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Old 11-07-2016, 11:09 PM   #1 (permalink)
 
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Cold New to bananas, curious about dwarfs

Hello. Let's see... I live in Missouri and from what I can tell that makes banana raising almost impossible (Also limited yard space and lack of clearance from landlord to grow impromptu trees.) However I am horribly bored with the lack of variety in store bought bananas (cavendish) and looking for alternative banana sources.

The "easiest" solution I can see might come from just growing a few dwarf bananas indoors (the inside of my home is both spacious and warm) but the species I'm most interested in (gros michel) is being very elusive, especially in dwarf form, not to mention hard to research.

So my questions are thus:
1. Any advice on where to find a grower of dwarf gros michel?
2. Any advice on how large a dwarf species of said plant would grow?
3. If not gros michel, are there any other dwarf banana species that would be good for beginners or very tasty?
4. Any suggested reading? (Preferably online?)

... man I haven't seen that banana emoji since yahoo chat...
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Old 11-08-2016, 01:28 PM   #2 (permalink)
 
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Default Re: New to bananas, curious about dwarfs

Welcome to the site!

There are several members on this site that grow gros michel (cocos and highgate) varieties. I think they are dwarf (under 10' tall). Some members exchange plants via ebay / paypal.

Getting any banana to grow and produce fruit will be a challenge in Missouri. Even if you can achieve that, it will be even harder to get tasty quality fruit. Quality fruit will require ideal lighting / temperature / fertilizer / water. Some members in tropical regions have trouble doing this! If you are just looking for tasty fruit, I would suggest finding tropical fruit farms online and seeing what types of bananas they sell / ship. Also, some members on this forum sometimes sell fruit and will ship it.

The good news is banana plants are fairly cheap so you can experiment with different ones. Understanding a plants flowering height, days to flower, and days to harvest will give you an idea of how the plants will perform in the tropics. Your plant probably won't perform as well....

Feel free to grow different varieties and see how they work! Just be mindful that getting tasty fruit is going to be a difficult / expensive / time consuming task in your state.

Regards,

Erik G
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Old 11-08-2016, 06:12 PM   #3 (permalink)
 
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Default Re: New to bananas, curious about dwarfs

Another candidate for a fruit tree to get nutty about is pawpaw. They are tropical tasting. (I assume they started back when Missouri was below the equator, and moved up with it, evolving as they went. All of its cousins are still tropical - atemoyas, etc.) It grow very well in Missouri, you can find it wild if you go kayaking down rivers about the end of August or early Sept. The wild ones are smallish and not as tasty as the ones that have been selected for a few generations. I like Neal Peterson's Peterson Pawpaws | Products The tastiest this year was Susquehanna, but they are all good. You will need 2. I think the quickest to come into bearing is the Shenandoah.
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Old 11-08-2016, 08:47 PM   #4 (permalink)
 
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Red face Re: New to bananas, curious about dwarfs

Quote:
Originally Posted by geissene View Post
Welcome to the site!

There are several members on this site that grow gros michel (cocos and highgate) varieties. I think they are dwarf (under 10' tall). Some members exchange plants via ebay / paypal.

Getting any banana to grow and produce fruit will be a challenge in Missouri. Even if you can achieve that, it will be even harder to get tasty quality fruit. Quality fruit will require ideal lighting / temperature / fertilizer / water. Some members in tropical regions have trouble doing this! If you are just looking for tasty fruit, I would suggest finding tropical fruit farms online and seeing what types of bananas they sell / ship. Also, some members on this forum sometimes sell fruit and will ship it.

The good news is banana plants are fairly cheap so you can experiment with different ones. Understanding a plants flowering height, days to flower, and days to harvest will give you an idea of how the plants will perform in the tropics. Your plant probably won't perform as well....

Feel free to grow different varieties and see how they work! Just be mindful that getting tasty fruit is going to be a difficult / expensive / time consuming task in your state.

Regards,

Erik G
Hm... alrighty. I'd still like to try though. Any other suggested dwarfs for a first time indoor banana grower in potentia?
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Old 11-08-2016, 09:09 PM   #5 (permalink)
 
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Default Re: New to bananas, curious about dwarfs

Super Dwarf Cavedish bananas are quite short (max 4' I believe) and bear fruit. For all those who say you can't get a crop (remember bananas aren't very prolific--1 bunch per P stem) I'd say that I did grow Calamondin oranges in MD. They went outside in the summer to be pollinated and came inside in winter where they sat in front of a full plate south facing glass window all winter--window was chilly since it wasn't insulated but there was heat in the building.

BTW, I had snake plants bloom there so pfft to those naysayers about "can't get light and such". (Snake plants, if they bloom here, aren't noticed; I've related what they do when flowering and everyone I've told is amazed that the flowers are white, small and pungently sweet in addition to being quite drippy.)

I'd totally recommend SDC for fruits and other "dwarfs" for your experiments which I hope are successful. No guarantee my suggestion means you'll ever get a finger but SDC can be in pots small enough to move and won't get taller than your ceilings. Enjoy the foliage for cooking adventures if nothing else.
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Old 11-09-2016, 12:07 PM   #6 (permalink)
 
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Default Re: New to bananas, curious about dwarfs

Welcome to the Nana Group. Looking forward to seeing the response back on your issues. This is certainly the group to give the info you need.
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Old 11-09-2016, 12:57 PM   #7 (permalink)
 
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Default Re: New to bananas, curious about dwarfs

Paw paw trees are a good choice if you can plant 2 different types for pollenation. Only plant them outside in the ground if you plan to live somewhere for 5+ years! I bought 2 peterson paw paws but they are growing slow and will take a few more seasons to reach fruiting size.

As far as bananas, people seem to also like Raja Puri for containers. Perhaps a patupi or viente cohol would be good choice too if you grew them indoors and put them outside for summer. They are short cycle plants and could produce edible fruit if you get the timing right. Dwarf Orinoco, Cali Gold, or Dwarf namwah are possible picks as well.

In my experience, these plants grow like weeds usually. If a plant gets too big indoors, don't be afraid to trim leaves or cut back (down) the p-stem. I know that isn't advice you want to hear, but this will allow the plant to continue growing until you can put it back outside.

Good luck in making bananas great again!


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Old 11-09-2016, 01:30 PM   #8 (permalink)
 
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Default Re: New to bananas, curious about dwarfs

Welcome and what part of MO are you from ???? I grew up in Saint Joseph home of the pony Express which is now all mess up as the USPS in was a take over Damm. I know you can grow Super Dwarf and Double Mahoi in containers both only get 4 to 5 feet tall easy to move. I would grow in doors in the winter and when it says in the 70 at nite put them in the ground and take the pups and pot them up for next year. You can PM on them JD
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Old 11-09-2016, 09:46 PM   #9 (permalink)
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Default Re: New to bananas, curious about dwarfs

Welcome to the jungle...

Dwarfs are small at first......but then they are 4x8 in a flash once they are comfortable..
Most of my dwarf's are in the 4x8 range
For more info check out Youtube.
Keyword dwarf bananas indoors

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Old 11-10-2016, 08:30 AM   #10 (permalink)
 
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Default Re: New to bananas, curious about dwarfs

Quote:
Originally Posted by cincinnana View Post
Welcome to the jungle...

Dwarfs are small at first......but then they are 4x8 in a flash once they are comfortable..
Most of my dwarf's are in the 4x8 range
For more info check out Youtube.
Keyword dwarf bananas indoors


Untitled
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I did this and mainly got the google response "grow dwarf Cavedish ya dork" but figured if I was going to grow bananas in my basement they should at least be bananas with something a little more interesting then I can find at shoppin' save.
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Old 11-10-2016, 09:29 AM   #11 (permalink)
 
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Default Re: New to bananas, curious about dwarfs

'Dwarf' The term is relative .... Relative to its standard size banana variety; not to the 'munchkins' of oz. So a 'dwarf' of a particular banana variety could be 8 to 10 foot tall.
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Old 11-10-2016, 08:03 PM   #12 (permalink)
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Default Re: New to bananas, curious about dwarfs

Quote:
Originally Posted by LunarFantom View Post
I did this and mainly got the google response "grow dwarf Cavedish ya dork" but figured if I was going to grow bananas in my basement they should at least be bananas with something a little more interesting then I can find at shoppin' save.
Your correct...just pick another variety to grow in your basement.

Any plant you chose will generally have the same care requirements indoors and the outcome will be similar.

In your zone expect (with winters) a flower in 2-5 years .

Orinocos are a good starter plant for a reliable flower and inedible fruit..
They are not dwarf but they will give you an idea of what to expect..
Great starter plant...
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Old 11-12-2016, 08:47 AM   #13 (permalink)
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Default Re: New to bananas, curious about dwarfs

Welcome to the banana gang!......
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Old 11-13-2016, 11:33 AM   #14 (permalink)
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Default Re: New to bananas, curious about dwarfs

Welcome aboard the Banana Express.
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Old 11-17-2016, 10:23 PM   #15 (permalink)
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Default Re: New to bananas, curious about dwarfs

So what did you decide......

For dork plants.....

Plants for sale at Lowes
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