Kat2

I spent a wonderful mid morning/early afternoon visiting with a gardener today. I was there to pick up 2 different pups but also came home with BT fig clippings, 3 Passiflora incarnata plants and 2 oakleaf hibiscus plants.

I diverge...

I assumed she had her 2 types of bananas segregated; she does not. Since only 1 was producing, I'm not sure what the 5 pups and old corms I received are. (At least I didn't pay for my new mysteries.) I'm hoping for a mix.

She knows she has a ladyfinger. I tasted the other because she'd harvested and hung a "bunch" after the branch broke. Fruits are squarish, about 4" long and about 1" in diameter; I didn't notice hands on the very short bunch. (She calls them blockies; shapewise they remind me of mini Orinicos.) I took a very bad picture of the 2' stem I can't edit enough to post. I liked the firm, tart one I tasted.

None of her plants are dwarves--perhaps 12 to 14' tall. I took a picture of the sole hanging "bunch"; I think they need fertilizer because there aren't many fingers on this one either. Is it a unfilled out ladyfinger? I realize there are no male blooms so identifying it may be impossible.




Since most Floridians have purchased ladyfingers, I'm sure she has them. I'm actually more interested in what "blockie" might be.

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Gabe15

The photo is 'Orinoco'. "Ladyfinger" is a loosely used named for a number of different small, sweet bananas and doesn't reliably refer to any single cultivar, perhaps post some photos of the plants as they grow and they might be able to be ID'd before fruiting.

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Growing bananas in Colorado, Washington, Hawaii since 2004. Commercial banana farmer, 200+ varieties.

Kat2

Would poor nutrition account for very tiny fruit on Orinico? To the point of it becoming 4" long (maybe closer to 3 1/2") and 1" in diameter? Honestly, her bed is a mess of old leaves and rotting P-stems; she does not water nor does she fertilize so her bananas are on their own nestled amongst trees. (The rest of her plants get much more attention but she handles 1 acre alone so they're not perfect either.)

That picture was from a plant on the left; we dug pups 40' to the right. I have Orinincos so I really hope her "ladyfingers" or whatever they are reside over there. And of course I'll post pictures...

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venturabananas

Yes, poor nutrition, competition with other plants, lack of water -- all of those things will result in smaller bunches of smaller fruit.

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Kat2

Maybe I'll deprive my 2 (hopefully not 7 after collecting pups yesterday). I bought a burro in the store to taste; I spit it out. I'll admit that I might not have let it ripen enough; I'd never encountered one before but it seemed yellow. Blech! That "blockie" was really quite tasty.

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