SeriousBan

Greetings, all you bananaers. In my 30 years in Houston, I have been in the general fruit tree scene, even some small-scale commercial shots. I've had 45 mostly low-chill peach varieties in my backyard at once with 15 pear varieties next to the driveway. But as Houston heats up, these are less viable. I've tried avocados and olives; no luck of course.
I currently have 25+ varieties of edible bananas in the ground with many more duplicate pads, at home in Houston. Half are bought from the five going online outfits, while half are collected from the Tomball-Houston-Alvin area, where I can see fruit hanging. I've been at this several years.
Seriousban - tongue-in-cheek for 'serious banana grower' - only connotes that I am a technical guy (horizontal gas well drilling), like to keep records and stats, and have a meaningfully large selection of plants to keep me clued in. I'd like to talk it over with people who have been at this for a while, but any banana or fig talk would be great. I still learn some solid growing or variety principle every time I peruse this site's posts.
Houston hangs pretty heavy with bananas, no Miami, but not bad. But all varieties seem to be limited to 30 or less fruit. so, here's the question. What combination of variety, fertilizer, watering, pup planting schedule and pampering is required to beat that number? It wasn't what I had in mind when I planted that first Raja Puri, but that's kind of the goal.
Hope to talk it around SB

Richard

Welcome! For commercial-scale harvests, you need up to net 1-lb of N and 1.5-lb of potash per year just like pit fruits. The details are in Info:Fertilizer. For varieties, Sweetheart and Dwarf Namwah are but a few of several that in your environment should produce 90+ fingers even with just a moderate amount of nutrition.

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LilRaverBoi

Welcome to the site. You should check out the DVD that Dr. Nelson produced. Here's the thread about it. If you provide shipping fees he'll mail you one. Otherwise, you can watch the videos on YouTube...here's a link to where he posted them in that thread.

I hope you enjoy the videos and this site! They're both very helpful and full of great information!

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SeriousBan

Thanks for the welcomes, people.

I just have to run with this one, richard. I have a plant that went into the ground last year and wasn't frozen back during the winter (about half my plants were). It's girth is beyond any other plant I have, although it's crotch is only 4 feet high. Every day I passed it, I had to ask, what the heck is with you, afraid to fruit or what? The pod finally showed up through a mass of leaves from its giant pups a few days ago. This pod is giant compared to the 8 varieties which have flowered for me this year, easily 3 times the weight of any the other pods. So it gives double-row hands, just two so far. It's new to me, and of all things, it's Nam Wah, from Going Bananas just out of Miami, snuggled amongst the endless avocado orchards. So, I believe it.

I was in central CA four days ago. Had I known....... I must say, I couldn't believe how prolific those Roma tomatoes and almonds were. How do they get that much fruit on those plants? It's eerie.

Bch Grl

If it has double hands fused together, it's a "Praying Hands". That's the only one that does that.
If you mean double bunches at once, it's a "Double Mahoi".

Margie

sbl

Welcome! We probably have pretty similar climates. I have just gotten my first banana blooms after learning a few things to help get them thru our winter. I have a RP that is in a container that bloomed this summer--it has 59 fingers--the container is only about 15 gallons.

Eric

Welcome aboard, SeriousBan ! Looks as if we may easily learn as much from you as you from us! If ya have any questions about using the forum, ask away. It's a friendly & very helpful site. Enjoy!

Caloosamusa

Welcome to Bananas dot org SeriousBan from the Sunshine State!!

conejov

WElcome to the ORG! Fellow Houstonian! Maybe I missed it but what Kinds of naners are you growing?

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SeriousBan

Margie,

The double hands I spoke of means that two hands of five are close together and on the same side of the stem, the next two on the other side of the stem - not really an uncommon fruiting pattern. Oddly, the plant next to that Nam Wah is Praying Hands, the most stately plant, really high, that I have grown. In this case, he has four of those double hands, not large fruit. Otherwise, I've killed a couple of Double Mahois here. A shame for them, such a novel variety, not to like Houston. Of course, I won't stop on that one until I've done away with six more.
Tell me please, what two plants give you the largest bunches of fruit?

Much grass, cheers, SB

Bch Grl

Only have 2 plants that have fruited, neither very large.
Both are unknown types, though one was supposed to be a Praying Hands!
That one is extremely cold sensitive and the other is very cold tolerant.
Most of mine are not yet big enough to fruit due to freezing back, the last 2 winters had several nights into the low 20's.

Margie

SeriousBan

Alex,

Sometimes I forget we are in a zone so close to "10", because it is definitely "Zone 9 with hurricanes, multiple freezes, and countless mornings with white on rooves"; no North Texas hail yet, however. But May is nice when some of them come back. Of course, the ones that freeze down spawn large groups of pups which in two months can go for first-class shrubbery.

If you were to look at the variety list of the online outfits Willis, Going Bananas (when they were mailing to TX), The Banana Tree and Stokes (and Green Earth - is he still in business?), I have the larger part of those selections. I get more of a kick out of "Cathy's" from her backyard line of 100 plaintains - all the same, or "An Dao" from in front of that Restaurant, or "Peggy's" from the giants lining the front of her house. I have lots of such plants, just offered out of courtesy, and was given some good bananas to eat also. Of course, no one knows what the heck variety any of these are. At least I know from the bunches I can see hanging that they are Houston Producers.

What are some of your experiences?

Make contact, SB

SeriousBan

Margie,

The low 20's, you don't say. I didn't know such temperatures were legal in Florida. You can find a lawyer for any purpose these days, you know.

You may actually have to slash some of these back to a meter, wrap them and shove in a light blub. Around here, where we can go mid-20's (it was high teens just 20 years ago) the locals tell me they just ignore the things during winter and it all works out. But my 60% freeze-back rate on plants that darn well should fruit that coming summer is beginning to irk me a bit. The basic relation between fruiting something and eating something is still somewhat questionable around here. But a lot of geographically well separted locals tell me they eat their own bananas every year; the ones I've tasted are as good as at Kroger, just not quite as big. Well, what's the fun in Cavendish and Gran Nain, anyway.

It sounds like you've tried lots of varieties. Keep us up on what transpires. Sounds like we are in the same temperature-controlled ballgame.

Goodnite, SB

sbl

GreenEarth is still around--I just bought 3 from them and that is where I got my RP a couple yrs ago. I also have had Orinocos for yrs--just recently learned how to get them to bloom. I now am working on getting Ice Cream, Dwarf Cavendish and Dwarf Red to fruit.

Bananaman88

Welcome aboard, SeriousBan! My apologies for missing your initial post. I'm in the Houston (Pearland/Friendswood) area as well. I grow over 20 different bananas in my landscape-both ornamental and edibles. My 'Ornioco' has just now finally decided to fruit this year; a bit late, I'm afraid. IT normally fruits earlier that this. I was also hoping for fruit on my 'Raja Puri' and 'Ice Cream' this year, but it hasn't happened yet. Glad to know we have another Houstonian on here!

SeriousBan

Houston Native,

Good to hear from you. I've seen your blog - excellent. You mentioned that you are on Channel 39 now and then. On my set, that's the old-movie channel. Give me another option.

I guess it's all about how big they are when they wake up. My Raja Puri was first, I forget just when, maybe April. But the plant had only a few tattered leaves. No strength to do anything; pod yes, a few flowers, no fingers. Then comes Ice Cream, a week behind it but at least with a few leaves; nothing but 15 tiny bananas. A month later, Pineapple; theyre small, but maybe I will eat some. Things have gone better since then, but only a couple have given medium-sized bananas. I've seen a lot of medium-sized 30-bunches around town, though. Of course, now that Nam Wah is flowering, we may be in business. Let's see, we have October, November. That's OK, I can eat them raw, or we can pretend they are plantians and fry them up.

I'd say that we might just have to get together over this stuff some day. You have a large garden space. I personally, would have it 2/3 covered with bananas, figs and peaches. Of course, my wife has gone through considerable home training over this.

See you around, SB

conejov

Glad to hear Your Orinoco is fruiting!! Congrats!

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