pjkfarm

Hi all, Can someone suggest names of bananas which would have the characteristics below. We have room for 15-20 plants and would like as much variety as possible with the shortest harvest time. Our current banana (from Mexico, unnamed) fruits well but takes over a year (14-15 months) from first pup or strong sucker showing to actually bearing -as I remember as it has not had fruit for last three years as has been left untended. We understand that there are some which bear quickly (and some which take forever&#128522 We would like the fastest bearing. We have plenty of headroom (20 plus feet) so for variety would like dwarf to tallest. Leaf color would be nice to have different. African Rhino we will be getting due to the unusual fruit. Herewith a picture of our “Mexican” banana growing in doors in the ground (in northern Virginia). Umm,having trouble posting it with thread, but got it into my album gallery - so if anyone can maybe help suggest what sort or what I need to do to identify it, that would be great.
Thanks,
Peter

Richard

14-15 months is fairly quick in your location and growing conditions.

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beam2050

this one?

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sputinc7

Veinte Cohol is supposed to be quick.

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Varieties I supposedly bought: Manzano, Cavendish, Blue Java, Sweetheart, and Gros Michel.
What it seems I actually have: Brazilian, Cavendish, Namwah, Dwarf Red, Gros Michel, Pisang Ceylon, Veinte Cohol and SH 3640, and American Goldfinger. FHIA 1, Paggi and FHIA 17... Always room for one more.

Richard

Check out this blurb ...

So you want to grow bananas

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pjkfarm

Helpful article and nice suggestion re veinte. We must do something right as have no supplemental light (though planning on getting it) and yet bunches generally quite nice as per picture - not tropical size (though who knows how big the bunch should be as we do not know what it is :-(
Thanks again!!

cincinnana

Here is a list of cool tolerant plants but you will still have to bring them in for the winter.

A large greenhouse with water-cooled LEDs would be ideal to extend your growing season and give you the additional months needed for your plants to flower and produce edible fruits

There are a few forum members who are vendors which can help you choose a plant which might work.

For me, pup to flower without a greenhouse is about 3-5 years/grow cycles so to speak in a 30 gal container and that is not a guarantee.
We have less than a 170 day grow window frost to frost whereas bananas need much more time than that.

The cold hardy list

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pjkfarm

Thanks for the good list. And I guess thanks for all the homework :-) - am not familiar with water cooled LEDs, but will now become so! Clearly will need more lighting - for some of our other plants as well which do not enjoy short days.

Richard

LED's aren't going to do it, nor will the short-season bananas live up to your expectations in your greenhouse unless you have a source of free electricity or very deep pockets:

Richard's Guide for homegrown bananas

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pjkfarm

Richard, excellent article, Thank You!! The banana picture I have posted never had any supplemental lighting. was maybe 15 months to fruiting (took 3?) months to ripen? Picture was taken in February in Chantilly, Virginia. Again, this was given me by a Mexican who claimed it was a dwarf (and from your article, I would guess that is accurate). Interestingly, when this plant fruited again, the pstem was probably 3 or 4 feet taller with a very poorly formed bunch (scraggly, very, would sort of describe it).
Fruit tasted good.
SO this looks like an exception to most of what I have read as the temp in the winter home was set at about 60-65, and daytime got sun without additional ventilation so could get to 80 on warmer days and would stay at 65 on cold days. Double poly covering. Taken down in late April, early May - so nigh time temps would often be in the 50's, occasionally cooler. Went back up before first frost, so night temps would often be in the mid to high 40's. As I mentioned before, this plant got frozen to the ground a couple of times over the years when heat failed and was not caught.
I do not mean to bore people or write a book, but this banana seems to be different from most others. Why we would like to try others. (We have basjoo and are just seeding tomorrow Ensete ventricosum, This year I am potting up 15 or so of our unnamed banana, and will leave 4 in the ground (Just finished potting 10 corms from root cellar, will dig other 5 from ground in another month or so). The potted ones will be split - 5 to remain in pots and go in when it gets cold, the others to be planted out as "decorative plants" and dug and stored in a root cellar for the winter.
How do I get an ID? What sort of pictures, records, etc.?

Tytaylor77

From the far away picture it looks like it could be a common dwarf cavendish. (Very popular in Mexico also) If you can take some pictures of the actual pstem. Does it have lots of black or is it solid green, etc. also any pictures of different stages of the flower. Especially showing the new end-tip flowers/female flowers. So we can see the color. Also any picture showing how the leaf attaches to the pstem.

Awesome looking plant!!

There is quite a few bananas that are on the faster side! Sadly the problem is the fast cycle bananas are also the most sensitive to cold! So often a good balance is better! I have done short cycle research for the past few years. I would be glad to tell you what works best for me. It may not be the same at your location though! Feel free to PM me or email me.

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