RoundRockMan

Hello. Trying to find Ice Cream trees close to Austin Texas. Any thoughts?

__________________

crazy banana

Welcome to bananas.org.

A lot of plants labeled as IceCream/Blue Java are mislabeled as you will find out by searching this forum.
I have the real IceCream in California, but still people on the waiting list for a pup.

Tytaylor77

Welcome. It's good to see a Texas banana grower. I had family in Round Rock until last year.

Exactly like Crazy Banana says the ice cream blue java tissue culture plants sold all over are actually tall Namwa. Even though it's not the actual ice cream, Tall namwa is still great for your area and cold hardy. They get big and the fruit taste great.

This is my 2nd year growing the real ice cream and they seem to do great here. It was my first plant to start growing after winter this year. I will not have extra pups till later this year.

I can confirm Crazy Banana has the real plant. Just look at the picture below his name lol.

__________________

150+ Varieties!!. See profile for list. Help me add more!

www.bananapups.com

beam2050

welcome. don't let these guys scare you. a namwa is an ice cream and many here say that it tastes better than the java. pretty much looks the same as the java until it fruits. more cold hardy to.

__________________
...................................................

npk of wood ash 0/1/3 to 0/3/7

npk of banana leaf ash 1.75/0.75/0.5

HMelendez

Welcome to the banana gang!......



Check with the very experienced forum member Nicolas Naranja. He has (or had), grows the "real deal" Ice Scream Blue Java. He might still have some for sale. Send him a PM......Good luck!......

__________________

cincinnana

Welcome to the Jungle...

Have fun here.

__________________

RoundRockMan

Thanks to all. Since I'm new to this I wanted a cold hardy plant and a friend suggested the ice cream but I'm open to others. I'll look into the namwa as an alternative.

__________________

Tytaylor77

It's a fact a musa blue java is a totally different variety than a musa Namwa. I have both growing side by side and everything about the two plants is different.

1 A Namwa is a way more aggressive vigorous grower.

2 The two plants are totally different colors. Namwa has a pinkish tint and a lighter color look to it. Hard to describe other than a "namwa" look.

3 A true blue java ice cream it totally dark green. No pinkish tint or lighter color along the pstem, midrib, pedicles, etc.

4 A Namwa when cut is way softer, more airy, and has way more sap than a real blue java.

5 The taste is completely different.

6 Namwa also reaches about 18' and is absolutely enormous around. Mine last year had leaves touching power lines. Blue Java only reaches about 15'.

7 The fruit is the biggest difference. Namwa fruit and blue java fruit is slightly similar in size, shape, and the bunch. However blue java is completely blue where namwa is green with a little powder.

8 Also I find Namwa produces pups way more than the real blue java. Maybe double.

I know my descriptions are not that scientific. They are more of my experience and visual differences. Hopefully Gabe or someone will confirm the difference and help explain the difference better.

Please try not to mislead new members. This forum is a major information source for anything bananas. We need to try and be as factual as possible about any information we post.

The whole mixup is made by agristarts using the incorrect corms from musa (Tall) Namwa. And calling it blue java ice cream.

I have no dog in the fight. Personally so far I prefer Tall and Dwarf Namwa over the real blue java ice cream. I just can't stand buying something and then finding out you didn't get what you purchased 2 years later. That's why I inform people who want an ice cream banana about the TC mixup. Buy a corm from a member who has fruited the parent! It is the only way to get the correct plant.

Out of the 6 TC plants I have purchased 3 have been the incorrect plant. If you like surprises and 50:50 odds then goto saving $5 and get TC.

__________________

150+ Varieties!!. See profile for list. Help me add more!

www.bananapups.com

crazy banana

No scare. Namwah is a delicious banana. "beam2050"seems to be confused. Namwah is nothing like the IceCream - Blue Java and "Tytaylor" has explained some significant differences very well.
"Beam2050", I noticed you have the IceCream listed as a variety you are growing. A few weeks back I remember you have stated that you have obtained some of your plants as TCs from suppliers like Florida Hill Nursery. I assume your so called "IceCream" and "Namwah" look the same because you did get the same TCs variety, Namwah possibly but definitely not Blue Java. I guess you still have to find the real Blue Java/IceCream if your IceCream looks like your Namwah
Please don't add to the confusion newbies already are facing.

JP

I got the real one from Going Bananas in Florida. And I've got 2 dwarf namwahs as well. Completely different plants. I find namwah to have a thicker pseudostem and more robust. Grows better in pots too, to my experience. TY's description is pretty accurate.

beam2050

actually I repeated what I have read here. what other members have said about it. I stand corrected. and I am sorry I have tried not to repeat what I have read here till I know what I am saying. my tc's are only 6 months old and are doing fine. to hard to tell what I have at this point...... but

__________________
...................................................

npk of wood ash 0/1/3 to 0/3/7

npk of banana leaf ash 1.75/0.75/0.5

beam2050

I see nothing said about java here. so it seems somebody is leading this member down a merry garden path. and do the namwah have a vanilla taste to it or not?

__________________
...................................................

npk of wood ash 0/1/3 to 0/3/7

npk of banana leaf ash 1.75/0.75/0.5

HMelendez

Lonnie,


Kudos to Crazy Banana and Tytaylor77!......


If you are referring Ice Scream as the Ice Scream Blue Java banana variety then your best chance to get the correct plant is here, from one of the forum members that had been verified that they are currently growing the "real deal" Ice Scream Blue Java.....Forum members like Crazy Banana (has been growing the "real deal" Ice Scream Blue Java for a while), TyTaylor, Nicolas Naranjas, etc.......


Also, as JP mentioned, Going Bananas based in Homestead, Florida (Welcome to Going Bananas of Homestead, Florida! ) I personally been there, and I can confirm that my friend Don is selling/growing the "real deal" Ice Scream Blue Java....


*****Just a personal opinion*****

While in one of my visits to Going Bananas, Don let me tasted the "real deal" Ice Scream Blue Java and the Namwah and I will prefer the Namwah over the "real deal" Ice Scream Blue Java any day!....hands down!.....

I used to grow the tall and dwarf Namwah varieties but I replaced both of them with The PR Morado and The PR Verdin, in which hopefully they flower this year for the first time!....

As you can see you got multiple sources to get the correct (ID verified) plant!...

Good luck!......

__________________

JP

That's why I bought 2 namwahs and only one ice cream!

RoundRockMan

HMelendez,
Thanks for the information. I will look into the Namwah as my starter. My yard isn't large enough for multiple varieties so I have to be selective but would like to have fruit one day. Thanks again....Lonnie

__________________

Tytaylor77

Blue Java is the only "ice cream" banana.

Namwa (Pisang Awak) Is a popular banana from Thailand. It is very sweet but to me has no vanilla taste at all. I like the taste of them and it's an amazing producer. But not my favorite. I just changed my picture under my name to one of my tall namwa bunches.

RoundRockMan. Also you could easily grow dwarf Orinoco. Not the best tasting to me to the most cold hardy edible banana. The easiest to fruit would be the short cycle varieties like veinte cohol. Just save some pups in the fall and overwinter them inside or in a greenhouse. Plant out in spring and they will easily produce before first frost in our zone. They aren't a real sweet banana. More of a citrus like flavor that's hard to describe. I like them. They are different but good and so easy to fruit.

__________________

150+ Varieties!!. See profile for list. Help me add more!

www.bananapups.com

JBijl

Welcome Here

RoundRockMan

Thanks Ty. I think I'm going with the Namwa. Now to find a few to start out on.

__________________

crazy banana

No worries. No offense taken here.
Like I said, Namwah is a delicious banana. Taste buds are different and we are feasting on three different bunches right now, but we would not describe the taste as Vanilla Icecream or any other Icecream.
The IceCream/Blue Java has been inconsistent at my place, basically hit and miss. Fruits harvested at the end of summer that have filled in properly were fantastic.
A bunch grown under not so ideal weather conditions does not even have an appetizing banana smell.
If I could only grow one edible variety, it would not be it. But it is certainly eye candy and worth a try.

JP

Members here or Going Bananas in Florida.