View Full Version : How to tell red dwarf from tall red?
conurecolor
05-28-2009, 02:10 PM
:woohoonaner:
Bought a nanner at OSH, marked dwarf red. Tags says 6-8 ft tall max. Seems to match the pics in the wiki here, red on the stem, red vein on underside of the leaf. About 4ft tall right now in a 1 gallon pot, kinda rootbound, imo. Appears to have 1 pup starting right at the base of it.
Before I put it in the ground, however, I just want to be super sure I got the small variety. Any quick and easy way to tell?
Thanks!
LilRaverBoi
05-28-2009, 10:38 PM
Well, I'm no expert on this. There may be a way to tell them apart at that size but I don't know it. My advice is to let it grow....if it gets larger than 8 feet, it's the 'full-sized' variety! I realize this isn't much help...but what's the problem with having the wrong size since you already have the plant? I could see it being an issue before purchasing the plant, but once you have it in your possession, the only thing you can do is grow it and enjoy it!
conurecolor
05-28-2009, 11:10 PM
...but what's the problem with having the wrong size since you already have the plant?
The reason it would be a big problem, is I already have a honkin' big banana clump that is taller than the house roof and hooks over the powerlines with it's flowers and fruits, that I am getting rid of, to plant the dwarf red.
The dwarf is meant to replace that.
I don't want to have to kill this plant too. Yes, I got it already, but if it's a giant, I would rather put it in a different spot than go oops and chop and dig a couple years later. Or I could sell it while it's still little. Whatever.
And if it is a dwarf, it will go nicely in the spot vacated by the big banana, and I can save the other vacant spot for a different bigger variety. Thousand finger, or ice cream or something else.
So yeah... it is a problem...:2141:
Chironex
05-29-2009, 01:56 AM
Sounds reasonable to me.
Rmplmnz
05-29-2009, 06:58 AM
The dwarfs have very wide shorter leaves..I seem to recall that there is a thread within the forum that covers this...
http://www.bananas.org/f2/musa-tall-red-musa-jamaican-red-5292.html
modenacart
05-30-2009, 09:43 PM
See how tall it gets?
LilRaverBoi
05-30-2009, 10:01 PM
See how tall it gets?
LOL...yeah, that's pretty much what I said. It's kinda like that old saying of how to tell a black bear from a grizzly bear....just climb a tree. If it follows you up the tree, it's a black bear, and if it pushes the tree down, it's a grizzly. Guess that's not helpful for immediate identification, but that was my initial thought too.
conurecolor
05-30-2009, 11:50 PM
Thanks guys... I guess I'll just have to put it in the ground and pray it stays small... LOL
How fast do they grow? And is it any help that at 4ft high it already has started a pup, or will the giant do that too?
Rmplmnz
05-31-2009, 10:13 AM
Dwarf Reds have very broad leaves (in relation to the rest of the plant) even when they are very small....you should be able to tell the difference....do you have any pics?
conurecolor
05-31-2009, 10:33 PM
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=17909 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=17910&ppuser=5302)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=17910 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=17909&ppuser=5302)
A couple of pics, sorry about the bad quality, took these in the evening. Flash photo, hence the washed-out colors. Also, the pink/red color on the p-stem has faded somewhat in the shade. Does it look like a dwarf red to you??
Rmplmnz
06-01-2009, 06:26 AM
Definitely not Dwarf Red....
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=7221&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=7221)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=7224&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=7224)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=7220&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=7220)
conurecolor
06-01-2009, 12:28 PM
Huh. So what in heck does it look like, then? I am confused. And admittedly banana illiterate :ha:
Thanks for the pics you posted, I am seeing the differences, I think. Mine has smaller leaves, short but not as wide, and the leaves don't grow one after the other in a fan shape like yours. Does have the pink/red on it, but it's faded in the shade...
It is a smaller plant, the white bucket in my pic is 2ft tall, so only 4ft high not counting the leaves. And it was only in a 1 gallon pot. So I wonder if that would make a difference?
just j
06-01-2009, 08:29 PM
Definitely not Dwarf Red....
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=7221&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=7221)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=7224&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=7224)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=7220&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=7220)
that big one looks cool kind of like a white bird how they all grew evenly side to side
Rmplmnz
06-01-2009, 09:02 PM
I consulted with another on of the members and he responded with....
"I looked at those pictures that Anna posted of her alleged Dwarf Red. While the pictures may not show all the same characteristics of a DR, there may still be a chance that it might be a DR. Some redeeming features are that the coloration is akin to a Red banana for sure and the length of the leaves are shorter than what you'd expect if it were a tall. The fact that the leaves are narrow compared to a DR, may just be due to the growing conditions and nutrition. Transplanting it to a larger pot or in the ground, and with proper nutrition may reveal its "true colors"."
Not the answer you were looking for..PM "Gabe15" he can probably answer...or "momese" as he grew tall reds for a long time and is now switching to Dwarf Reds.....
Regards
natedogg1026
06-01-2009, 10:35 PM
Any body wanna sell one? Please.
Rmplmnz
06-01-2009, 10:52 PM
Any body wanna sell one? Please.
What is the red tinged banana in this pic??
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=11983&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=11983&ppuser=982)
natedogg1026
06-02-2009, 07:33 PM
Good eye. I loved it, but lost it last winter.
Rmplmnz
06-02-2009, 07:43 PM
Good eye. I loved it, but lost it last winter.
Bummer...what was it?
Dwarf red?
natedogg1026
06-02-2009, 09:30 PM
Yep. First one I owned. It is probably my favorite. Actually the same spot was reserved for it this year and is still vacant. All I can find is lil one's. Need to find a decent sized one so to fill the space. Any suggestions? Hey, you still sellin those Saba pups? Lost the one I got from you last year along with several other nana's.
Rmplmnz
06-02-2009, 09:43 PM
Yep. First one I owned. It is probably my favorite. Actually the same spot was reserved for it this year and is still vacant. All I can find is lil one's. Need to find a decent sized one so to fill the space. Any suggestions? Hey, you still sellin those Saba pups? Lost the one I got from you last year along with several other nana's.
Very nice..you have an amazing garden in Kansas no less...I actually lived in Kansas in 6th grade...1972-1973..
:bananas_b
BTW..nice plumeria popping up there...where did you score that?
A few figs on that fig tree...
natedogg1026
06-02-2009, 10:09 PM
Thanx but it's only my third year at the house. This year I inherited tons of plants after a friend passed (older guy in my gallery) and will double if not triple what I had last year. Half I don't even know what they are so it will be a puzzle to id everything. In due time.
natedogg1026
06-02-2009, 10:16 PM
Plumy and fig came from my friend (Ted)who passed. Got more recently. Gonna try to dig his big fig out or get a cutting started. I've been on a mission for weeks to get everthing I can out. Next year the house will be sold and 35 years of plants will be lost. Sad. I'm doin my best to save his legacy.
Bananaman88
06-03-2009, 06:29 AM
Nate,
Sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. It's very admirable of you to try to save some of his plants. I think figs root fairly easily, so you might consider just taking several cuttings if the shrub/tree is too large to dig. Good luck!
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