Banana Novice from zone 7a
 

I've been browsing :lurk: conversations and learning alot so I've decided to introduce myself. My name is Betsy. I live in Northern Utah. I'm here to learn how to keep banana trees alive through the winter indoors or outdoors. Any suggestions or suggested threads are highly welcome. Currently I have a Pink Velutina banana plant and a California Gold banana plant.

Re: Banana Novice from zone 7a
 

Welcome to the Jungle.:woohoonaner:

Have fun here...

Re: Banana Novice from zone 7a
 

Welcome! Those are pretty cold hardy varieties. You shouldn't have a problem with those. The biggest thing is preventing too much water during cold months. If you're able bring them in the winter months. Even in a garage you can let them go dormant in cold months.

Re: Banana Novice from zone 7a
 

Welcome to a bunch of banana addiction!:08:

Re: Banana Novice from zone 7a
 

Hi Betsy and welcome to the jungle. Here is a little info about cold hardy bananas. This comes from a banana botanist in Texas who does research, grows, performs tissue cultures and deals with banana sciences with universities.
Hope this helps.
The Cold Hardy List!

Dwarf Orinoco – can’t be beat! Nothing comes close. There are several sports.
Dwarf Namwa – very good producer and grows in lower temps.
Blue Java – the real one! 90% out there are fakes. Comes up early in spring!
Pitu – a type of bluggoe. It makes a short but fat little fruit. I’m not crazy about the taste but it is fairly cold hardy.
Dwarf Brazilian – one of my favorites. Love the taste! Also grows great in lower temps.
Monthan – this will be the only variety on both the cold hardy and short cycle list! Wow. Very productive! Fast grower and flower to yellow fruit in 50-60 days. Amazing. I really enjoy both cooking and eating these ripe. It is becoming one of my favorite all around bananas.
Raja Puri – they flower fairly fast but have a 3-4 month fill time.
Virupakshi – “Hill Banana” tall but tolerates cold well. I have been cutting them back before winter just to shorten them. If not they will weaken and break/bend over. My 2nd favorite tasting banana. Taste makes it worth the extra effort.
Saba – loves coastal areas. Has a long cycle so has to be timed just right.
Mysore – does better in the west cost or areas where the temp doesn’t drop below freezing much. It is also very tall. Fruit have a “berry-like” flavor and are very good. Must have for west cost or FL growers.
I’m sure I will be editing this list as time goes by. For me and most growers that deal with a winter it’s all about timing! If I allow a pup to grow in early June. It will be large enough to survive winter and flower in early summer. Counting winter in my zone 8b it takes about 300-350 days to flower a plant. Then another 40-120 days to fill/ripen it. So get your timing down and you will see success. Don’t be disappointed by early failures. It takes time and a few years to get the plants established and timing down.
Regards,
Dell

Re: Banana Novice from zone 7a
 

i wish mine would fill in 3-4months.

i had 5 flower this year. and the last one flowered near the 1st of sept. 16 hands, base is as big as a basket ball, 7ft. p-stem. for me they fill n 6 months. had 3 in may flower, still waiting.

but they are the best i have to survive the winter, i had one flower in the middle of march. :ha:

Re: Banana Novice from zone 7a
 

Thankyou so much! I'm right at the point where I'm deciding if I should dig my bananas and store them indoors for the winter. Does anyone have experience keeping dormant bananas indoors? Then having them fruit after replanting them?

Re: Banana Novice from zone 7a
 

Follow the cold hardy thread and read the posts.
Pick and choose information which you could use
There are quite a few takeaways.
Expect your plants to possibly flower in 3-5 years
Youtube offers some great DYI information to get you started also.


.http://www.bananas.org/2057-post1.html

Re: Banana Novice from zone 7a
 

Here they are in the basement about the same amount of time they are outdoors. These are Orinoco's, I have had a Kokopo fruit also.

Re: Banana Novice from zone 7a
 

OH WOW! Zone 5. This is exactly what I needed. I've watched alot of videos but they don't provide updates so I can see exactly what conditions of the roots are experiencing. Thankyou so much for this!!!

Re: Banana Novice from zone 7a
 

Just a note of caution do not place the plants in water to keep them moist. They will most definitely get root rot and die.

Re: Banana Novice from zone 7a
 

One more important question! How do I get my email off my name?