chris_zx2

Hey guys, I am new to bananas, having started with a DC that is doing excellent!
I was at the local garden center and noticed a orinoco sitting on the 50% table so I picked it up. It was in ok condition but in a terribly small pot.
My question, and I tried to look it up with no luck, is it a Dwarf Orinoco or Regular Orinoco?
Small Pot:

Transplanted and outside:

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--Chris
So far:
Dwarf Cavendish -- Basjoo -- Bunch of Truly Tiny

siege2050

Hard to tell, I have both, but the leaf petioles are shorter on the Dwarf, maybe a little more open, about twice as long on a tall as a pup, and closed even when small, but they are both kinda stocky when small if separated from the mother and grown in a pot in good light. If the pups are left attached to a full size Tall Orinoco in an under story environment, they grow tall, very quickly, in pots not so much. I have some attached pups that are 4 feet tall (leaves included) with just a few true leaves, barely past the sword stage, if they were in pots at that height, they would be more leafed out resembling an adult. If it starts pupping while its pstem is short, then its probably a Dwarf, my tall dont pup until they get at least 5 1/2 or 6 feet of stem, and then only maybe one per year in my cooler environment, at ten feet I might get 2 or 3 pups before having to dig them for storage. I am guessing it is a dwarf as tall is less common, and the petioles are shorter on yours, here is a photo of one of my tall and dwarf side by side at roughly the same height. Note the longer leaf petioles on the tall on the left, as compared to the right. My tall also bloomed at 10 feet of pstem which I read is about the right size, a dwarf should bloom smaller. You might rather would have the dwarf if you have to dig and store, the tall pstems get 100+ pounds and digging them and carrying them around is a bit rough on the back. The tall also get close to 20 feet with leaves in my zone 7.

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chris_zx2

Awesome, thanks for the info! I am hoping it's a dwarf for storage reasons!

__________________
--Chris
So far:
Dwarf Cavendish -- Basjoo -- Bunch of Truly Tiny

siege2050

Yeah, the tall are very impressive in the non tropics, but a chore lol. But either one will store dormant with no leaves, and trimmed roots in total darkness at about 45/50 degrees for 6 months in winter (Mine go under the house, and store like a giant stem bulb), so a good choice if you have either, not all bananas will store this way without dying back to the corm.

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chris_zx2

For the first year I was going to bring it in under grow lights for the winter. It's in a pot so I'm assuming that changes this as well...

__________________
--Chris
So far:
Dwarf Cavendish -- Basjoo -- Bunch of Truly Tiny

siege2050

You can grow it indoors the first year, especially if its a Dwarf, and if you can give it enough light, maybe from now on in the winter if you want, and then outdoors in the summer. It depends on how large the container is as well and how it restricts growth, and how tall your ceilings are. When a lot of websites say "This Banana grows to 6 feet" that usually is the height of the stem, not counting leaves. For example a lot of them say that Musa Zebrina in a pot grows to only 4 feet, that is actually the stem height, and my 4 foot zebrina stem which really is about 4 feet, plus pot height, plus leaves almost touches my ceiling lol, not exactly the 4 feet that most people are thinking of. I just store my bananas that are easy to store, under the house to save space, and the big ones that are impossible to keep indoors I store also. I keep the more cold sensitive stuff like Musa Zebrina indoors in front of a south facing window. This year I will have about 15 bananas ranging from 4 feet to 10 under the house. Some that store well this way (Cool, non freezing garage, attic etc. also works, just cant freeze) Are Orinoco, Tall and Dwarf, Namwah, Icecream, and Raja Puri. The Entsetes Maurelli, Glauca, and Musella or Golden lotus also store very well this way. Bananas like Cavendish do not, and usually die down to just the roots, but survive usually. This year I am experimenting with Musa Zebrina by wrapping the whole stems in plastic like I do my canna roots, and hopefully that will keep them from dying back, I am getting too many to keep indoors. Orinoco can be stored dry with no wrappings as long as they are not real small, they might dry out if too little.

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