Home depot Blue java or Namwa?
 

Hello, i'm new to bananaing just bought this a few weeks ago as a blue java but have i been jebaited? https://imgur.com/a/BynP8q7

Re: Home depot Blue java or Namwa?
 

Hard to tell for now. There seems to be too much red at this stage ..????...



These are picture of my Blue Java from last year.

Re: Home depot Blue java or Namwa?
 

BUT anyways .... They are Bananas and HD got that part right! So Grow EM!

Re: Home depot Blue java or Namwa?
 

Home Depot sources from Agristarts which does not TC the real blue java ice cream. They sell “blue java ice cream” as Musa tall namwa.

Tall namwa is an excellent Musa and one of my most productive varieties!
You will love it!

Re: Home depot Blue java or Namwa?
 

Thanks for the reply, the only concerning thing is that I read on here the texture is not nice. Is that true? Also could you give a flavor profile in comparison to Cavendish? Thanks for the trouble.

Re: Home depot Blue java or Namwa?
 

The flavor profile of Namwah is quite differnet from Cavendish in my opinion, and the texture I think far better than Ice Cream. Ice Cream is getting a lot of hype lately but the fact is that its nothing new and up until now its normally been considered as interesting and fun to look at but otherwise not that well liked by many, its quite a soft and mushy ripe fruit which is somewhat off putting to a lot of people.

Re: Home depot Blue java or Namwa?
 

Well put Gabe.

Re: Home depot Blue java or Namwa?
 

Looks like Namwah to me. I concur with Gabe, Namwah taste by far better than Blue Java bananas. However, Blue Java bananas can be eye candy though.

Re: Home depot Blue java or Namwa?
 

The Blue Java I've tasted was amazing. The texture was incredible too. I was sure to acquire a clone of the plant they came from and I'm currently growing it. Maybe there are more than one Blue Java type? I scratch my head every time someone says they're not too desirable to eat.

Re: Home depot Blue java or Namwa?
 

Looking forward to see some photos of your Blue Java once your plant fruits.
Hopefully it is not just one of the mislabeled plants.
Don’t get me wrong, I have eaten some decent Blue Java bananas, but if I could only grow one variety, it would be the Namwah .

Re: Home depot Blue java or Namwa?
 

The fruit he was sent was from mine. I really enjoy them. They are soft and creamy. But also sweet and good. I love namwa and would still rate namwa slightly better. Blue java and similar clones are very popular in the South Pacific islands. My clone came from bananas.org long long time member. I won’t say his name for privacy. But I did acquire the Goling Bananas clone last year! So this year I will compare mine, the GB clone, and Pisang Abu Perak. I don’t foresee any differences but want to be sure.

Personally I believe fertilizer (especially potassium) makes a big difference in the fruit quality and taste. Just as it is proven to do in the sweetness of watermelons!

Re: Home depot Blue java or Namwa?
 

So, my "Ice Cream" bananas had that pinkish red hue for the last six months. What I figured out is that they are nitrogen deficient (Haifa Banana Micro-nutrient guide). As soon as I bumped my PH up from 4 to 6.5, and added organic fertilizer, the new leaves are very pretty. Now they look exactly like the Pisang Awak plants in the TARS catalog. So, it could be a severe nitrogen issue.

Re: Home depot Blue java or Namwa?
 

If it's from LaVerne I actually contacted them and this was the response:

"Kris,



Yes, an agri start and it is namwa. Thanks for the inquiry,



Richard Wilson - CEO

La Verne Nursery Inc.

Ofc 805 521-0111

Cell 626 945-1442

“Growing Sustainably”

VETERAN OWNED & OPERATED"

Re: Home depot Blue java or Namwa?
 

This is sorta true in that they are aren’t rare, but they are also often cooked half-ripe or so, kinda rare to see them used as a dessert fruit in the Pacific (outside of Hawaii). Normally for dessert use Cavendish, Silk, Mysore and things more like those are preferred.

Re: Home depot Blue java or Namwa?
 

That's about the same as I've seen in the Caribbean. Even though Bluggoe, Pisang Awak, Ney Mannan, and Plantain can be eaten raw as a dessert banana it's not something you'd normally see. Cavendish, Mysore, Red, Silk, and Sucrier are the typical dessert bananas here.

Of the three common ABB bananas eaten raw as a dessert banana I'd rank the Bluggoe the best followed by the Ney Mannan and then the Pisang Awak, and I doubt I'll ever eat any of them raw again.

Re: Home depot Blue java or Namwa?
 

It’s my understanding that the whole “Ice Cream” theme got started by folks doing an online search for “best banana” or something like that.

I pretty much decline to use the term, as the name has become to be associated with more than one variety, making it kinda useless.


:nanadrink:

Re: Home depot Blue java or Namwa?
 

Namwah has certainly been a more reliable fruit producer for me that whatever passes for "Ice Cream" in the industry. My Namwah always fruited more consistently and much heavier that my Ice Cream when they fruited the same year. I didn't even bother taking a pup of IC with me when I moved recently.

Re: Home depot Blue java or Namwa?
 

I had to look at my Blue Java ( don't use the term 'Ice Cream'). Blue Java has dark green coloring on the top side of the leaf; and lighter green on the backside. The mid rib is green on the top side and reddish/pink on the backside. That's why I said there was too much red.



Oh ... Blue Java and Namwah are not the same plant. There are several types of Bananas with the nick name of 'Ice Cream'.

Re: Home depot Blue java or Namwa?
 

For about 3-4 years I grew the Home Depot Ice Cream Banana right next to my Blue Java Banana. I could never find a way to tell the difference between the plants. They looked identical to me. The fruit is very different but the plant look identical to me.

Bill

Re: Home depot Blue java or Namwa?
 

You didn’t notice the silvery sheen to the underside of the Blue Java?
That’s usually the dead giveaway for me.
:nanadrink: