jonnyallen007

My online research on how to grow bananas led me here. It seems I have come to the right place to dialog on how to grow more and better bananas.

Here in the Hollywood Hills it seems like the climate is right. The bananas we have are volunteers of a kind, that is potted plants that office buildings have thrown out and my friend/tenant has stuck in the ground. We have gotten fruit pretty much each year and it is a real treat for us and the neighbors who share in the bounty.

I don't know what variety they are. Maybe someone could identify the two clusters in our yard if I post some pictures?

Then my main question is : what variety should I/ can I plant in the 1/4 acre of available land? I would be looking for abundant tasty fruit.
Thanks in advance for any help. John

momoese

Hi John, I'm just down the road from you in West LA and I can grow any variety. There are so many to choose from, It comes down to plant size and appearance, dessert vs plantain, taste and texture. Reds are less cold tolerant and take longer to fruit and ripen. You can see what I'm growing in my profile and I always have pups available if you need.

coolrobby2003

Eh Johnny...whts Up?

LilRaverBoi

Welcome to the site! You've definitely come to the right place to learn about bananas! hope you enjoy it here and learn a lot!

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stumpy4700

Welcome to the Org. I think you will find the members helpful in your questions. And yes please post all the pics you want...We love to see them.

Eric

Welcome aboard, JonnyAllen ! I dunno, but if I lived somewhere that nanners just popped up & grew, I'd grow Orinocos & Blue Javas! Orinocos the best tastin cooking nanner & Blue Javas have a super vanilla flavor!
BUT that's Just Me! There's a lot of members who know a lot more about nanner here than me & lots of great nanners to grow!
Anyway, it's a very friendly & info-packed forum. If ya have any questions about using the forum, just ask.
Enjoy!

Richard

Hey there!

The basic story is that if Mitchel (momoese) recommends a plant to you, then definitely grow it!

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momoese

Not always true. While I feel that "I" could grow any variety here in this area, I have friends who tell me some of the plants I give them just won't work for them, not sure why. I think one has to educate themselves as to the differences and then make their own choices when it comes to something that will take about 2 years to see the fruits of their labor, especially in a small yard like mine. I wish I could back in time and plant some different varieties than the ones I first chose. That was a lot of time wasted time waiting for fruit I didn't much care for.

A trip to Jon's place in San Diego is a good idea, he always has several varieties ready for tasting and you can see the mature plants first hand. You can even buy some pups while your there!

figs4fun home

CValentine

Welcome from Central Texas, Zone 8a!
Great people & lots of info here!
Glad you joined us johnnyallen007! ~Cheryl

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Abnshrek

Welcome :^) from the Soaking wet Bayou.. we got 5 inches of rain in the last 4 days.

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I'm a Nannerhead :^)

jonnyallen007

Thank you all. What a warm welcome.
Orinocos & Blue Javas! huh? Where do I find out more about getting and growing them? Soil treatment, etc.

I would like to fill a small orchard in the property next door. There is one pine tree, and some wild oleander - that I could remove (not the pine). It seems they need rich loose soil and lots of water. Correct? With our grey water system I don't think that would tax us too much. And we are composting on site.

Momoese, maybe you have some specific LA info and 'pups' as it were.
What varieties do you recommend?
ps. I posted a few pictures for anyone who can identify these bananas in my yard.
cheers
john

Eric

Well, actually, Momoese (Mitchel) is a lot more experienced than me. I read a lot of his posts when I'm digging for good info! But I do know a few things from the 3 years I've been growin them.
Lorax (Beth) lives, and grows nanners, in Ecuador (home of Chiquita & Dole) & she says Orinocos are the best cooking nanner. Some other members have said the same thing. And lots of members have said that Blue Javas (mostly what I grow) have a taste & texture that's about like vanilla ice cream! If I wasn't stuck in Oklahoma, I'd probably have a lot better luck with them.
BTW, saw your nanner photos !! Those are beautiful!! I don't know much about Banana Identification BUT there is a section for that, in the list, on the first page of this site. There's also a section there devoted to fertilizers!
And you're right about the soil. For each nanner I grow, I dig a hole about 3' across and 1 1/2 feet deep & fill the hole with a mix of 40% compost, 40% dried oak leaves, & 20% sand. There's lots of mixes you can use, that's just what I use. I give them a good watering then wait till the ground dries up & water them again. Soggy soil can lead to corm-rot. Found that out by experience . For food, I use a 2-1-3 ratio mix (nitrogen-phosphorous-potash) cause most nanners (especially mine) seem to like 1 1/2 times more potash than nitrogen. But each nanner is a little different so ya might wanna check out the "Fertilizers" section for lots of great info on that!
The site also has Classified Ads, at the bottom of each page, for lots of different nanners & plants of about all kinds. I'd offer you a Blue Java pup, myself, but I already traded or gave all my pups away & the rest are already indoors for over-wintering.
Oh, also, be careful about planting anything near the pine. Pines put toxins in the soil that can kill other plants. However, I grew a 14' Blue Java about 12' away from where our pine tree had to be removed & it did Great!
Thanx for sharing the pics !!

momoese

John the link I provided to Jon's website is loaded with info. You can also research our wiki.

All articles - Bananas Wiki

You can probably grow almost any banana where you live. I recommend you spend some time researching the different varieties before making any choices. As an example of how people have different tastes, I have removed Orinoco and Blue Java (Ice Cream) from my garden and replaced them with bananas that better suited my taste. Somewhere in the Wiki Richard created an entry for the different banana flavors. That would be a good place to start. Here it is.....

Info:Flavors Of Bananas - Bananas Wiki

Eric

Thanx for bringing up the Banana Flavors thing, Mitchel !! Didn't even know there was one. Just shows how much info ya can pick up... even you're not looking for it, sweet!!
You'll learn a Lot here, I have!!

cherokee_greg

welcome John im from Fresno,CA

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Greg zone 9 Fresno,CA
http://gardenjot.com/garden/view/1980/Gregs-Banana-Farm

bananadude

Welcome from Michigan...have fun!

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Brian...Zone 5-6...Gladwin, Michigan