venturabananas

I have a Goldfinger banana purchased from Home Depot a couple of years ago. I think they got it from La Verne Nursery, but I'm not positive about that. It's been a fast grower and was my first banana to flower, about a year ago. Over that period it has produced 4 blooms, all the same -- mutant with no female flowers to make fruit. With the first bloom, I thought that perhaps some of the nutritional issues I was having were keeping the plant from making proper flowers and fruit. Since then, several other bananas have flowered in my yard and all have been normal. Also, I've had plant tissue analysis done and this plant is fine in terms of nutrients and hasn't shown evidence of nutritional deficiencies for a long time.

I have to conclude that the plant is just lame, i.e., some somatic mutant that doesn't make fruit. Richard gave me the first hint that I wasn't alone with this problem in Goldfinger. He mentioned that he knew folks growing Goldfinger in San Diego who had this same problem, and it was why he didn't sell this variety. My best guess is that these plants are "off types" (mutants) that sometimes occur during tissue culturing. My plant is also a leaner -- normal Goldfinger plants are robust plants that don't need propping. Just another bit of evidence that suggests there is something fundamentally wrong with this plant.

I've removed most of the mat and will take out the rest soon. Kind of a bummer to invest 2 years into a plant that just isn't right!

Goldfinger is a great plant with tasty fruit -- at least from what I've seen and tasted in other folks' yards. My suggestion if you want one is to get a pup from someone with a good, sturdy, productive plant, rather than buying one from an unproven source.


Bunch with no proper female flowers to make fruit:
[IMG][/IMG]

10' tall, weak, leaning plant:
[IMG][/IMG]

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blownz281

VB- Are you throwing the mat away?

Aloha tropics has tons of plants to buy! I have never seen alot of the ornamental ones available.

robguz24

I have. It's only been in the ground 8 months in a less than ideal spot. So who knows if it is even really Goldfinger. Can't really tell from photo comparisons.

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My micro-farm

Stay on my Big Island banana farm cottage

brothertom2020

Yo Mark: Bummer Man! Stay Safe, Tom

Abnshrek

I hope this Lame Goldfinger thing is isolated, and hopefully not something agristarts is producing.

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I'm a Nannerhead :^)

Nicolas Naranja

I think you just got unlucky and got a very rare sport.

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Some people go bananas, I went plantains.

BobbyC

Ventura- Im in the same boat man. I bought a GF and a mislabeled Mysore (what i believe to be a DC) from HD in San Diego. Called them and La verne is there supplier as well. Im debating now if i should just dig them up and pot them, to see if they do produce next year and then grab some proven pups from a local nursery. A year to two years is just alot of time and work to only find out it was a lame plant. What do you think??? Also im dying to figure out what the mystery banana is bc if it is a DC then im not interested, Ive been eating thone bananas all my life and if I want more of those i will hit the grocery store, ya know what im saying? Anyways what do yall think?

Julian

Is it thriving at all?

brothertom2020

Yo BobbyC: Agent Orange (Home Depot) has a 1 year guarantee, on their nursery stuff, call the store ask the garden manager about their mislabeling of plants and ask for a store credit, to get the one you want next year. Within 30 days, and with you having the receipt, they will give your $$$back. Without a receipt, a store credit card for the amount of the purchase price you paid.
Hope that helps, Tom

venturabananas

Why not hedge your bets and get a pup from Jon or Tony, which you know is a good Goldfinger, and plant it next to the one from HD? If the HD one is good, you'll just have a bigger mat of Goldfinger. If it is lame, then you've already got a good one in the ground to replace it.

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venturabananas

Maybe so, but the fact that Richard had mentioned others having this same problem with the same variety makes me wonder if it isn't more widespread.

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robguz24

Don't want to sideline Mark's thread, but yeah, it's doing fine. Lot of issues specific to where I live, including the drought which is making everything pretty sad lately, and catchment which limits my watering when it is needed most. PM me anytime!

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My micro-farm

Stay on my Big Island banana farm cottage

Julian

Mahalo Rob. We're not hijacking, just trying to see if it's the same lame Goldfinger. Hopefully not. Right on Hawaiian.