Jack
 

Hello and Greetings to All

My name is Jack and I am 65. I can't sit around and watch TV.

I live on a lake but don't have a boat... so I started collecting banana trees and planting them 2 weeks ago to stay busy.

I have about 5 varieties.

Are there really 1500 varieties of bananas?

I want to try to collect as many varieties as possible for the central Florida area.

Any help or advice is appreciated.

My wife says I was going bananas years ago so it's her fault.

Thanks to all.

Re: Jack
 

Welcome Jack. There are lots of different bananas but I don't know the count. If for eating, most people eventually settle down to just a few favorite ones even though they collect many types as you are planning. You don't say where you are in Florida. Central Florida is a big place. That will help with recommendations. Are you on the south side of the lake?

Re: Jack
 

I’m between Orlando and Daytona

Re: Jack
 

The question I asked ( Are you on the south side of the lake?) is more important given your location. You are in a warm location but if you are on the south side of the lake you enjoy several degrees of frost protection and warmth that those on the north side of that lake do not get. Those that live on the north do get frost protection from the lake but it is much diminished. Growing on the east and west sides is better than the north, generally, but gets better the further south you go. Warmer and more frost free means you can grow more types to harvest of fruit.

Re: Jack
 

I am on the east side … but the m not going to worry about it …. Bananas grow and the frost rarely gets them .

Thanks

Re: Jack
 

Collecting cultivars that have residual fertility not only will produce edible fruit but the female flowers can be pollinated to produce viable seeds. Each seed that germinates will produce a new variety.

The seeds in the photo below all came out of one small Blue Java bunch.