heavenlybananas

Hello out there in banana land. I am completely new to posting and chatting and this end of technology, so please forgive me if I goof. I am also fairly new to growing bananas. I live in N.W. Arkansas and have a small hoop house for a greenhouse that is heated by a wood stove. I have about 20 banana plants (mostly pups) and am totally addicted to them. My ?'s are: has anyone gotten edible fruit from a plant in a container? and #2: do the banana plants need to be pollinated or have a pollinator? I am thankful for finding this site and have read many threads(?). I am interested in learning all I can and I definately want to expand. But I also want fruit. I have several double mahoi and dwarf cavendish and several plants that I have no idea what they are. I bought them from the local hardware store and they do not resemble the picture on the tag at all. I was told they are ornimentals. As soon as I can figure out how to post pics of the plants, maybe someone out there can help me identify them. Any help is greatly appreciated! Glad to meet y'all!!

bdollarbill

Welcome!! You will find a wealth of knowledge here at Bananas.org. As far as identifying plants they need to get out of the pup stage to get 100% id, sometimes they have to flower to get confirmation. Yes they will flower in a container but depending on species may take a while to get it to that point. I am not an expert on flowering plants as I am just on my first one now but I do know some take 4-5 month's to get ripe after blooming, my growing season is just way to short here in NC to get the lant to that point.

Bill

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harveyc

Welcome!

1. Yes, some people grow their bananas in 15-30 gallon pots and they manage to do okay and fruit. Your bunches are likely to be smaller than a comparable plant in the ground which would have a much larger root system.

2. Unless you are growing a seeded variety, you don't need to worry about pollination. Even seeded varieties have both male and female flowers. On the edible bananas the tiny male flowers will show up after the female flowers which become fruits.

There are many sources for buying banana plants. Unfortunately, many of them mislabel their plants or don't know what they have. You might want to order from Catalog of banana plants offered at Going Bananas, ENCANTO FARMS NURSERY, and/or Northern Tropics: Home as they are reliable sources and all are members here. I suggest you considered adding Dwarf Brazilian and Dwarf Namwah to your collection. How tall is your hoophouse?

Good luck!

Harvey

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heavenlybananas

Hello Harvey, thanks for the quick response. My hoophouse is about 9.5 ft. tall and I am looking to expand it to maybe 10 ft. (I am also expanding the width to 20 ft.). I had a namwah pearl that I bought from ebay, but it wasn't in too good of shape when I got it. I babied it for about 6 mos. then had a fire on New Years eve and didn't realize it until it was too late. All banana plants survived except the namwah. The outside temp was 14* when I got out there. A miracle that any survived. Thanks for the info about containers and pollinating. I see pics of other plants that have just huge pseudostems! Mine are still little, but growing quickly. Also thank you for the links, I will check them out. Shawntel

harveyc

Hi Shawntel,

Don't feel bad about your Namwah Pearl. I believe several dozen members have tried growing it and only Sandy (of the Northern Tropics link I sent earlier) has kept hers alive. It is a very weak plant.

Do you plan on removing your plants from the hoophouse in the summer? 10 feet is probably a little too short for most plants, even dwarfs, when in pots, though you could sink them into the ground.

There are some varieties like Viente Cohol (get on the Going Bananas waiting list) that fruit very fast and could probably be maintained in the winter in the hoophouse and then planted out in the spring with chances for a crop by fall.

What USDA hardiness zone are you in? You can add that to your profile and it can help get better advice from others.

Harvey

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heavenlybananas

Harvey, I have taken the plants out of the hoophouse during this summer, but have been made aware through this site that they will go dormant at 55*. As cool as this summer has been, we are approaching nitetime temps of 55* now. I live in zone 6. I have been thinking about putting them in the ground next spring, but I don't think we have a long enough growing season for them to finish fruiting. Am now contemplating burying them in the ground and heating that. Seems like a lot of work and don't know if it is even feasible. My hoophouse was very inexpensive to build, but heating it can be a challenge as I live in town. I will check out the going bananas site and look at that variety. How long does it take for double mahois to produce fruit? Where can I find my profile? Maybe on members list. Thanks, Shawntel

heavenlybananas

Hello Bill! Thank you for the information. How long is the pup stage or at what height are they considered pups or not. I bet your flower is beautiful-I can't wait till mine start flowering? What zone are you in? Is yours in a container? Thank you for writing, I look forward to hearing more. Shawntel

harveyc

Shawntel,

Double Mahoi has not been a very fast grower for me so I would expect it might take a couple of seasons to get it to bloom. My first one died so I am starting over. Also, I've read that the fruit quality is not great. Dwarf Brazilian is another that you should consider trying. The taller version of this variety is sold as the apple banana in Hawaii and mine bloomed a couple of months ago at about 6' high (pseudostem height, leaves are a 3-4 higher). Looks like you figured out your profile though it says you're in zone 7 while your message said you are in zone 6. You've got your work cut out for you to keep things warm!

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heavenlybananas

Harvey, thanks! I went to going bananas and will get on that list. I was shocked to see me listed as zone 7 on my profile. According to all other hardiness zone maps I am in 6 or 6B. On the mahois, seasons meaning ground growing or container or does it matter? Mine are putting on a new leaf per week, slowing a little because of cooler temps. Do you need a mahoi pup? I would be willing to trade for another edible variety.

harveyc

I meant growing in the ground here in zone 9 where we usually get down into the upper 20s. Last winter was less harsh than typical but January 2007 was colder than normal, getting down to 20.4F for me.

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mskitty38583

hello and and welcome to the nana org!

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Chironex

Welcome! I just got 2 Nam Wa Pearls - one is already dead from shipping and the other is not real healthy, but trying to recover. Good luck with banana growing!

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Scot