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Main Banana Discussion This is where we discuss our banana collections; tips on growing bananas, tips on harvesting bananas, sharing our banana photos and stories.


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Old 03-08-2008, 03:07 PM   #1 (permalink)
 
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Default Newbie Question

Hi All-
I've lurked for a few days, but decided to jump right in, so to speak, and ask what is probably a basic question of all you experts.

We have a banana tree in our back yard that is about seven or eight years old. It was given to us as a little sprout by our neighbor, who said the parent tree kind of bloomed, but never produced any real fruit or a real blossom. Our tree, which is taller than our one story house with leaves roughly 10 feet long, has the start of a bloom. I'd LOVE to get some fruit, and wonder if there's any chance we will. So...here are my very newbie questions:

1) Do banana trees need to pollinate with other banana trees to bear fruit?
2) Should I cover any fruit that starts with a plastic bag (my great grandmother used to do this with banana trees in her back yard in Los Angeles--my mom thinks this was to keep tarantulas out, but I'm wondering if it was for warmth).
3) Should we be feeding the tree at this point?
4) I know the tree will die after the bloom (which me makes in incredibly sad--I love this tree), what are the chances it will reproduce asexually and we'll find sprouts in the yard?

Thanks in advance for your answers and help!

(My avatar is the blossom as of last weekend).

ETA: We live in a temperate coastal climate and the parent tree came from a banana farm that used to be along the coast just south of Santa Barbara--I doubt we'll have any more frost this winter, but we don't get very warm here either.
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Old 03-08-2008, 03:50 PM   #2 (permalink)
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Default Re: Newbie Question

Hi and Welcome!
Here are the short answers...

1.No
2.No
3.Yes
4.Most likely, yes!

From the looks of the Avitar, your plant is doing well!
Bananas are always hungry!
Most will have "pups", new sprouts/plants.
Altho I don't know why they cover the fruits, it isn't necessary for home grown plants!

Read, read, read on this site and all the questions about Bananas will be answered!

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Old 03-08-2008, 04:12 PM   #3 (permalink)
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Default Re: Newbie Question

Quote:
Originally Posted by Blossom View Post
Hi All-
I've lurked for a few days, but decided to jump right in ...
Blossom,
Don't forget to introduce yourself with a "New Thread" here: Member Introductions, Social Announcements & Good Wishes - Bananas.org

Also, add some information about your location to your profile!
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Old 03-08-2008, 05:01 PM   #4 (permalink)
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Default Re: Newbie Question

OK, I'm confused.

First, is there more than one trunk?

I don't see how you could have a single banana plant (one trunk) that is still living after 7 years even if it was verrrrry small when planted unless you live in a climate where it dies back each winter then tries again. If so, that is ONE hardy plant. HA But even so, in 7 years it should have flowered by now (or tried to) and that trunk would have died but then there should be more pups coming up around the base.

Also, I have never seen a green banana flower. I have around 20 different varieties (all edible except for a Zebrina) and they are all red. I'm NOT real familiar with non-edible bananas so maybe some of them have green blooms.

Can you take a pic of the whole plant and an updated one of the flower?

I'm sure some of the Gurus on here can figure out what you have.
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Old 03-08-2008, 05:48 PM   #5 (permalink)
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Yeah I remember that banana farm from when I was a kid. We drove by it every time we visited a friend of my dads on the hill/cliff behind it.
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Old 03-08-2008, 05:51 PM   #6 (permalink)
 
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Default Re: Newbie Question

There's only one trunk, and the parent tree took about eight years to bloom. The bloom itself has not yet flowered, it's just that start of a bud in my avatar. While the plant has taken a beating in a couple of cold snaps, it has never died back (just lost a few outside leaves when we'd get an occasional frost).

I think that if it does bear fruit, they will be edible as the farm that the parent came from was all edible fruit banana trees.

Still no pups around the base (our neighbor said he didn't get any pups until his tree died back).
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Old 03-08-2008, 05:53 PM   #7 (permalink)
 
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Default Re: Newbie Question

I'm thinking an Ensete...
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Old 03-08-2008, 05:54 PM   #8 (permalink)
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Default Re: Newbie Question

It's not an ensete if it is from the same banana farm I'm thinking of.
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Old 03-08-2008, 05:56 PM   #9 (permalink)
 
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Default Re: Newbie Question

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tropicallvr View Post
It's not an ensete if it is from the same banana farm I'm thinking of.
From La Conchita...I think they only carried one type of banana there. I've got to figure out how to upload some of the photos!
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Old 03-08-2008, 06:07 PM   #10 (permalink)
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Default Re: Newbie Question

I think it's the same place with the tunnel that goes under the freeway to the beach. Those were some nice nanners, but maybe someone who knows the back ground on the type of banana that was grown there will chime in. It was pretty well known. For some reason I'm thinking apple(monzano) banana.
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Old 03-08-2008, 06:22 PM   #11 (permalink)
 
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OK, I put some photos in the gallery--but now I've got to figure out how to put a link in my profile. Thanks for your patience--each new message board is a "treat" to learn!
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Old 03-08-2008, 06:44 PM   #12 (permalink)
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Default Re: Newbie Question

Yep, Taylors right Ensete ventricosum. No edible bananas, but you'll get seeds to resprout!
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Old 03-08-2008, 07:26 PM   #13 (permalink)
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Default Re: Newbie Question

Most wild-type bananas DO require pollination from another flower in a later stage of bloom to form fruit, but as luck would have it, the kind you have has hermaphroditic flowers and will form fruit on its own. As Kyle said though, they are anything but edible, LOL! If you allow the bananas to ripen on the plant, you can then harvest the seeds and start over. The kind you have will not form any pups as a general rule. It will take several months for the fruits to ripen, and in the meantime the plant will start to decline and look pretty rough. For this reason, most homeowners cut them down at that point. That is an amazing corm on that plant! Thanks for the pics, and welcome to the board.
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Old 03-08-2008, 07:56 PM   #14 (permalink)
 
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Default Re: Newbie Question

Thank you all so much for your information! What a great group of people so willing to share their knowledge.

I have to say though, I am pretty sad about no edible fruit. When I was living in the southwest Pacific and traveling around Bali I became a "banana snob". You know people who will only eat home-grown tomatoes? Well, I'm that way now (as I imagine many of you are as well). I got so spoiled on lovely Pacific bananas--only yummy fresh picked! Banana pancakes, banana bread, bananas cooked with fish, bananas grilled with brown sugar.....OK, now I'm craving bananas and not the kind Dole sells at my local market.

So, on to my next question....any advice as to where I can find a banana tree that will bear fruit in our zone? I'm happy to order online!

The whole process is pretty exciting though, and it's been fun to share the day-by-day process with all the kids we know. Again, thank you so much for your help and knowledge. I'll keep posting pictures.
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Old 03-08-2008, 09:45 PM   #15 (permalink)
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Default Re: Newbie Question

There are quite a few that would work for you. Musa Dwarf Orinoco, Musa 'Belle', and a few others should work for you. If you're in the Nor Cal fog belt that limits you a bit on varities, since some of the more hardy types like/need heat. I think people are still figuring out what are the best types for cooler areas on the coast, but Musa 'Belle', and Musa Dwarf Orinoco, did pretty well for me when I lived in a serious fog belt in Eureka, CA.
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Old 03-08-2008, 09:56 PM   #16 (permalink)
 
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Default Re: Newbie Question

Hey welcome to the forum, as far as online ordering of banana plants, there are several good places, but check out the Classified section of this forum, located in the tool bar at the top of this page, many people here sell, trade plants of all sorts, and more than happy to answer any questions you may have about what they are offering, or offer really good advice on where to search,Best wishes and again Welcome!!!!!
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Old 03-08-2008, 11:10 PM   #17 (permalink)
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Found this on La Conchita, I don't think your banana plant was from there, but it's cool that these people were some of the pioneers in Musa cultivation in California.

1985- La Conchita banana plantation started

From it’s opening until its forced closure in 1996, the Seaside Banana Gardens operated by Doug Richardson and his partner Paul Turner, became the most famous attraction in La Conchita. The Gardens were featured in both national and international publications and made La Conchita a landmark along Highway 101. Although horticultural authorities maintained that bananas could not be commercially grown in California, Richardson and Turner proved them wrong by cultivating over 50 exotic varieties. The unique microclimate of the community’s location was ideal for this purpose. Many subsequent generations of bananas continue to grow and thrive throughout the home gardens of La Conchita today.

On another site, it said they grew M. cavendish, M.manzano, M.mysore, M.ae ae, M.blue java, and M.brazilian was his favorite.
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Old 03-08-2008, 11:15 PM   #18 (permalink)
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Hello and congrats Blossom.
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Old 03-09-2008, 12:20 AM   #19 (permalink)
 
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Default Re: Newbie Question

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tropicallvr View Post
Found this on La Conchita, I don't think your banana plant was from there, but it's cool that these people were some of the pioneers in Musa cultivation in California.

1985- La Conchita banana plantation started

From it’s opening until its forced closure in 1996, the Seaside Banana Gardens operated by Doug Richardson and his partner Paul Turner, became the most famous attraction in La Conchita. The Gardens were featured in both national and international publications and made La Conchita a landmark along Highway 101. Although horticultural authorities maintained that bananas could not be commercially grown in California, Richardson and Turner proved them wrong by cultivating over 50 exotic varieties. The unique microclimate of the community’s location was ideal for this purpose. Many subsequent generations of bananas continue to grow and thrive throughout the home gardens of La Conchita today.

On another site, it said they grew M. cavendish, M.manzano, M.mysore, M.ae ae, M.blue java, and M.brazilian was his favorite.
The really sad part is that the place closed down because of a disagreement with the land owner (at least that was the local gossip around Ventura when I used to surf there on weekend trips). The two guys who ran the place were supposedly easy going, nice guys and everyone in the area loved them! There's a nursery nearby called Rincon Gardens and they have plants now. I think my tree's parent plant came from La Conchita but was obviously not what they harvested. They had a small section of varietals, from what I understand.
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Old 03-09-2008, 01:09 AM   #20 (permalink)
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Default Re: Newbie Question

If we got enough rain here in Southern California, we could easily commercially grow bananas here. Just does not rain enough.
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