Dwarf Cavendish questions
 

hello board. I'm a newbee to bananas and gardening altogether. I recently became excited when I saw the dwarf cavendish banana plants. I immediatly ordered 2 of them from springhill nursry. I havnt recieved them yet
Anyhow I told my girlfriend about it and she said I may not like the taste as she found mini bananas to taste a little tart and bitter.
I've been googling these bananas ever since and have found there to be many species of small bananas.
I went to a market today and bought "baby bananas". To see if I can get an idea for the taste.
Are the cavendish bananas tart and bitter as my girlfriend described or do you think she had a different variety? Do you think the dole "baby bananas" will give me an idea of what to expect? Any help and guidance would be appreciatted as I still have time to cancel the order.

Re: Dwarf Cavendish questions
 

I believe the dwarf cavendish are very similar to the regular grocery store bananas. The mini bananas are a different type with a different taste altogether. I prefer the mini's actually. Others can weigh in their thoughts.

Re: Dwarf Cavendish questions
 

Welcome Ciscored!

Cavendish bananas are similar to the regular store bananas. And if you have them ripen on the plant (not a tree), you will have a treat. Particularly, if all the banana you've had so far is the store bought ones. The regular store bananas are the Gran Naine variety, which was developed from the Cavendish.

Baby bananas, if properly ripened, are sweeter than regular store bananas. They are from the Sucrier group of bananas, usually grows only to 6 - 8 feet high, similar to the Dwarf Cavendish. Sucrier, which means "sugar bowl or basin" in French, is an appropriate name for this group of bananas because all of them are sweet.

Re: Dwarf Cavendish questions
 

Hi Ciscored - the dwarf only applies to the height of the plant at fruiting height. Dwarf cavendish bear normal sized sweet bananas (if you leave them on the plant until they are nearly ripe). Never had a bitter Dwarf Cavendish as they are really nice to eat - but don't expect to get dwarf nanas as the size will be like grocery bought ones.

Re: Dwarf Cavendish questions
 

Ciscored, Welcome to the Org. The Cavendish and Gran Nain bananas are generally what you find in the store produce section ( Chiquita), the Dwarf Cav. is a smaller plant 6-8 feet of stem, but produce 3/4 to normal size bananas, with the same taste, that is my understanding anyhow. Where are you located,zone, state? if you could edit your userCP with that info, it will help people with answers to any questions you have. Basically, you have found Banana Utopia, meaning there are a ton of knowedgable people with years of experience and practical application of knowledge here, again welcome and enjoy the nanner express! :bananas_b

Re: Dwarf Cavendish questions
 

Wow, I must type really slow, by the time I submitted both you guys ( Chong, Cassie) responded, I must be getting old! :ha: :bananas_b

Re: Dwarf Cavendish questions
 

Haha! old dude!

Re: Dwarf Cavendish questions
 

No, I'm the one that's slow. I was typing my response, just after I moved Ciscored's first post from Main Banana Discussions to Member Introductions, and by the time I clicked "submit", Austin had already replied.

Re: Dwarf Cavendish questions
 

Ha ha. I'm a very fast typer! :)

Re: Dwarf Cavendish questions
 

:ha::ha::ha::ha:

Re: Dwarf Cavendish questions
 

Welcome aboard!

Normally, DC fruits are sweet - very similar to grocery store nanners. Tart and bitter ones are underripe!

Re: Dwarf Cavendish questions
 

Welcome to the .org Ciscored! :ha: DC's are nice 'naners if you are not spoilt by the taste of other Asian cultivars. I like them for the number of fruits they get, their nice small size, beautiful leaf growth and form. What more can one ask for? Enjoy! All d best to your plants.:02:

Re: Dwarf Cavendish questions
 

Wow!:woohoonaner:

It looks like I came to the right place! Thanks a lot for all of your answers. Do you know of the sweet not bitter taste of the dwarf cavendish from growing and tasting your own or from other forums and post.. Just wanna hear it straight from someone who has eaten a dwarf one.

Any tips on how I should plant it? I plan on keeping it in a pot and indoors near a sliding glass door, and bring it outside in the summer. I live in San Diego and it still gets cold here at night

Re: Dwarf Cavendish questions
 

Ciscored - can't help you with the growing, but Dwarf Cavendish have always been sweet from all our different plants! Keep them on the plant until they start to colour up - then cut the bunch down - always delicious. Never had a "bitter" banana. Any small bananas ( perhaps ladyfingers?) will not be delicious until fully ripe - most of the species bananas cannot be eaten unripe! I know people who like to eat their bananas when they are greenish and unmarked by freckles - you can do this with some of the store bought varieties, but they are missing out on the best fruit!! Wait until they are speckled and soft, and you will thank me for a delicious fruit.

Re: Dwarf Cavendish questions
 

:bananaflipflop:Welcome to the organization Ciscored!:2239:

Re: Dwarf Cavendish questions
 

I grow DC also, have tasted them and never have they tasted bitter. I don't like the flavor as much as some of the others I grow but they still taste better than what you can buy in the store. Some of my others do have a certain amount of acidity to them which I actually prefer over the bland Cavendish taste. It's like a Red Delicious apple VS a Fuji apple, the Fuji has much more flavor and a better balance in my opinion.

Anyway welcome to the forum!