jcbrownacu

I need help. I've been reading through these forums so much, but I'm even more confused. I have a courtyard that will be made into a greenhouse each winter so temp should never get below freezing (hoping for more like 50, but time will tell). I have about 8-9' to the roof so that will be my height requirement, but I really want something that tastes absolutely delicious. Im in Dallas so it has to take some 105 days during the summer. Wind will be low.

So to summarize:
Max 9'
Temp not below freezing
Low wind
Amazing flavor

Thanks so much and happy nanners!
Josh

venturabananas

The number of varieties that will top out at 9' or less to the top of the leaves is very small. Most are dwarfed varieties of Cavendish, so will taste like the bananas in the supermarket. Rajapuri might stay below 9' to the top of the leaves depending on conditions and has a different, quite tasty flavor (to me at least).

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sunfish

I would also like to know of a delicious variety .

bananimal

If you could build one end of the greenhouse taller that would work. Still restricted to Dwarf Namwah, Raja Puri. I have a thing called Datil la Lima. It fruits at 6 ft and has very good fruit. Started 2 mats of Viente Cohol this year that fruits at 5 ft. It's also very short cycle which would get you fruit a lot quicker. Have not tasted the fruit yet. Most of the best tasting fruit are from taller plants.

G.W.

What bananimal said.

My vote for d namwah.
Second vote mahoi.

Has anyones VC lived up to the hype?

Dan Im on the way to your house right now for the datil tastin.

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winter winners, jackfruit, carambola, hua moa, d namwah, hak ip lychee with pink leaves 2 days before a cold snap eeeek!

Winter losers, kohala longan, misi luki, 80% jackfruit seedling loss

first bloomers, HUA MOA, DC, D NAMWAH, FHIA 17, KANADARIAN, RAJA PURI, M D NAMWAH

best bunch FHIA 17 , undisclosed

WORST BUNCH hua moa, 2 fingers

jcbrownacu

the problem is that the roof awning hangs out a couple feet so that would restrict the growth. let me see if i can attach a picture. is it possible to get the main trunk to curve a bit? if so the sky is the limit...

venturabananas

I don't know how you keep your Dwarf Namwah shorter than 8-9' to the top of the leaves. After my plants flowered for the first time, at 6-6.5' of p-stem, all the followers have flowered at 7.5-9' of p-stem, or about 12-14' to the tops of the leaves.

FYI, Dan's Datil la Lima is almost certainly Rajapuri. My currently 5-6' tall (p-stem height) Rajapuri has leaves that extend to 10' high.

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Abnshrek

I don't know about that.. Raja Puri is all green and I swore I saw some Red on the Datil..

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I'm a Nannerhead :^)

jcbrownacu

ive been trying to figure out this whole time how to add a picture...lol!

PR-Giants

That's great to know, I wanted another ABB.

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15,000+ Varieties

bananimal

Too early. A bunch will be ready in about 4 months.

shannondicorse

jcbrownacu,

If you want taste; you may wish to experiment with the shorter varieties of the large "Silk" group of AABs (..also termed "Manzano", "Rastali", "Apple" etc);or the much less varied "Sucrier" or "Pisang Mas" group.

Under hard cover in the tropics you can get flowering at way under 9ft of pseudostem... it's okay if the leaves are bent by the cover as they inevitably will be - not the pseudostem though - that's asking for trouble!

I don't know what's available in your area but these could work. Pisang Mas is an early bearer.


Hope this helps!

shannon

shannon.di.corse@gmail.com

PR-Giants

This is the second time today I've heard of these Mini-Manzanos.

Puerto Rico is littered with feral manzanos, most though are in the 12' - 15' range.

Are these Minis some type of sport?

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15,000+ Varieties

shannondicorse

PR-Giants,

Yes... the Silk/Manzano/Rastali/ Apple group of AABs is likely to be derived from one fertilisation event; with subsequent farmer selection of favoured somaclonal variants over time. This is what seems to be going on with bananas.

Even very recent 'new' bananas - e.g. FHIA bananas - are showing this. In this case even active means of promoting variation, e.g., tissue culture, are employed. In general, it stands to reason that the longer a lineage is in cultivation, and the wider it is spread; the more variants will exist in cultivation.

This farmer-based selection, BTW, is natural for other clonal crops like Sugar Cane & Cassava (Yuca, Manioc).

In bananas, short stature is often pounced upon by horticulturalists; as it is very desirable in monoclonal cropping... though possibly less so in polyclonal/polyspecies gardens.

So, yes, there are many 'Manzano' variants over the world; and some are evolving as we speak.


shannon

shannon.di.corse@gmail.com

Lemmysports

Do dwarf reds have tasty fruit? I've yet to try them.

bananimal

I just started growing Keiths Manzano and still have Nanamans Manz potted which had fruited before in the ground. Fruit was very good, unique.

PR-Giants

Is that your first feral banana?

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15,000+ Varieties

PR-Giants

Thanks Shannon, that was very interesting, especially the part about pouncing horticulturalists.

All of the Manzano/Rastali/Apple that I've seen have been the tall variants, but I would be interested

in getting a Mini/Midget-Manzano. Not too sure what's the proper name for a vertically challenged Manzano.

Do you have a photo of one in your Gallery?

This is a photo of a Rastali

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Nicolas Naranja

Dwarf Namwah is a tough dwarf variety.

I've never been a big fan of Raja Puri, but some people are, and it's definitely small and hardy.

Of the Cavendish varieties, I would choose Gran Nain over Dwarf Cavendish. A homegrown cavendish taste way better than anything at your grocery store.

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Some people go bananas, I went plantains.

G.W.

I only picked d namwah because its so available and that should make it cheap and easy to replace ; )
Kinda like a teenager's first car, only namwah aren't junky.

Kieth our local feral manzano are 10 ft p.stems and all this talk of minizano has me wondering the same as you.
Where can we get this marvelous midgetzano ?

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winter winners, jackfruit, carambola, hua moa, d namwah, hak ip lychee with pink leaves 2 days before a cold snap eeeek!

Winter losers, kohala longan, misi luki, 80% jackfruit seedling loss

first bloomers, HUA MOA, DC, D NAMWAH, FHIA 17, KANADARIAN, RAJA PURI, M D NAMWAH

best bunch FHIA 17 , undisclosed

WORST BUNCH hua moa, 2 fingers