Hi
 

I am new to this forum, but not totally new to bananas, I have however recently gotten a bit more interested and bought 3 new varieties, Ice Cream Red Cuban and Dwarf Cavendish.

I also currently have 3 bananas in bloom:woohoonaner:, 2 of an unknown variety that I got from where I used to work, and a Rajipuri that I bought a couple yrs ago.

I live on the border of zone 8 and 9, but we had a pretty rough winter last yr with several nights in the mid 20s. My success in getting blooms after such cold is what made me believe I could try a few more varieties.

If anyone is interested in a trade, I would still like to get a CA Gold. I have recenly collected a few Rajipuri pups--could offer one in trade as soon as I know they are viable.

Re: Hi
 

Welcome to the org sbl. We certainly look forward to new members with a love of bananas. I envy your Florida climate, since I'm in zone 7. When you get a chance take a look at the Wiki, and you can also review older threads for specific questions. Or just ask; there are a number of knowledgeable folks here who would love to chat and assist.

Re: Hi
 

Actually, I have been growing the unknown banana that is now blooming as a landscape plant for about 20 years. It has produced a bloom or 2 in the past 20 years (without any protection), but almost always late in the season when there was not enough time for it to mature. In the last yr or so someone told me how to get it through the winter so that it could bloom and that I could protect a late bloom until it warms up in the spring. So now I am looking forward to a fully tree ripened banana and seeing how it taste.

I bought a banana last year from Lowe's that was suppose to be a dwarf Cavendish, but now I have my doubts. It has a solid red trunk--very slender and was very cold sensitive, far more than the Raji Puri that I bought by mail order last summer that is also blooming.

I know I will have to grow my new Dwarf (Cuban) Red in a container, but I do hope that eventually, I can put my Dwarf Cavendish and my Ice Cream in the ground here. I have seen conflicting info on how much cold these varieties can take.