View Full Version : Top Ten Bananas
millermackenzie
10-11-2008, 05:08 PM
Looking for THE list of "practical" (ie. good disease resistance, cold hardy, fruit quality, beauty, ease of maintenance...etal.) from this forum's members.
TIA
pitangadiego
10-11-2008, 08:15 PM
Misi Luki, Dwarf Namwah, Goldfinger, Monthan, Sweetheart, Praying Hands, Cardaba, SH3640, Belle, Mona Lisa
Bananaman88
10-11-2008, 08:56 PM
I think any such list would vary greatly depending upon where one lives and each person's personal tastes.
asacomm
10-11-2008, 09:47 PM
Brent(Bananamann),
Your comment is absolutely right, but I understand what Millermackenzie want
to know is what you list in your place and under your circumstances.
lorax
10-12-2008, 11:15 AM
In Ecuador (and these are for the most part local cultivar names):
1. Seda (Gros Michel resistant strain)
2. Orito (Musa sapentium)
3. Jamaican Red
4. Platano Gigante
5. Maqueño
6. Dos Brazos
7. Oro Verde
8. Dwarf Cavendish
9. Cavendish (Dole Panama-resistant)
10. "Baby" (M. acuminata x sapentium)
The last 3 are commercial bananas, and the rest are domestics.
NANAMAN
10-12-2008, 02:17 PM
D. Namwah, Belle, FHIA 18, Nino, SH3640
JCDerrick
10-12-2008, 03:51 PM
I'm gonna have to look into getting one of the Dwarf Namwah now; everyone's got it on their list.
bananimal
10-12-2008, 07:35 PM
Here's my list of 20 or so good ones - for growing and taste!
NANER LIST - best basic collection
BELLE
DWARF BRAZILIAN
CAVENDISH
GRAND NAINE
HUA MOA
SABA
BLUE JAVA, ICE CREAM
DWARF NAMWAH
SWEETHEART - FHIA-3 -- LOTS OF FOLKS LIKE IT – TOO SWEET FOR ME
GOLDFINGER --- FHIA-1 --- my best tasted - so far
FHIA 18 -- APPLE TYPE
NINO -- A LADYFINGER
RAJA PURI
MYSORE
MANZANO
MISI LUKI
PRAYING HANDS
RAJA PURI
SH-3640
THOUSAND FINGERS
WILLIAMS
Dan
Simply Bananas
10-12-2008, 09:03 PM
Ice Cream--fruit nearly ready
Saba--Sheer size, dominant plant
Dwarf Namwah-looking good so far,
Raja Puri--a stocky healthy grower
Orinoco Group--Fast Growers for the jungle effect, pretty reliable fruiter here
Basjoo--because in late winter it reminds me that all the bananas will grow back
millermackenzie
10-12-2008, 09:09 PM
Thank you all very much~!
In contact with Jon at encanto and he's working up a list for me. Dan and Richard, thanks a million, you gentlemen are awesome~!
Looking to build a Banana Temple where I presently have some Nains growing, they're loaded with fruit now, but once they are done the fun begins again.
I'll document the progress with some photos, we'll have a number of bananas from members of this forum.
Need to find a place for the Saba, power lines and all...
Thanks again to one and all~!
adrift
10-16-2008, 06:13 PM
Excellent question and answers.
What if the question were changed just a little...What would your top 10 (or 20) be if fruit production was not important, but a beautiful tropical look with plant health and maintenance being the first and second goals? (Diversity of foliage colors, shapes, textures would be good.)
(Central FL, zone 9a)
millermackenzie
10-16-2008, 07:21 PM
Have to be careful of the power lines along CR 714, but I know a number of Sabas will find a dedicated space for their sheer scale and majesty outside the fall line.
I think the Dwarf Cavendish are wonderful, certainly not rare nor sexy, but quite lovely none the less. Easy, no fuss and stunningly beautiful when arranged in a group of five to seven.
Dan is helping me assemble a number of banana cultivars for the "banana temple" and I'll set about arranging it and uploading the photos are the project kicks off. As they mature the updated photos will be uploaded and posted.
You decide which suits you best and I'll be happy to provide some puppies.
pitangadiego
10-16-2008, 09:10 PM
On landscape look, Rose, Sumatrana, Dwarf Colorado Blanco, most of the reds, Misi Luki, Belle and the Namwahs.
millermackenzie
10-18-2008, 04:25 AM
Is anyone familiar with the "Thai Black"?
millermackenzie
10-18-2008, 04:33 AM
Just added Saba, Nam Wa and the Thai Black to our banana temple. It's going to be a cold winter and the shade house is being converted with poly. Should have quite an establish population of these in the spring. Adding more weekly and trying to fill out the top ten list as quickly as possible.
Has anyone here managed a stagger plan for fruit before? I'm trying to reap a continuous harvest for our market for the majority of the year. Any thoughts, tips or ideas are certainly welcome.
TIA,
John
damaclese
10-18-2008, 09:36 AM
if fruit is not the point and you are going for looks alone i think the following are all just stunning Bananas for foliage Ice cream (Blue Jave) large roundish more padal like leafs just looks so healthy Sam ruby if its of a good line with nice color Blood banana cool dark red splotches on its leafs and Ae Ae occurs stunning multi colored variegations Helen's hybrid also nice colored red splotches Ensete ventricosum ss red stripe beautiful blood red pedal running down a bright lime green leaf also the SS Maurellii all red possibly the most vivid of all the red bananas with dark purple under leafs i have to include in this list Dwarf Brazilian nice dark green rather longish leafs also looks vary healthy when grown well thickish trunks really takes on that tree look there are thousands of variates but living in the Mohave desert has some challenges for me and thees all have good drought tolerance for me and do well in pots i know its a short list and I'm sure there are many others i just haven't grown them so i cant comment on them
MediaHound
10-18-2008, 02:21 PM
Is anyone familiar with the "Thai Black"?
http://www.bananas.org/f16/black-balbisiana-2597.html
http://www.bananas.org/31553-post56.html
NANAMAN
10-18-2008, 03:19 PM
Has anyone here managed a stagger plan for fruit before? I'm trying to reap a continuous harvest for our market for the majority of the year. Any thoughts, tips or ideas are certainly welcome.
TIA,
John
The first strong pups from a new planting, I let grow( usually 2 but sometimes 3 ). When the mother starts to bloom, these will be about 3/4 grown. Then I let one strong pup grow on each of those two pups, and so on... Once the mat is established, you will have 2 bunches ripen every 3 to 4 mos. Everything slows down in winter, you can't control that, but the rest of the year can yield 6 bunches per mat. I only grow bananas for fruit production, and this has worked well for me. I don't remove any pups completely, ( unless I'm giving some away), I cut them off at ground level so that the roots are not disturbed. Varieties that pup a lot can be challenging to manage, so I get rid of them! Here's a picture of a mat of Musa Belle : One mature plant, and two pups almost ready to bloom.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=13989 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=13989)
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