BananasinAZ

I live in Phoenix AZ. I see banana plants growing here most of
the time completely Neglected but surviving not thriving.
My question is for people who care for their banana plants. Are you getting bananas off them?

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Manzano,Gros Michel,
Namwah and Manzano

Richard

I have a few colleagues in the Phoenix area who successfully fruit bananas every year.

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pitangadiego

Yes, talk to CRFG chapters in AZ

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Encanto Farms Nursery
http://encantofarms.com
We Be Bananas
http://webebananas.com

edwmax

It depends on the banana variety. Some may grow very well for your location, but not be able to fruit as it is out of its normal fruiting zone. Depending on the banana variety, the plant stalk need to obtain a certain height before it will fruit. So tall banana plants are less like to fruit the farther North or lower growing zone they are in. Mostly due to the shorter growing season and die back due to freezing.

You have stated your banana plant is a Gross Mich. These need a pstem about 15 ft to fruit. Also, these are difficult to grow even in Florida's zone 10 & 9 and not recommended by the USDA. But some of our forum members have fruited the GM.

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Richard

Bananas are not fruit trees and do not have fruiting zones.

False. Fruiting is a function of the maturity of the corm. Hieght at the time of fruiting for a specific genetic cultivar varies by environment, sometimes only by a foot but in the case of a few (e.g. Saba) it varies by meters.

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Jose263

Richard - thanks for the info - can you debunk " Bananas pstems bloom after a certain number of leaves are produced" is that true?

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Growing: Orinoco, Rajapuri, Dwarf Cav, SDC, TT, Dwarf Red, Dwarf Namwah, Tall Namwah (aka Ice Cream), Dwarf Brazilian, Veinte Cohol, California Gold, Double Mohai, NOT-Goldfinger, Gran Nain, Velutina

edwmax

No where have I referred the these as being 'Banana Fruit Trees'. And, this forums Wiki list growing and fruit zones for each banana variety. Most are not filled out. ... As I stated "NORMAL" fruiting zones. If one has the resources, one can grow and fruit 'Banana Plants' at the North Pole provided the needs of the plant are met.

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Richard

I don't know where that rumor got started. In some older agricultural manuals there was a rule of thumb that a specific banana cultivar grown in a particular area would fruit after approximately a certain number of leaves produced.

About a decade ago there was some discussion of the topic on this site. For awhile people were counting leaves from start to finish and a lot of variance was noticed. I laughed at myself for thinking such a thing might be true -- because biology is rarely, if ever, completely deterministic.

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Richard

True. But your statement regarding "normal fruiting zone" is a phrase used elsewhere in horticulture with regard to fruit trees -- particularly those that will grow but not produce fruit due to lack of chill hours, or lack of humidity, or other factors.

Bananas are a tropical annual. Although there are some ornamental banana cultivars that can live outdoors all year-round in USDA zone 7 (e.g., Basjoo), the genetic types that produce edible fruit can rarely live outdoors year-round in USDA zone 9a or colder. For these bananas, I think a more appropriate term is "normal life zone".

True. I have a former customer who grows fruiting bananas indoors year-round in Barrow, AK.

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edwmax

Obviously, I wasn't speaking of 'fruit trees'. This is you trying to put words in my mouth. Next time you want to go off on a tangent leave me out of it.

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Jose263

[quote=Richard;301501

About a decade ago there was some discussion of the topic on this site. For awhile people were counting leaves from start to finish and a lot of variance was noticed. I laughed at myself for thinking such a thing might be true -- because biology is rarely, if ever, completely deterministic.[/QUOTE]

Richard - Thanks for the comment about counting leaves - I have noticed that within a variety the pstems are fairly consistent in height and girth when they push a bloom and many tend to lean over - maybe that is a function of becoming top heavy?

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Growing: Orinoco, Rajapuri, Dwarf Cav, SDC, TT, Dwarf Red, Dwarf Namwah, Tall Namwah (aka Ice Cream), Dwarf Brazilian, Veinte Cohol, California Gold, Double Mohai, NOT-Goldfinger, Gran Nain, Velutina

Richard

Yes ... but when grown in lush tropical environments on plantations they seem to do just fine. The only bananas I've grown here in San Diego county that did not need proping are Dwarf Brazilian, Dwarf Orinoco, and Dwarf Cavendish.

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Richard

How about then we agree to abandon the phrase "normal fruiting zone" for bananas -- and instead adopt something like "year-round outdoor environments". ?

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edwmax

I think the other members of the forum understand 'normal fruiting zone' or 'normal growing zone' just fine.

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Richard

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