Akula

Update!

HUGE flower has emerged and beginning to angle down. This plant just shouts out "Feed me Maurice!". Haha.

Give me your best guess on how many hands of fruit this bad boy will reveal!

all43

Wow that is a good size flower,very happy and loved plant indeed!

Backyard Banana Joe

73

Valor_X

wow congrats!

Can't wait for mine to flower one day!

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Varieties I'm Growing

From Corm/Pup
Dwarf Cavendish ○ Super Dwarf Cavendish ○ Grand Nain ○ Niño ○ Manzano ○ Raja Puri ○ Tall Namwah ○ Blue Java ○ 1000 Fingers ○ Praying Hands ○ Orinoco ○ Variegated Florida ○ PR Red ○ California Gold ○ FHIA-03 Sweetheart

Plantains
Puerto Rican Dwarf Plantain ○ African Rhino Horn

From TC
Truly Tiny ○ Manzano ○ "Blue Java" ○ Dwarf Namwah ○ Thai Black ○ Veinte Cohol

Sundra

Congrats!

Is that a "Little Shop of Horrors" reference I see?

Akula

Update: Seven hands so far. The second hand was exceptional with 22 fingers with subsequent hands having about 16 fingers.







Thanks for looking!

luisport

WOW! Really impressive, congratulations!

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Musa Rajapuri, D. Brazilian, D. Orinoco, Pisang Ceylon, Da Jiao (Himalayan Fruit), x Fruit, Himalayan Mountain, Helen's Hybrid, Patupi, Lacatan, Hajaray

Paw Paw Sunflower, Prima 1216, Potomac, KSU Atwood, Jerry's Big Girl, Al Horns, KSU Chapell

https://growingfruit.org/t/my-small-...-orchard/19936

https://growingfruit.org/t/my-pear-collection/55683

https://growingfruit.org/t/my-apple-collection/53104

Dalmatiansoap

Beautiful plant!

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https://abnb.me/AXJty518xib

smeash

Hell yea! What a massive flower on that thing!!

Akula

This was one tough banana plant that made it through Hurricane Sally on September 16 and delivered a pretty tasty, good size bunch! The bananas were much larger and substantial than I expected. Taste Great! More Filling!

RP Bunch in laundry room


First Hand!


RP Finger vs. Medium Size Chiquita from Publix


RP on the Left , Chiquita on the Right


I'm very happy with this plant's performance!

Sundra

Thanks for the detailed update and pics, especially of the bananas

How would you describe the taste in comparison to store bought bananas?

smeash

Fantastic Donald! Appreciate the detailed pics.. looks like that will hold you on bananas for a while! What height do you estimate the plant was when it flowered?

twotallgirls

Looks like you beat the frost! They really are my go to bananas! Fruit is sweet and have a tang to them; can't come close to store bought. They seem to get consumed by family twice as fast as they are so easy to peel and eat.

My twin Raja Puri's flowered 2 days apart so I'm running an experiment on them... cut the bloom off one, leaving it on the other. Applied foliar spray on one and not the other. They are on same mat so wondering if taste/size/maturation are affected. Hoping to harvest New Years Day!

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Blue Java, Raja Puri, Goldfinger FHIA-01, Mona Lisa FHIA-02, Sweetheart FHIA-03, Pitogo, Saba, Dwarf Cavendish, Super Dwarf Cav., Namwa, Brazilian, Mysore, Dwarf Red, and a mystery or two

Akula

My taste report is based on a full yellow finger with no spots or browning and a greenish stem connecting to the pad.

The RP banana has a similar consistency and mouthfeel and peels cleanly like store bought. Slightly more acidic. It also has a bit of green apple taste to it but not super strong or overpowering. It has more flavor than a store bought banana. Not as sweet as a namwa. Maybe half as sweet.

Conclusion: Better than store bought if you like a more green apple flavor/acidity.

I recommend people in my zone to grow it starting with an August peeper with expectation of harvesting in November of the following year if you can get it successfully through the winter. Short so easy to winterize with frost cloth and CAT 3 hurricane proof.

Akula

Thanks Seth!

I cut it down after harvesting so cannot get a final measurement but I think it was about 8' of pstem with a very stout base when it flowered. Very fast growing plant in my yard in a very sunny spot.

Akula

Yeah, they have a bit of "tang" to them. Completely agree. Keep us informed of your experiment. No teasing without closure! Haha.

Sundra

I usually eat the store bought when they've still got some green on them, so seems I would enjoy Raja Puri. Sounds like they're hardy too. More and more I'm thinking I really should have added this one to my collection. Maybe this spring , space willing

Chuck Urso

I do like RP but when comparing to my Dwarf Nam Wah, it falls way short in both yield and flavor.

twotallgirls

Well my two RP bunches I noted earlier matured at the same time and on the very same day (today) after flowering 2 days apart. And much, much later than I expected. I was so sure I'd have some by New Years but they had a mind of their own. A cooler winter than normal and less rain maybe slowed them down. My experiment of cutting off bloom and foliar spray made no difference. Going to ratchet up the fertilizer early this year as the bunches were smaller than earlier ones.. maybe I'll get more RP by New Years!!

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Blue Java, Raja Puri, Goldfinger FHIA-01, Mona Lisa FHIA-02, Sweetheart FHIA-03, Pitogo, Saba, Dwarf Cavendish, Super Dwarf Cav., Namwa, Brazilian, Mysore, Dwarf Red, and a mystery or two

Backyard Banana Joe

I have been leaving on all the flowers on my bunches and have found that the male flowers make a delicious honey flavored sap or liquid. I thought only the female flowers did this.