View Full Version : All-red thai banana slowly making its way into the US
tropicalkid
06-30-2006, 04:39 PM
Hi:
I saw this plant on E-bay. While very rare, I don't want to bid on it because I dont know how well the "cold sensitive" term applies to it, so I just wanted to post a link here in order to see if someone in this forums and more in the southern areas might be interested. If somebody here grabs it, please keep posted on how well does the plant do:
http://cgi.ebay.com/RARE-Red-Thai-Banana_W0QQitemZ170003221158QQihZ007QQcategoryZ25463QQssPageName ZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Thanks,
Carlos(tropicalkid)
momoese
06-30-2006, 05:58 PM
Looks like a TC to me. A little on the small side to be a pup. If I'm right that's real good news for folks who don't want to break the bank to get one!
Does anyone here know the seller or any more info?
size123
07-02-2006, 11:43 AM
This plant is not from tissue culture, it is directly from Thailand and is an offset of a plant growing there. I have gotten one myself from the same source and seen the mature plants growing there, they are fast growers and beautiful.
As for cold-hardiness, since the plant is barely out of Thailand (and I have not even seen it in other Asian countries), I doubt that any data regarding cold-hardiness is available. Mine has been down to 55F in my greenhouse, but that is all the information I have.
MediaHound
07-02-2006, 12:07 PM
Welcome to the forum!
How many of these banana plants do you own?
Do you plan to tissue culture them now, or in the future?
size123
07-02-2006, 12:59 PM
I only own one of the Thai red bananas at the present. I know very little about tissue culture to do them myself and I am very ambivalent about turning it over to the big TC operations.
Gabe15
07-02-2006, 01:56 PM
The plant is orginally from Indonesia and was found in the wild. I was first showed a picture of it almost 3 years ago, and now its finally becoming somewhat available. The orginal one was sold for $2000, then they were wholesale for $500 a peice, then I heard of them being $100 at some markets in Thailand.
size123
07-02-2006, 02:49 PM
I have heard several locales mentioned as the origin of this banana, Palawan and West Irian.
PaulOdin
07-02-2006, 02:51 PM
Gabe, nice to see 'moderator' on your tag.
Is any more known about this red Thai? Strictly ornamental? Scientific name?? The guy selling it on ebay lives about 30 miles from me, and I'm tempted!
size123
07-02-2006, 03:49 PM
I have seen maybe a half-dozen specimens of the Thai red banana that I think were mature, probably around eight feet tall, and I have never seen any fruit on them, so I don't know. It is a good grower, from what I have seen, but it needs high light to color up well.
Gabe15
07-02-2006, 09:33 PM
It was found in the wild and is definetly a seeded banana. Based on my observations I think its most probably a sport of one of the subspecies of Musa acuminata, or perhaps a new subspecies of its own if there are more maybe. No scientific research has been published on it yet, so it does not have an official name and most likely will not for a few years at least, if it is indeed worthy of its own name.
bigdog
07-03-2006, 06:35 PM
Wow! There it is... I was hoping to have one by now, but it was not meant to be I guess. Ah, but one day I shall have it!! :bananas_b
A zone 9b banana, eh? Bummer. Too bad that one's not cold-hardy. It sure would look good in my backyard, I tell you.
I just pushed the price up to $250, lol. Sorry 'bout that, Mr. High Bidder.
tropicalkid
07-05-2006, 10:20 AM
Gabe, nice to see 'moderator' on your tag.
Is any more known about this red Thai? Strictly ornamental? Scientific name?? The guy selling it on ebay lives about 30 miles from me, and I'm tempted!
Have you seen it personally yet?
Keep us posted.
Carlos
johndeltav
07-06-2006, 10:56 AM
Hi bigdog,Have you tried sniping items on ebay?Bidding at the last seconds has saved me hundreds on ebay auctions.The seller and ebay want bidders to get into a bidding war.It may have not made any difference on this item.floridaplantsman may have an even higher max. bid than $460.If he had not known your were interested he might not had such a high max bid.John
bigdog
07-06-2006, 11:04 AM
Yeah, I've tried it. I wasn't going to go over $400. He outbid me at the last possible second :gifs_rojo . Actually, somebody else outbid me first, then he had the final bid of $460 with 4 seconds to spare. Something tells me his maximum was higher than that!
I'm still waiting on one that I was supposed to have by now. The person that has them doesn't seem to want to let them go just yet, so I've about given up on him.
Oh well, maybe they'll be in tissue culture one day soon.
momoese
07-06-2006, 11:27 AM
I won't be buying one of those anytime soon. :rolleyes:
tropicalkid
07-06-2006, 12:42 PM
I wonder if someone here knows floridaplantsman, so we can track how does the plant do.
Carlos
MediaHound
07-06-2006, 12:52 PM
Congrats on the sale, Size! :banana_ve
Could you ask the buyer if they would like to join bananas.org? We're curious what's in store for this plant, it'd be good to keep in touch with him.
Thanks in advance!
tropicalkid
07-14-2006, 11:38 AM
Any new findings on this???:rolleyes:
ooops... i've posted another thread on this one. with pictures :)
tropicalkid
08-07-2006, 09:51 AM
Any updates???
Zac in NC
08-07-2006, 01:23 PM
Yes, any updates? I am goign to Plant Delights this afternoon and I will ask Tony if he has this one yet. I'll let you know what I find out.
Zac :gifs_rojo
Basjoofriend
08-07-2006, 03:37 PM
And also to Austria and Germany? One friend of me need this.
Ryan, please email me! :drum: I'm still waiting for one reply from you because of the original full version of the pics of fruits of Ae Ae Variegata, Musa siamensis and Musa 'Palawan Red Variegated' for my book and some plants! :drum: I have to complete my book as soon as possible! Time is money! Please go online again, look at emails and go to our forum and look at your PN and postings!
Best thanks in advance!
Best wishes
Joachim
kgbenson
08-10-2006, 07:15 PM
"I know very little about tissue culture to do them myself and I am very ambivalent about turning it over to the big TC operations."
TC is not terribly challenging with bananas. I would go for it. you can get into it for <100 dollars.
Keith
MediaHound
08-11-2006, 08:45 AM
TC is not terribly challenging with bananas. I would go for it. you can get into it for <100 dollars.
Keith
How would you go about getting into it on a level like that?
kgbenson
08-11-2006, 09:56 AM
Check out the following: The page is being re-constructed so there may be a few dead links.
http://www.geocities.com/k2benson/TCoverview/TCban/TCban.html
http://www.geocities.com/k2benson/TCoverview/TCban/Banana-explant.html
The above are for the "at home" version.
Iam McGuire has a nice website at: http://litzlab.ifas.ufl.edu/banana.htm He did hie stuff in a lab, but frankly there is nothing he shows that cannot be done in your kitchen - and with some of the new media formulations, most of the scales, pH meters etc. are superfluous. He has terrific photos.
There is a group of fine folks who do home TC: http://www.kitchenculturekit.com/index.htm
THe media can be purchased inexpensively - with all of the eingredients already mixed in, so no messy chemistry: [/URL]
[URL="http://www.phytotechlab.com/TABSTYLE/searchresult.asp?CartId=%7B10502052-E396-432F-A91A-5836D65EVEREST59A40%7D"]http://www.phytotechlab.com/TABSTYLE/searchresult.asp?CartId={10502052-E396-432F-A91A-5836D65EVEREST59A40} (http://www.phytotechlab.com/TABSTYLE/searchresult.asp?CartId=%7B10502052-E396-432F-A91A-5836D65EVEREST59A40%7D)
You do not need laminar flow hoods and such.
Keith
Zac in NC
08-11-2006, 10:58 AM
I would hesitate to TC at home. I know that the Botany Department at my university had trouble with getting it to work for their student labs. Contamination is a big problem. And this was trying to TC easy things, like Pelargoniums I believe. I think if I wanted it TC'd, I would see if I could find a nurseryman who would have it done for me, much like I am doing with a variegated Agave which Tony Avent now has.
With mentioning him, I did ask him if he had any of this banana, and he told me that none of the ones he brought back had made it. That is pretty sad, but I think he'll have it eventually.
Zac
kgbenson
08-11-2006, 11:07 AM
I would hesitate to TC at home. I know that the Botany Department at my university had trouble with getting it to work for their student labs. Contamination is a big problem. And this was trying to TC easy things, like Pelargoniums I believe.
It is easier than you think - contamination is an occasional problem, but I think I had less than a 1% contmaination rate.
Keith
MediaHound
08-12-2006, 09:37 AM
Thanks for the links, Keith -
The last one was an expired shopping cart. Could you post the items you were linking to? They seem to have an extensive product line on their homepage.
JoeReal did a thread on TC a while back
http://www.bananas.org/showthread.php?t=55
kgbenson
08-12-2006, 12:24 PM
Sure can. Just type Musa into the search engine at Phytotech.
The stuff you want ior initiation and propagation is:
M462-10L MUSA (BANANA) MULTIPLICATION MEDIUM IITA FORMULATION AS DESCRIBED BY VUYLSTEKE (1989). PLANT TISSUE CULTURE TESTED
Then just get some MS media without the BA for rooting.
If you want you can buy a single liter of any media - but it is best to buy 10 1 Liter bottles. Just add distilled water and serilize. Everything is pre-measured.
Also - while I am editing, the following two very inexpensive publications are excellent. They contain all the facts, and nothing but the facts for propagating and post-flask management of Musa.
http://www.iita.org/info/spread.asp?id=TE/125
http://www.iita.org/info/spread.asp?id=TE/127
I am updating my website - should have better pics and more detail over the next few weeks.
:bananas_b
Keith
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