Cavendish and cold tolerance
 

Red varieties get a bad reputation for poor cold tolerance, just wondering why this variety gets a free ticket, not surprised by the nursery's who sell them not to be honest with you with its cold tolerance, but even on the org over the years i can hardly remember any cold sensitive threads about them.

The amount of people i know who buy a dwarf Cavendish or a SDC and think they will be getting fruit when the reality is unless they are kept in warm conditions with bright light, you can kiss it good bye to them, you cant put them on hold. Defoliated leaves at 5c to 6c.

Re: Cavendish and cold tolerance
 

Huh... I figured everyone knew Cavendish is not cold hardy even one little bit. I have read it dozens of times on here. It may not have been a thread devoted to the fact, but I found it out within a week or so of being here. (Of course, at the time I had plenty of time and a thirst for knowledge so I read dozens of threads from start to finish every day.)

Re: Cavendish and cold tolerance
 

Hi Steve

Apologizes for the misunderstanding, i know everything that needs to be known about this variety, as i have been growing bananas for a long time now, i am speaking about the novice gardener who is not a org member and buys one of these, because they are so readily available, as i have came across on other forums.

Re: Cavendish and cold tolerance
 

I hope I didn't come off sounding smartaleky or anything, I just meant I found out quick here... Making greenhouses and nurseries or walmart even tell people about it is very unlikely as they rarely can tell you with accuracy what kind they are even selling you. On the bright side, if you wanna call it that, is that the majority of people buying from them don't care. I see hundreds of yards with bananas here in Palm Bay, and few look like they are even trying to get anything out of them.

Re: Cavendish and cold tolerance
 

Cavendish is the only one I have that freezes to the ground. The reds so far fruit up here.

Re: Cavendish and cold tolerance
 

which reds are they.

Re: Cavendish and cold tolerance
 

Dwarf and trying tall this year.

Re: Cavendish and cold tolerance
 

Mush - probably because DC and SDC don't get very tall and are marketed as a patio or indoor potted nana that will produce fruit and finally, the implication (or untruthfull advertisement) that it is cold hardy.
It does seems like most newbies first nana is a cavendish.
:waving:

Re: Cavendish and cold tolerance
 

Example:



HI fellas ...first time poster..

I picked this banana plant up at Walmark in the spring and the label said it was cold hardy..
The label said it was cavendish will grow well in my yard.
But after a few cool nights it looks like this.

Am I over fertilizing it? Too much water?

.
Untitled by
Hostafarian,
on Flickr

Re: Cavendish and cold tolerance
 

Definitely, Too much water...
ME: An expert in all things musa.

Re: Cavendish and cold tolerance
 

Thanks....I thought that might be the issue because all the trees in the yard had lost their leaves suddenly too.

Re: Cavendish and cold tolerance
 

Humm ... The average low temp for your area this past month is 47 deg F and the minimum temp was 35 deg F (10/26). I'd say your nanas have shut down (stopped growing) for this winter. Thus the leaves have turned dark and wilted. The fact all the other trees have dropped their leaves too helps bear this out. The precipitation for October was less than 1 inch, so unless you are watering the plant, stop.

Next the label indicating a plant is 'cold hardy' is only indicating that a "Mature" plant's root will tolerate cold temps to that indicated and/or the USDA Zones given. Young tender plants are not cold hardy until they mature. The cold temps at which leaves will drop is different ...

Next ... 'Cold Hardy' Cavendish bananas are listed for USDA Zones 8 to 11 (may be 7 for some varieties). Your growing zone is 6 or 5 and outside the low temperature tolerance of the Cavendish banana. You need to protect the corm if want this plant to grow next spring.

Re: Cavendish and cold tolerance
 

Thx .....so much.

Re: Cavendish and cold tolerance
 

looks like you have to much time on your hands. I hear the appaloosas are biting in the flint.

Re: Cavendish and cold tolerance
 

@ Cincinnana

Your first pic it looks like the banana plant is in a low area on the hill side. I think it did receive a frost bite for the leaves to look like that. The other picture with the group of nanas look to be higher on the hill side and didn't receive any frost. ... The frost may have been very short so you may not have seen it.

Re: Cavendish and cold tolerance
 

@ Beam

I have to get my boat running so I can fish the Flint again. The Flint is about 40 mile drive. But may be the NEW lake will be full soon. The County received the GO from the Corps of Engineers to 'Fill ER UP' this summer after a 50 year fight for approval. ... And, believe me as soon as the Corps said GO, the GATE WAS SHUT for water to back up. It's about 1/3 pool now ... too late for anyone to stop it now.

Re: Cavendish and cold tolerance
 

I did not know there was such a thing as a cold hardy Cavendish... Here in zone 9b they occasionally burn to the ground, or so I have heard.

Was I not nice, Cinn? I played along didn't i? Hmmm? :D

Re: Cavendish and cold tolerance
 

Never had any luck with Cavendish in my area, tried for years because I love their taste. But there's this one guy on here that has a super green thumb and he has fruit this year in our neck of the woods.....Darkman is the man.
I heard a story that a few years ago Bermuda was hit by a really bad hurricane that decimated the banana population and Cavendish was introduced and now have a decent banana population. That was my first experience with the Cavendish, fresh picked off the side of the road was quite tasty.