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View Full Version : Home depot Blue java or Namwa?


s3v3n13tt3r5
05-31-2019, 11:14 AM
Hello, i'm new to bananaing just bought this a few weeks ago as a blue java but have i been jebaited? https://imgur.com/a/BynP8q7

edwmax
05-31-2019, 02:59 PM
Hard to tell for now. There seems to be too much red at this stage ..????...



These are picture of my Blue Java from last year.
http://caironet.com/banana/BJ-pic1-05202018.jpg


http://caironet.com/banana/BJ-pic2-05202018.jpg

edwmax
05-31-2019, 03:01 PM
BUT anyways .... They are Bananas and HD got that part right! So Grow EM!

Tytaylor77
06-01-2019, 01:50 AM
Home Depot sources from Agristarts which does not TC the real blue java ice cream. They sell “blue java ice cream” as Musa tall namwa.

Tall namwa is an excellent Musa and one of my most productive varieties!
You will love it!

s3v3n13tt3r5
06-01-2019, 03:41 AM
Thanks for the reply, the only concerning thing is that I read on here the texture is not nice. Is that true? Also could you give a flavor profile in comparison to Cavendish? Thanks for the trouble.

Gabe15
06-01-2019, 11:42 PM
The flavor profile of Namwah is quite differnet from Cavendish in my opinion, and the texture I think far better than Ice Cream. Ice Cream is getting a lot of hype lately but the fact is that its nothing new and up until now its normally been considered as interesting and fun to look at but otherwise not that well liked by many, its quite a soft and mushy ripe fruit which is somewhat off putting to a lot of people.

Best day
06-02-2019, 12:27 PM
Well put Gabe.

crazy banana
06-02-2019, 05:23 PM
Looks like Namwah to me. I concur with Gabe, Namwah taste by far better than Blue Java bananas. However, Blue Java bananas can be eye candy though.

Island Brah
06-04-2019, 01:56 PM
The Blue Java I've tasted was amazing. The texture was incredible too. I was sure to acquire a clone of the plant they came from and I'm currently growing it. Maybe there are more than one Blue Java type? I scratch my head every time someone says they're not too desirable to eat.

crazy banana
06-04-2019, 02:10 PM
The Blue Java I've tasted was amazing. The texture was incredible too. I was sure to acquire a clone of the plant they came from and I'm currently growing it. Maybe there are more than one Blue Java type? I scratch my head every time someone says they're not too desirable to eat.

Looking forward to see some photos of your Blue Java once your plant fruits.
Hopefully it is not just one of the mislabeled plants.
Don’t get me wrong, I have eaten some decent Blue Java bananas, but if I could only grow one variety, it would be the Namwah .

Tytaylor77
06-04-2019, 11:32 PM
The fruit he was sent was from mine. I really enjoy them. They are soft and creamy. But also sweet and good. I love namwa and would still rate namwa slightly better. Blue java and similar clones are very popular in the South Pacific islands. My clone came from bananas.org long long time member. I won’t say his name for privacy. But I did acquire the Goling Bananas clone last year! So this year I will compare mine, the GB clone, and Pisang Abu Perak. I don’t foresee any differences but want to be sure.

Personally I believe fertilizer (especially potassium) makes a big difference in the fruit quality and taste. Just as it is proven to do in the sweetness of watermelons!

zfallon84
06-05-2019, 09:09 AM
Hard to tell for now. There seems to be too much red at this stage ..????...

So, my "Ice Cream" bananas had that pinkish red hue for the last six months. What I figured out is that they are nitrogen deficient (Haifa Banana Micro-nutrient guide). As soon as I bumped my PH up from 4 to 6.5, and added organic fertilizer, the new leaves are very pretty. Now they look exactly like the Pisang Awak plants in the TARS catalog. So, it could be a severe nitrogen issue.

Zephian
06-05-2019, 01:01 PM
If it's from LaVerne I actually contacted them and this was the response:

"Kris,



Yes, an agri start and it is namwa. Thanks for the inquiry,



Richard Wilson - CEO

La Verne Nursery Inc.

Ofc 805 521-0111

Cell 626 945-1442

“Growing Sustainably”

VETERAN OWNED & OPERATED"

Gabe15
06-05-2019, 04:45 PM
Blue java and similar clones are very popular in the South Pacific islands.

This is sorta true in that they are aren’t rare, but they are also often cooked half-ripe or so, kinda rare to see them used as a dessert fruit in the Pacific (outside of Hawaii). Normally for dessert use Cavendish, Silk, Mysore and things more like those are preferred.

PR-Giants
06-06-2019, 02:11 PM
This is sorta true in that they are aren’t rare, but they are also often cooked half-ripe or so, kinda rare to see them used as a dessert fruit in the Pacific (outside of Hawaii). Normally for dessert use Cavendish, Silk, Mysore and things more like those are preferred.

That's about the same as I've seen in the Caribbean. Even though Bluggoe, Pisang Awak, Ney Mannan, and Plantain can be eaten raw as a dessert banana it's not something you'd normally see. Cavendish, Mysore, Red, Silk, and Sucrier are the typical dessert bananas here.

Of the three common ABB bananas eaten raw as a dessert banana I'd rank the Bluggoe the best followed by the Ney Mannan and then the Pisang Awak, and I doubt I'll ever eat any of them raw again.

Bob3
06-07-2019, 11:17 AM
The flavor profile of Namwah is quite differnet from Cavendish in my opinion, and the texture I think far better than Ice Cream. Ice Cream is getting a lot of hype lately but the fact is that its nothing new and up until now its normally been considered as interesting and fun to look at but otherwise not that well liked by many, its quite a soft and mushy ripe fruit which is somewhat off putting to a lot of people.

It’s my understanding that the whole “Ice Cream” theme got started by folks doing an online search for “best banana” or something like that.

I pretty much decline to use the term, as the name has become to be associated with more than one variety, making it kinda useless.


:nanadrink:

Bananaman88
06-07-2019, 01:02 PM
Namwah has certainly been a more reliable fruit producer for me that whatever passes for "Ice Cream" in the industry. My Namwah always fruited more consistently and much heavier that my Ice Cream when they fruited the same year. I didn't even bother taking a pup of IC with me when I moved recently.

edwmax
06-07-2019, 03:05 PM
So, my "Ice Cream" bananas had that pinkish red hue for the last six months. What I figured out is that they are nitrogen deficient (Haifa Banana Micro-nutrient guide). As soon as I bumped my PH up from 4 to 6.5, and added organic fertilizer, the new leaves are very pretty. Now they look exactly like the Pisang Awak plants in the TARS catalog. So, it could be a severe nitrogen issue.


I had to look at my Blue Java ( don't use the term 'Ice Cream'). Blue Java has dark green coloring on the top side of the leaf; and lighter green on the backside. The mid rib is green on the top side and reddish/pink on the backside. That's why I said there was too much red.



Oh ... Blue Java and Namwah are not the same plant. There are several types of Bananas with the nick name of 'Ice Cream'.

Best day
06-07-2019, 04:41 PM
For about 3-4 years I grew the Home Depot Ice Cream Banana right next to my Blue Java Banana. I could never find a way to tell the difference between the plants. They looked identical to me. The fruit is very different but the plant look identical to me.

Bill

Bob3
06-07-2019, 10:15 PM
For about 3-4 years I grew the Home Depot Ice Cream Banana right next to my Blue Java Banana. I could never find a way to tell the difference between the plants. They looked identical to me. The fruit is very different but the plant look identical to me.

Bill

You didn’t notice the silvery sheen to the underside of the Blue Java?
That’s usually the dead giveaway for me.
:nanadrink:

Best day
06-08-2019, 10:37 AM
I just went and looked again. Both types have a silvery/white underside to the leaves.

Bill

edwmax
06-08-2019, 12:13 PM
I just went and looked again. Both types have a silvery/white underside to the leaves.

Bill


I suspect your Blue Java is not, if it does not have reddish/pink coloring on the back of the mid rib. So likely both of your plants are Namwah.

cincinnana
06-08-2019, 01:16 PM
Hello, i'm new to bananaing just bought this a few weeks ago as a blue java but have i been jebaited? https://imgur.com/a/BynP8q7

The jebait gods strike again.:)

Akula
06-08-2019, 01:16 PM
Underside leaf color and even the color of the fruit are not perfect tells to differentiate between Blue Java and Pisang Awak (Tall Namwa). I always thought the blue fruit were the obvious tell but I visited a fellow member a week ago and his Blue Java fruit did not look like Crazy Banana's avatar despite the plant being from CB. More like a super dark green than a blue to me. Maybe it was the light. Local growing conditions have a pretty big influence on this plant's demonstratable characteristics and taste it seems to me. In my opinion individual banana attachment to the peduncle seems to me to be the best way to differentiate between Blue Java and Pisang Awak/Namwah.

I think the OP's plant is a Namwah.

Best day
06-08-2019, 01:32 PM
My Blue Java is definitely the real deal. I have grown it for about 6 years and have had fruit from it many times. The fruit of Namwa and Blue Java are very, very different. In my coastal Southern California growing conditions the two plants appear identical. At least there are no distinguishing characteristics that me or anyone at my house has been able to see. That is until one of the two varieties fruits. Then the fruits are very, very different in color, taste and texture. Night and day different.

Bill

crazy banana
06-08-2019, 09:29 PM
Underside leaf color and even the color of the fruit are not perfect tells to differentiate between Blue Java and Pisang Awak (Tall Namwa). I always thought the blue fruit were the obvious tell but I visited a fellow member a week ago and his Blue Java fruit did not look like Crazy Banana's avatar despite the plant being from CB. More like a super dark green than a blue to me. Maybe it was the light. Local growing conditions have a pretty big influence on this plant's demonstratable characteristics and taste it seems to me. In my opinion individual banana attachment to the peduncle seems to me to be the best way to differentiate between Blue Java and Pisang Awak/Namwah.

I think the OP's plant is a Namwah.

I have to say, that not all of my Blue Java bunches have that extreme silverish blue like my avatar photo. It was definitely how the light has hit it when I was taking the picture since I have no photshop or photo skills at all.

Spaugh
06-09-2019, 04:37 PM
My Blue Java is definitely the real deal. I have grown it for about 6 years and have had fruit from it many times. The fruit of Namwa and Blue Java are very, very different. In my coastal Southern California growing conditions the two plants appear identical. At least there are no distinguishing characteristics that me or anyone at my house has been able to see. That is until one of the two varieties fruits. Then the fruits are very, very different in color, taste and texture. Night and day different.

Bill

I got a "real" blue java from a member here and the leaves are noticeably more wide than the namwahs from the nursery.