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mobius
07-11-2016, 02:34 PM
Hello fellow Banana Enthusiasts!

I am new here so let me introduce myself. I love bananas and consume a lot of them per week. I live in Northern California (zone 9B). Recently I have been getting into gardening and a friend offered to give me her banana tree that she has been neglecting for a few years but it's a survivor.

The tree seems like a mess at the bottom and I am not even sure if it will bear fruit. But since this forum exists and there is a whole world of experience here, I thought I'd ask anyways.

http://i.imgur.com/9oUcNSj.jpg


Can this tree be revived?
Will it bear fruit?
Should I prune it? How do I prune it?


Thanks in advance for your help!!

sputinc7
07-11-2016, 02:44 PM
Put it in the ground, or repot it without the pups and put it where it gets several hours sun per day. Fertilize and water then watch it grow.
It looks more like a white bird of paradise than a banana, though. Are you sure it's a banana?

mobius
07-11-2016, 03:32 PM
Put it in the ground, or repot it without the pups and put it where it gets several hours sun per day. Fertilize and water then watch it grow.
It looks more like a white bird of paradise than a banana, though. Are you sure it's a banana?

That was the question I had as well, and when I asked her, she assured me that she bought it from someone on Craigslist and they assured her that it's very fertile and bears a lot of fruit. That's hilarious though... no wonder she had been waiting for 5 years for it to fruit :ha:

JP
07-11-2016, 05:25 PM
Looks like you need a bigger pot!

chris_zx2
07-11-2016, 06:50 PM
No need to revive it, it isnt dead! Looks like a bop to me too. That's some long petioles for a banana, but I haven't seen them all!

Gabe15
07-11-2016, 08:33 PM
It is definitely a White Bird of Paradise, Strelitzia nicolai, and not a banana. There are some bananas that you should be able to grow however, look into Orinoco and Namwah in particular.

RobG7aChattTN
07-12-2016, 07:30 AM
This is seriously making me question the reliability of information on Craigslist...
Anyone ever try eating the seed pods on giant bird of paradise? Are they delicious? 😉

Snarkie
07-12-2016, 11:02 AM
White Bird of Paradise came to mind as well. Thank you for the definitive ID, Gabe15.

On the other hand, if it produces bananas, you might just have something very special! :birthdaynana:

Rob: You should know by now, that Craigslist is a very reliable source for all sorts of unreliable things. This is why I always take my counterfeit ID pen and Colt Anaconda with me whenever I meet someone in the parking lot at Walmart. :2723:

37.667910
07-12-2016, 09:03 PM
100% a Giant Bird.
And that plant looks just fine, should plant it in the ground, they do fine in 9B

mobius
07-13-2016, 12:52 AM
Thanks everyone!!

What is the best place to buy them tasty bananas? I'll need the container variety that grows in 9B.

Thanks again!!