social Announcements & Good Wishes - Bananas.org (http://www.bananas.org/f11/)

Also, add some information about your location to your profile!
:)

tlturbo
03-08-2008, 05:01 PM
OK, I'm confused.

First, is there more than one trunk?

I don't see how you could have a single banana plant (one trunk) that is still living after 7 years even if it was verrrrry small when planted unless you live in a climate where it dies back each winter then tries again. If so, that is ONE hardy plant. HA But even so, in 7 years it should have flowered by now (or tried to) and that trunk would have died but then there should be more pups coming up around the base.

Also, I have never seen a green banana flower. I have around 20 different varieties (all edible except for a Zebrina) and they are all red. I'm NOT real familiar with non-edible bananas so maybe some of them have green blooms.

Can you take a pic of the whole plant and an updated one of the flower?

I'm sure some of the Gurus on here can figure out what you have.
Terry

Tropicallvr
03-08-2008, 05:48 PM
Yeah I remember that banana farm from when I was a kid. We drove by it every time we visited a friend of my dads on the hill/cliff behind it.

Blossom
03-08-2008, 05:51 PM
There's only one trunk, and the parent tree took about eight years to bloom. The bloom itself has not yet flowered, it's just that start of a bud in my avatar. While the plant has taken a beating in a couple of cold snaps, it has never died back (just lost a few outside leaves when we'd get an occasional frost).

I think that if it does bear fruit, they will be edible as the farm that the parent came from was all edible fruit banana trees.

Still no pups around the base (our neighbor said he didn't get any pups until his tree died back).

Taylor
03-08-2008, 05:53 PM
I'm thinking an Ensete...

Tropicallvr
03-08-2008, 05:54 PM
It's not an ensete if it is from the same banana farm I'm thinking of.

Blossom
03-08-2008, 05:56 PM
It's not an ensete if it is from the same banana farm I'm thinking of.

From La Conchita...I think they only carried one type of banana there. I've got to figure out how to upload some of the photos!

Tropicallvr
03-08-2008, 06:07 PM
I think it's the same place with the tunnel that goes under the freeway to the beach. Those were some nice nanners, but maybe someone who knows the back ground on the type of banana that was grown there will chime in. It was pretty well known. For some reason I'm thinking apple(monzano) banana.

Blossom
03-08-2008, 06:22 PM
OK, I put some photos in the gallery--but now I've got to figure out how to put a link in my profile. Thanks for your patience--each new message board is a "treat" to learn! ;)

Tropicallvr
03-08-2008, 06:44 PM
Yep, Taylors right Ensete ventricosum. No edible bananas, but you'll get seeds to resprout!

bigdog
03-08-2008, 07:26 PM
Most wild-type bananas DO require pollination from another flower in a later stage of bloom to form fruit, but as luck would have it, the kind you have has hermaphroditic flowers and will form fruit on its own. As Kyle said though, they are anything but edible, LOL! If you allow the bananas to ripen on the plant, you can then harvest the seeds and start over. The kind you have will not form any pups as a general rule. It will take several months for the fruits to ripen, and in the meantime the plant will start to decline and look pretty rough. For this reason, most homeowners cut them down at that point. That is an amazing corm on that plant! Thanks for the pics, and welcome to the board.

Blossom
03-08-2008, 07:56 PM
Thank you all so much for your information! What a great group of people so willing to share their knowledge.

I have to say though, I am pretty sad about no edible fruit. When I was living in the southwest Pacific and traveling around Bali I became a "banana snob". You know people who will only eat home-grown tomatoes? Well, I'm that way now (as I imagine many of you are as well). I got so spoiled on lovely Pacific bananas--only yummy fresh picked! Banana pancakes, banana bread, bananas cooked with fish, bananas grilled with brown sugar.....OK, now I'm craving bananas and not the kind Dole sells at my local market.

So, on to my next question....any advice as to where I can find a banana tree that will bear fruit in our zone? I'm happy to order online!

The whole process is pretty exciting though, and it's been fun to share the day-by-day process with all the kids we know. Again, thank you so much for your help and knowledge. I'll keep posting pictures.

Tropicallvr
03-08-2008, 09:45 PM
There are quite a few that would work for you. Musa Dwarf Orinoco, Musa 'Belle', and a few others should work for you. If you're in the Nor Cal fog belt that limits you a bit on varities, since some of the more hardy types like/need heat. I think people are still figuring out what are the best types for cooler areas on the coast, but Musa 'Belle', and Musa Dwarf Orinoco, did pretty well for me when I lived in a serious fog belt in Eureka, CA.

buzzwinder
03-08-2008, 09:56 PM
Hey welcome to the forum, as far as online ordering of banana plants, there are several good places, but check out the Classified section of this forum, located in the tool bar at the top of this page, many people here sell, trade plants of all sorts, and more than happy to answer any questions you may have about what they are offering, or offer really good advice on where to search,Best wishes and again Welcome!!!!!:hiiiiyanana:

Tropicallvr
03-08-2008, 11:10 PM
Found this on La Conchita, I don't think your banana plant was from there, but it's cool that these people were some of the pioneers in Musa cultivation in California.

1985- La Conchita banana plantation started

From it’s opening until its forced closure in 1996, the Seaside Banana Gardens operated by Doug Richardson and his partner Paul Turner, became the most famous attraction in La Conchita. The Gardens were featured in both national and international publications and made La Conchita a landmark along Highway 101. Although horticultural authorities maintained that bananas could not be commercially grown in California, Richardson and Turner proved them wrong by cultivating over 50 exotic varieties. The unique microclimate of the community’s location was ideal for this purpose. Many subsequent generations of bananas continue to grow and thrive throughout the home gardens of La Conchita today.

On another site, it said they grew M. cavendish, M.manzano, M.mysore, M.ae ae, M.blue java, and M.brazilian was his favorite.

natedogg1026
03-08-2008, 11:15 PM
Hello and congrats Blossom.

Blossom
03-09-2008, 12:20 AM
Found this on La Conchita, I don't think your banana plant was from there, but it's cool that these people were some of the pioneers in Musa cultivation in California.

1985- La Conchita banana plantation started

From it’s opening until its forced closure in 1996, the Seaside Banana Gardens operated by Doug Richardson and his partner Paul Turner, became the most famous attraction in La Conchita. The Gardens were featured in both national and international publications and made La Conchita a landmark along Highway 101. Although horticultural authorities maintained that bananas could not be commercially grown in California, Richardson and Turner proved them wrong by cultivating over 50 exotic varieties. The unique microclimate of the community’s location was ideal for this purpose. Many subsequent generations of bananas continue to grow and thrive throughout the home gardens of La Conchita today.

On another site, it said they grew M. cavendish, M.manzano, M.mysore, M.ae ae, M.blue java, and M.brazilian was his favorite.

The really sad part is that the place closed down because of a disagreement with the land owner (at least that was the local gossip around Ventura when I used to surf there on weekend trips). The two guys who ran the place were supposedly easy going, nice guys and everyone in the area loved them! There's a nursery nearby called Rincon Gardens and they have plants now. I think my tree's parent plant came from La Conchita but was obviously not what they harvested. They had a small section of varietals, from what I understand.

STEELVIPER
03-09-2008, 01:09 AM
If we got enough rain here in Southern California, we could easily commercially grow bananas here. Just does not rain enough.:0491:

Tropicallvr
03-09-2008, 03:25 PM
If we got enough rain here in Southern California, we could easily commercially grow bananas here. Just does not rain enough.:0491:

Pitadiego who grows a ton of varities said his fastest grower is FHIA 3, and it was basically bred for drought tolerance, and overall hardiness, so that one might be a good choice for a planting of less irigated bananas in So Cal.

Richard
03-09-2008, 03:31 PM
At the moment, all farmers in southern CA are under a mandatory 30% water cut based on last year's usage. They were already being frugal with water to make ends meet. Many growers feel that it is no longer commercially viable to farm avocados and other hydrophilic crops.

chong
03-09-2008, 04:42 PM
Found this on La Conchita, I don't think your banana plant was from there, but it's cool that these people were some of the pioneers in Musa cultivation in California.

1985- La Conchita banana plantation started

From it’s opening until its forced closure in 1996, the Seaside Banana Gardens operated by Doug Richardson and his partner Paul Turner, became the most famous attraction in La Conchita. The Gardens were featured in both national and international publications and made La Conchita a landmark along Highway 101. Although horticultural authorities maintained that bananas could not be commercially grown in California, Richardson and Turner proved them wrong by cultivating over 50 exotic varieties. The unique microclimate of the community’s location was ideal for this purpose. Many subsequent generations of bananas continue to grow and thrive throughout the home gardens of La Conchita today.

On another site, it said they grew M. cavendish, M.manzano, M.mysore, M.ae ae, M.blue java, and M.brazilian was his favorite.

I used to get the Seaside Banana Gardens mailers. One thing that attracted me to their business is that they featured the Saba, Cardaba, and Pitogo in their newsletters. These plants they claim were brought to them from the Philippines by a couple of their workers. When I finally had a chance to visit Santa Barbara for construction inspections of the Costco branch in Goleta, I found out that they'd closed. Bummer! I didn't know until now that they closed in 1996. But people at the site that I talked to told me that their lease was up and could not come into an agreement with the owner.

I believe they said that the area they were in has a subtropical microclimate. That while temperatures may dip in most parts of CA, they rarely, if ever, experience frost. Though in the summer, they do not get too hot, either. So, if anyone lives nearby, who is growing bananas, that should be most encouraging.

momoese
03-09-2008, 06:50 PM
I was talking with one of the financiers of the operation and she told me that the land was taken over by an oil company. I believe Jon (Pitangadiego) Knows Doug and may have more in depth knowledge of what went down.

southlatropical
03-09-2008, 07:05 PM
Blossom,

When that Ensete Ventricosum fully blooms be sure to collect all the seeds. There should be tons of them. If you sprout the seeds and grow them out you could easily trade them for other banana varieties right here on Bananas.org.

Blossom
03-09-2008, 07:30 PM
Blossom,

When that Ensete Ventricosum fully blooms be sure to collect all the seeds. There should be tons of them. If you sprout the seeds and grow them out you could easily trade them for other banana varieties right here on Bananas.org.

Good to know! Thank you...I've got a few friends that want some pups too. The tree is just beautiful and she's got a little fan club around here. I'll try to make sure and save them correctly and get them to others as well.

jewelbaby1224
04-09-2008, 05:17 PM
Great NYT articles about Seaside Banana Gardens and the varities they grew. Great memories from Ventura.

DE GUSTIBUS; Life After Cavendish, or, Yes, We Have Plenty of Bananas - New York Times (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DEEDC143EF93BA35755C0A96E948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2)

At the Nation's Table: Ventura, Calif. - New York Times (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE7D91538F936A35757C0A963958260)