TommyMacLuckie

So what are the chances of ever finding a Gros Michel at a nursery? Outside of FLA? I've seen Robusta, Dwarf Cavendish, Zebrina, Brodelon, Orinoco, Ornata (lavender), the two ensetes and...not sure of any others, at Home Depot and Lowes over the years.

Stokes has a nice selection and that's where I get them from mostly (1780, Thai Gold, Grain Nain, Sweetheart, a few others - I have a list somewhere because, as you can tell, I forget what all there is!).

Hard to know what one will come across at Home Depot or Lowes though, they never have a lot of variety. I'm really moving towards starting my own place in the New Orleans area that will have, hopefully, up to 50 or near that different kinds (as well as various kinds of palms that people are ignorant to the facts about that they can grow here in the region). Mainly to sell to people, the plants, but also have a select few just for the fruit to bring to markets, etc... and have fun and enjoy sharing "other" bananas.

I'd love a Gros Michel to be included. A real one AND the, what, FHIA Gros Michel. I've looked but have never found any for sale. Perhaps I need to do more research. Or I've just missed or forgotten something.

Should I even bother with the FHIA GM? I don't see why not - it exists and it's a part of banana history.

TommyMacLuckie

Interesting article. For some reason I did not realise the French named it or brought it to the Caribbean! At least, according to this article from 1990:

Battling for Bananas, Alaska Science Forum

Has there ever been any sort of figuring out with what the purpose of Black Sigatoka and Panama disease is for? Meaning, if it weren't for bananas, what else did or does it attack/kill/do?

Hope that makes sense.

Nicolas Naranja

From what I understand sigatoka came from the sigatoka valley in southeast asia near where bananas originated and likely co-evolved. The former extension agent in Palm Beach County has a pretty large banana collection and he has some Gros Michel in his collection although I don't know how hard it would be to get a sucker from him.

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Ohio'sBest

What are the chances of ordering/purchasing a couple hundred of these?

ron_mcb

if you ask people from the Philippines and a lot of other countries that grow and export Cavendish bananas to countries like u.s.a. most people will tell you that cavendish are bland.commercial companies export and grow Cavendish type bananas because its disease resistant and they have a good yeild, greater shelf life and they ship well..they werent really looking for a banana with a similar taste to gros Micheal. ..its mostly about profit and bottom line.

as for the taste of gros Micheal v/s cavendish.. i would like to compare for myself.

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Abnshrek

Hell I want one too :^)

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lorax

As one who has had the opportunity to compare, and who will never grow another Cavendish in her lifetime if it is at all avoidable, GM comes in as the hands-down winner in any taste test. The flavour of a GM banana is more complex, the texture crisper, and there's no mealiness or insipid aftertaste with them, as there are with Cavendish-type cultivars.

Ohio'sBest

I second that. Just tell me how many of the large ones I can have, and where do I send the money order...............

Gabe15

Black Sigatoka is the leaf fungus Mycosphaerella fijiensis, however there are many thousands of plant pathogenic Mycosphaerella, it is one of the largest groups of plant pathogens. Many many other plants are susceptible to some form of Mycosphaerella.

Panama Disease is the soil fungus Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense. The f.sp. (forma speciales=special form) cubense infects banana and heliconia. However, there are many other Fusarium oxysporum forms which infect other plants.

The basic forms of both of these pathogens are not unique to bananas. Their purpose is just to live and reproduce, and depending on the form they use specific types of plants to help them do that.

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Growing bananas in Colorado, Washington, Hawaii since 2004. Commercial banana farmer, 200+ varieties.

Abnshrek

So how does the FHIA23 stand up to GM accolades? I know some places rubber stamp it as such..

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TommyMacLuckie

Possibilities of any of us ever getting our own Gros Michel before we die?

It just has to be possible. I, too, want to be able to grow my own Gros Michels. If they are that much better than any Cav then...why not start growing them again?!?!!???????!!!!!

I have plenty of places in SE Louisiana they can grow, north and south of the lake.

Abnshrek

I can see it as a leaf of the past I haven't eaten (but sure I'd like too :^).. but does the GM compare to an Ice Cream or other favorites of the folks on here growing banana's? I've read many entries where folks think cavendishes stink compared to the several varieties..

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Bananaman88

Gabe,

Any update on this?

Shepherd54321

Any feedback on the restrictions for exporting tissue cultures from foreign countries would be greatly appreciated. I found this article in promusa....

'Once the mainstay of the export trade until Fusarium wilt made its cultivation in large-scale plantations impossible, Gros Michel has found a niche in Congolese man-made forests near the border with Angola.'

A Gros Michel success story

We would like to find a current location growing a 'true' Gros Michel for tissue cultures.

Thanks....S

Bananaman88

Good luck with this, Stehpen! Let's hope it pans out.

Bob

ok here's an update... after commiting my entire spare time gardening life to it the past year I did get 4 plants that supposedly were tissue culture Gros Michels from a member here last year. I will shortly be sending 2 of them to members in California who I believe will have the best chance of propagating them for the good of all here. Now that its warm enough in New Jersey I'm comfortable to try sending them. Some of you may remember the (heck) I went through to get a few variety"Bluefields" from Hawaii... of the 3 I was able to get ...one died ... one is in limbo but not doing well and one is doing fairly well but not actively growing in my front porch. I will try to document its progress this year... If it does ok I will send the pups next year wherever I think they'll do best..... New Jersey probably isn't the banana capitol but ... we have none of the diseases and.... I can keep them alive and healthy for the most part. I'd love to see a revival of this variety I barely remember from childhood...

and get my hands on one of the dwarf cultivars that are out there but impossible to acquire!!!( big hint you know who!)

more to follow....

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Abnshrek

Well good luck with that bob!!! I know I have them coming out of the ground already here. Its not a gros Michel but an Ice Cream, Gran nain, and orinoco so far :^)

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TommyMacLuckie

Well obviously someone somehow has to get to the Luki Biosphere Reserve in south-west Democratic Republic of Congo to get a Gros Michel. Especially if they're just gonna kill the bananas off.

If they haven't already.

Gabe15

There are lots of 'Gros Michel' around, not just in Africa. There are tons in Hawaii too. I am working on getting some propagated and distributed, but it is a slow process.

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Growing bananas in Colorado, Washington, Hawaii since 2004. Commercial banana farmer, 200+ varieties.

Jeff

We have them in Costa Rica too. A friend of mine has a field of them planted for his personal consumption.
He gave me a few pups last Fall - I can't wait for them to fruit this year!

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Jeff in Costa Rica