larrylwill

5 years ago I bought 1 ea of :

Musa Ice Cream "Blue Java"
Musa Manzano "apple banana" fingers
Musa Gros Michel live Banana
Musa Double Mahoi Banana

They never fruited due to cold winters. I forgot which one is which, I dont remember seeing any except the Gross Michael last year but this year I have 4 coming up. Can they be identified by the leaves only?
Banana Gallery - 20210605_180600_resized
Banana Gallery - Banana 4
Banana Gallery - Banana 1

Gabe15

Those are way too young to ID. Maybe try again at the end of the season, it might be easier to sort them out based on the list you gave, but there is also the possibility that the plants you got initially improperly IDd so unless you get them to fruit you may never really know 100%.

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

larrylwill

Yes I figured that. I have the Grose Michael now reaching 10ft, and the other 3 about 3ft but bushy. I also ordered a dwarf Cavindish and Namwa and another Ice Cream. All except the nawma are doing good in pots.
I sold 3 Grose Michael pups.

I need someone to trade me a Dwarf Namwa for one of my others or the Grose Michael. This year I will cut back the leaves and wrap them in plastic for the winter.
thanks

Bearskin10

I thought you said you forgot which one is which and now you say the Gros Michel is 10' and you sold 3 of the pup? I hope you didn't sell them as Gros Michels when you are not positive what they are that is just helping the misidentification out and is quite dishonest IMO.....

larrylwill

I always knew the Gross Michael 100% , It never died back to ground. The stalk was still about 5" in diameter. Thats why I never included a picture. The others did, I thought they were gone completley. The Gross Michael was in the middle and the only one to grow through the roof.
Also calling me dishounest without the facts is a little judgmental.

Bearskin10

I never said you were dishonest, I said if you sold them not knowing but if you know 100% all is good but how do you know 100% if you have never got fruit off them? Only ones I have that I know 100% are 2 Namwahs I have as I have got them to fruit out of the other varieties I have 2 of them (Gros Michel and My Sore) I am 99% sure because of who I bought them from the rest I can only say this is what I bought it as but?

larrylwill

Ok so Im 99%. I bought them from a online store and they said it was a Gros Michael as does the recept. It came back every year and grew abut 12 to 14ft before the first frost. The 3 others grew about 1/2 that hight. I tried heating the greenhouse the first year and it didnt work. The 2nd year I tried digging up 2 and putting them under the house and that didnt work. This year I will be wrapping them in insulation and plastic.

Akula

How did a AAA Gros Michel get through the winter in Northeast, Alabama that killed to the ground more cold hardy plants such as a Blue Java? It’s possible but it just doesn’t make sense.

Lots and lots of people on this site have receipts for one thing and got something else. That something else is usually a tall namwa. It happened to me.

Gabe15

If you had a 10ft Gros Michel it would actually be easy to confirm by looking at the plant without the fruit, it is a fairly distinct plant as it get more mature.

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

larrylwill

I first asked how could I identify the trees and got impossible, now you say is easy, but give me no details. I can post a picture of it, would that help?.

***************************************
Akula
Re: New old Bananas
How did a AAA Gros Michel get through the winter in Northeast, Alabama, WHO SAID IT GOT THROUGH THE WINTER?" that killed to the ground more cold hardy plants such as a Blue Java? It’s possible but it just doesn’t make sense.
"Lots of things dont make sense, thats why we have facts and science."

Lots and lots of people on this site have receipts for one thing and got something else. That something else is usually a tall namwa. It happened to me. "Maybe you should try a better seller"

Lots of people, lots of critizisum and no help. Kind of like fakebook.

Every year all the trees die back to ground. I cover them with mulch. The gross michael always had 3 or 4 stalks, the other trees also died back to ground (after 1 week or below 32) normally the Gross Michael takes off first and now is at the roof 12ft the others are only at the 1-2 ft range. If the GM is so easy to identify why am I being ridiculed for claiming what I bought is not what I bought.

Akula

Post a pic of your 10’ GM. Maybe Gabe will be able to give you a positive ID. That would be pretty amazing.

larrylwill

Best day

LarryLwill, you need to pay attention. Gabe said in his first post that the plants were way too small to ID. He now says that if you provide a picture of a ten foot Gros Michel he can help ID it for you. That makes perfect sense. And you say you want details from him on how he is going to do it!?! He is our resident expert. That is how he is going to do it. You are asking for help, you get an offer to help from an expert and you give him attitude!?! Not cool.

Many, many, many bananas are sold misidentified. It makes no sense that your supposed Gros Michel has grown so well for you. It is very cold sensitive. It is probably something else.

Bill

larrylwill

?????????????????????????

Bearskin10

I don't think anyone here is trying to be insulting or unhelpful, I am far from knowing much about banana plants Bill (Best Day) knows more then I ever will He is who I got my 99% sure of from and as he said Gabe is the resident expert so I am sure he will get back to you in time. I think probably 90% if not more on this site have received misidentified plants so am just saying knowing what you (and everyone else) have for sure before they are sold as X-Plant will help get the misidentification go down in this hobby....

Gabe15

This plant looks like it could theoretically be Gros Michel, but there are 2 issues complicating giving this plant a proper ID.


1) It is still fairly young, not 10ft, in banana-land heights refer to the height of the pseudostem/where the leaves attach, not the total height with leaves. A 10ft Gros Michel is much more mature than yours, which looks closer to 5ft, and as bananas mature they will show different traits than in their juvenile stages.

2) The growing condition of this plant will mask some traits. It seems to be growing in a greenhouse/under plastic, and thus shadier and a bit more pampered than if it were completely outside under full sun. This may seem not important, but combined with the fact it is still actually quite young, a lot of important ID traits are going to be masked under this condition.

I can tell you one thing though, there is not going to be anywhere near enough room in that greenhouse to get to full size.

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

larrylwill

Thanks for the look. Yes I know its not tall enough its 12ft from the ground to the top. The walls are greenhouse hard plastic panels, it gets full sun from abought 11am untill sunset its facing west. Its been there for 5 years and every year the frost gets it and I cut it back to ground. I live on the bluff of a mountian 1400 ft above the river and we get winds up to 75mph during the year so If I left it out it would be shreaded. This year I will remove the roof over it, and this winter I will wrap it in plastic and insulation.