galaad

I thought I would be the only crazy person trying to grow banana plants in Norway, but what a surprise! There are more crazy people at this world other than me!
That being said, I just purchaised on the net the seeds for Musa velutina and Musa sikkimensis. I chose those species because I can only start from seeds here (never saw a banana plant in shops, I think), and because Musa velutina is said to be small and be able to stay indoor, while musa sikkimensis should be one of the hardiest species... Or THE hardiest species that can be propagated by seed. I still doubt that a banana plant could survive outdoor in winter here, at -20 °C... But hey, what do you know... Maybe I can put it in a large vase and place it in the basement in winter and go on with suckers... Or I could try to cross the two species and select the smallest and hardiest, they seem to be quite close related from this diagram:
PubMed Central Image Viewer.

Well, we'll see! For now, I just hope to get plants, so all tips on how to proceed are welcome! (I've never tried any of this before)

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Mark Dragt

Pushing the limits! I like it! There are plenty of threads about growing banana plants from seed. I haven't tried it myself, but it looks like a fun project. Welcome to the org and good luck with your seeds.

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HMelendez

Welcome to the banana gang!...

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midkiffsjoy

Omg That is SO COOL!!!! Bananas in Norway!!!

JP

Good luck! It's rare that I find someone as crazy as me to try to grow in cold climates. As for me, I take everything inside for winter. A heated greenhouse could help you...

Richard

You might try a cultivar of the "Illinois Banana" -- PawPaw.

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galaad

Thanks everyone for your answers.
I've googled "Illinois Banana". but I can't find anything...
Yes, probably I'll have to take the sikkimensis inside in winter, at least for the first years. I've read that only the velutina is able to make fruits the same year if it dies back to the rhizomes, the other plants wouldn't make it in time. But velutina isn't as hardy as sikkimensis. If only I could cross them, maybe I could obtain a plant that is dwarf and quick like velutina and hardy like sikkimensis? Here snows normally makes a thick layer from december to april, maybe that factor (insulation of the snow) might allow the rhizome to survive after all?
I can't wait to get seeds started!

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siege2050

Velutina will bloom each year and will grow indoors if you can keep the spider mites off of it. Sikkimensis does not seem to do well here, I suspect it does not like our hot summers.

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galaad

Hot summers shouldn't be a problem here! It rains a lot here in summer and when it's sunny it's very rare that we reach 30°C. Winter temperatures kill many parassites here, I don't know if there are spider mites, but I heard they don't like rain either...

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Richard

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siege2050

I'm thinking because Sikkimensis is a high altitude banana, it does not like hot temps and grows better in mild summers. I have 3 different ones from seed, and all of them stall in summer unless they are in shade. I have noticed it is very popular in Europe in places where its cooler, but you dont see it much here. Very pretty plant though when they do grow right.

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galaad

Thank you, but Asimina triloba is not a banana species, and moreover, it is poisonous. I have small children, I don't want poisonous plants in my garden...

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Richard

True.

False.

It is the subject of a nursery rhyme.

The fruit is enjoyed by multitudes annually.

Its nickname is derived from the taste.

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Tytaylor77

Pawpaw. They grow all over wild here and some are really large. In my opinion the fruit is ok. Not great. I have tasted some pies made from them that were very good. But fresh out of hand they are not that great to me. Not poisonous. I have eaten lots and I am still alive.

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Richard

The taste of fruits from many wild species of fruit trees (apple, apricot, etc.) in their native habitat is often poor. That is why cultivars are bred. PawPaw is no exception.

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cincinnana

Welcome to the Jungle!!!!!

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galaad

Meanwhile... I've been to a supermarket yesterday, and they also have some plants there. I checked what they had, and guess what... I found something that looked familiar... It said "Musa acuminata". Well, it's not what I was planning have, but since it costed 50 crowns and I was curious I bought it. Now, how tall will this become? I can never it outside, it's too cold here, even summer. The label didn't much else. I went the website the producer, and mention "dwarf" somewhere... Any idea what I might have bought exactly?

Read this:

Annonacin in Asimina triloba fruit: implication for neurotoxicity. - PubMed - NCBI

PS: sorry, I quoted the post, but telephone seem like doing this, it's rather difficult posting this way

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cincinnana

Well... my guess with out seeing a photo, is a cold hardy plant... or just a disposable tropical sold as a novelty.
Are you able to post a photo of it?

My thought is the tropical section at the market is pretty cool.
Better than mine......

My question to you is what town do you live in so a Hardiness zone can be determined......You can grow a plant we just have to figure out what kind..

I have basjoo at the 39th, and 45th Parallel.....you are at the 61st ...but there are favorable grow zones.

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galaad

Here is a photo of the plant:

Banana Gallery - Musa acuminata

What I know, is that this plant is not cold hardy. To my understanding, it is sold as an apartment plant. I hope it is a dwarf cavendish, but I don't know how to find out, other that to wait and see. I think my hardiness zone is USDA 5, though consider that Norwegian and American latitudes cannot be compared because we have a big influence from the gulf stream.

The other day I found out that the user "mrbungalow" was able to grow both basjoo and sikkimensis in Trondheim, which is 63° 26′ 0″ N

Banana Gallery - Musa Sikkimensis in Trondheim

The only problem is that Trondheim is on the coast, and I'm not. It's not uncommon with some days with -20 C (-4 F) in December or January here. The coldest it has been in Trondheim this winter was -17.3 C (0.86 F) one day.

This has been the weather of the past year, registered at the meteorological weather station closest to where I live:

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