colldp68

I am wondering if anyone has been successful getting edible ripe bananas in zone 6? I would like to try but am not sure if it is realistic or not lol. Does anyone have any recommended varieties?

buffy

No.

Bob

Hey Dan , I'm zone 6 as well but have just started back in bananas for less than a year. The list of edibles I'm currently hoping to coax a bloom out of are: Orinoco, Dwarf nam wa. Fhia 23, and I just won a California Gold on ebay that has more potential , I think( I also have a few more that are edible varieties but wouldn't reccommend them.. If I had to start over I would go with Veinte Cohol(you have to get on a waiting list, I'm hoping to get one this year) Dwarf Orinoco, California gold, California cold hardy( both I believe hardier sports of D. Orinoco) , Dwarf Cavendish and Dwarf nam wa. See the pattern.

How far are you willing to go to get a bloom or fruit? Can you arrange to overwinter plants indoors that with the container will still reach say 10-12 high?
Can yo extend an outdoor plants growing season with a temporary greenhouse? Bottom line : pick a dwarf variety you can keep warm , bright humid , well fed and dedicate a few years growing it, as of right now that's our best shot....Good Luck

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Lagniappe

Bananas are such great plants to grow that fruit is just icing on the cake. I don't know of any other plant that can go from underground to absolutely magnificent in just a few months.
If fruit is the main objective, definitely go with some dwarf varieties like Bob suggested. If you don't want to containerize them, there are always storage options.

colldp68

Hey bob, I plan on making a greenhouse type structure in my basement (9 feet tall ) under artificial lighting and maintaining it at 70 - 80 degrees. I was thinking I can dig them up in the fall and continue growing them indoors throughout the winter. I am thinking if i can get a flower by June or early July I might have ripe fruit by the first frost. I might also try storing the p-stems over winter and hopefully gradually get them to a fruiting height.

I have read that the Dwarf Orinoco and Dwarf Namwah are quick to flower and that some varieties ripen faster than others. Do you have any suggestion of which varieties ripen the quickest or do they take the same amount of time to ripen?

Bob

Dan I wish I were more of an expert but , bananas fruiting up north are probably as much art as science. First got to the going bananas web site and get yourself on the list for Veinte Cohol. You might not get it for a while but just do it. It is reputedly quick to bloom and produce. I know nothing else about it. I'm (an admitted idiot) growing varieties for fruit, hardiness , height, and cold tolerance. We can always talk more and I hope others will chime in. First thing you should do is check out the "putting bananas to sleep for the winter" thread, read the whole thing. It's one of the greatest post here for northern gardeners and go on from there. That's how I started, Talk soon, Bob

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colldp68

Thanks Bob, I will check it out

alpha010

Well Dan, I am in the same predicament you are in as well as Bob. Everything I have heard about getting any kind of banana to fruit in zones 5-6 basically has stated that you need to have really good climate (heat, humidity, watering, and feeding cycles) to a perfect 'T'. So, unless you wish to wait 5 or 6 years (if ever) for it to get enough months of "outdoorsy" type weather then the plant will only be ornamental.

At least this is what I have been told.

I am trying my hand at the common 'dwarf cavendish' in a pot that goes outside after temps below 50 are gone and back in the house BEFORE they drop back below 50. And I must say, so far my naner is doing well. He gets pampered and hopefully enough sunlight inside. I guess only time will tell though!

I can only tell you to try it, cuz whats the worst that can happen?

Shaggy

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colldp68

Hey Alpha, I think I am going to experiment with a few dwarf varieties. I am going try Veinte Cohol, that Bob suggested. Supposedly it fruits and ripens in one growing season (up north). I think the problem is not getting them flower, but letting the fruit ripen in our short growing season.

alpha010

Well, I can recall if it was somewhere on this forum or on another banana info site that as long as the fruit have enough time to set, and reach proper size, that ripening can be done "artificially" the only draw-back with that is certain varieties cannot be ripened that way but there are some that can. Like I said before, if you are willing to put the time, effort and $$ into it, then it couldnt hurt to try it out!

Cheers
Shaggy

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CookieCows

Good luck Dan. I'll be interested to see how things work out for you. I am going into my second year growing nanas. I have two D.Orinocos that I'm going to be experimenting with from last year. We cut about 3 feet off the top of them and dug them up last fall. I've had a bedroom transformed into a plant room where they've been living this winter. I'm going to leave them in their pots when I take them back outside this summer in case I get a bloom. All the pups I'm just planting in the ground. I had ornamental bananas on my laterita and I dug it up and brought inside to see if they would continue to ripen and they didn't.

I have a dilema though as my daughter had a little green anole lizard she didn't want and I let the little guy loose in there and he's been living happily in the bananas with a little aquarium buffet of crickets he goes in and out of to eat. I guess I'm going to have to leave a couple nanas inside all summer

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Bananaman88

Deb,

Glad to hear that your M. laterita did so well for you last year. You should have an abudundance of pups to share or spread around your yard this year!

CookieCows

Brent,
I left lots of pups outside winterized and am anxious to see if they come back! But if not... I've got the back ups.

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austinl01

I would agree based on some research of posts here at bananas.org and online websites. Gran nain would also be another one to check out. Dwarf Orinoco is easy to overwinter bareroot. I have done so numerous winters. I have a Cali Gold coming soon so I'll be testing it out this year. Taylor and others say this is easy to overwinter like Orinoco. My dwarf Cavendish overwintered great in a pot. I dug it up before frost and potted it last fall. My Raja puri was in the garage bareroot for the winter as well. It still has a green leaf! You may want to check this one out too. This year, I'm planning to grow: Cali Gold, Dwarf Orinoco, Raja puri, dwarf Namwa, and Gran nain. I have all except the Namwa and Gran nain right now...I need to order them!

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Austin
Arkansas River Valley

Average January Low: 31°F, Average August High: 92°F
Extreme Winter Lows: 5-15°F, Extreme Summer Highs: 100-112°F, Annual Precipitation: 52 inches

colldp68

Thanks! I'm currently testing out a Dwarf Brazilian, but i plan on testing different varieties. I am thinking about trying Rajapuri, Dwarf Cavendish or Williams Hybrid, and Dwarf Orinoco. I read that the Dwarf Orinoco is quick to fruit, so you might get lucky this year

alpha010

Well, I have 2 tiny pups on my Dwarf Cav and if they get large enough to separate this summer, I can send you one to try out. The one I have seems to do very well inside my home during the winter and is flourishing very well.

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colldp68

Thanks, that would be awesome! please let me know if you can

alpha010

I'll pm you when it's time........

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kuma119

Bananas, yes. Ripe, NO. Growing season is not long enough to ripen.

alpha010

Like it was said before.....it all depends on what lengths you are willing to go to get what you desire. If Dan desires to go the way of the greenhouse or heated sun porch, then sure, anything is possible. BUT, if it is mainly indoors with filtered sunlight and temp regulated to 66-70 degrees and humidity controled to roughly 50% then don't expect a miracle. Plus, you never know what could happen.......mysterious things happen to all of us at one point in time or another.

Shags

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