Vette-kid

I'm considering a banana plant to replace some hedges ( because my kids like to go after the toxic berries!). I'd like something fairly short that will provide a bit of privacy screen of sorts. Obviously it won't be as private as a hedge row,that's ok. Just something to close it off a little. So I'm thinking a max of around 7 ft. Needs to be somewhat cold hardy for 8b-9a. I can add a little protection in winter if needed. I would prefer fruiting plants, but not essential I guess. Any recommendations?

edwmax

Orinaco or dwarf orinaco will do what you want. It will furnish plenty of pups to keep the mat thriving.

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Vette-kid

Hmm..I have one dwarf Orinoco around back. Locally I have seen dwarf Cavendish, but I think they had the exact same plant labeled as double mahoi a few months back, so who knows what it really is. I'd have to order another ornico or wait for a pup (how long until that happens? Mine is about 2ft right now)

edwmax

If you are building a hedge, then you need several. Look around for neighbors with bananas, they may give you some pups. Orinoco was & is a very popular banana (eating) plant in our area years ago.

I planted 4 orinoco (3 & 4 ft) pups last October, these have produced 12 new pups now. Orinoce bananas are sweet when allowed to ripen and they can be fried if green. Some have a slight apple-ish flavor. ... The mature plant will do will in your winters without protection. Just leave the stalk tall for a quick restart in the spring.

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cincinnana

Yes.... blackberries, briars, cactus, razorwireplant, ..keeps the heathens in.
Home depot sells a hedge banana called dwarf namwha @ 14.oo each.... NW Florida.
Where in the Florida panhandle do you grow your plants?
Walmart even less expensive plants.
Here is a photo to help your decision.

Destin Lowes...

Plants for sale at Lowes by
Hostafarian,
on Flickr

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Vette-kid

I'm actually in niceville, across the bay from destin. So I can check that lowes. I'm usually closer to the ft Walton beach lowes, no nana's there for some reason. Walmart has them but only the d cav right now.

alemily

Orinoco will be your best bet for a hedge.

Here's a street view of a house in Pensacola that has a mat of Orinocos as a barrier between the house and US 98.

https://www.google.com/maps/@30.4024...tcCryPZrhw!2e0

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Fruting: Pisang Awak, Rajapuri, Dwarf Brazilian, Gros Michel, Dwarf Red, FHIA-1 'Goldfinger', Veinte Cohol, FHIA-3 'Sweetheart'
Ornamental/Species: M. bauensis, M. velutina, M. "Milky Way", M. "African Red"

alemily

Those are likely dwarf Cavs, not Namwah. Namwah doesn't have the blood spots on juvenile leaves. I've never seen Namwah for sale at any of the big box stores. Seen double Mahoi though from looking at the little plastic tags wrapped around each psudeostem.

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Fruting: Pisang Awak, Rajapuri, Dwarf Brazilian, Gros Michel, Dwarf Red, FHIA-1 'Goldfinger', Veinte Cohol, FHIA-3 'Sweetheart'
Ornamental/Species: M. bauensis, M. velutina, M. "Milky Way", M. "African Red"

Vette-kid

I bought one just like this from Walmart that was supposedly double mahoi. And way to tell if it's mahoi or dd. cav ?

cincinnana

Thanks for the correction...I had posted the wrong pic.... with the wrong caption.

Here are some more DC at the big box

Jensen Beach Lowes.

Dwarf Cavendish and Zebrina on sale at Lowes.
by
Hostafarian,
on Flickr

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alemily

Wait until it goes through at least two bloom cycles. Double Mahoi usually doesn't produce double bunches until the mat is mature. Cavendish subgroup cultivars are very frost sensitive though, so be prepared to wrap yours this winter to keep the psudeostem from freezing if you want it to fruit.

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Fruting: Pisang Awak, Rajapuri, Dwarf Brazilian, Gros Michel, Dwarf Red, FHIA-1 'Goldfinger', Veinte Cohol, FHIA-3 'Sweetheart'
Ornamental/Species: M. bauensis, M. velutina, M. "Milky Way", M. "African Red"

edwmax

Thanks for confirming the Orinoco. .... My recommendation for the Orinoco was because this is a low maintenance plant with a thick stem that can with stand some wind and temps to the mid 20's. The leaves will die at first frost, but the pstem doesn't die back to the ground and will recover quickly with warm weather. The plant doesn't grow large fruit bunches so propping is usually not required.

Vette-Kid stated eatable fruit was desirable but not a requirement. Most Orinoco bananas are eatable. An other choice could be the very cold hardy basjoo banana which can stand frost & snow on it leaves down to 29 deg F and has a seeded fruit ( not eatable).

Of course other banana varieties can work but are more labor insensitive; less cold tolerant; and do not stand up well to winds.

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Vette-kid

I'm considering basjoo now. I think it stands the best chance of keeping is leaves in the event we have a hard winter here. I don't worry too much about freezing any corms, it doesn't get that cold long enough to free below ground. But leaf damage is likely. Since these are visible from the street basjoo might be better. Ill see if I can find one locally.

cincinnana

These are pics of a mature mat near my home in zone 6.
Basjoos could do the trick.
These mats are so thick I think they will stop a car
Basjoos

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edwmax

I don't grow basjoo but I believe it does drop its leaves when temps are below 29 deg F. That's not a large difference over the Orinoco. ... My Orinocos dropped their leaves 3 Xs this past winter and quickly put out new leaves within 3 or 4 days after the temps warmed up a little.

I know what you are talking about for temps in the Fla panhandle. I remember seeing Salt Water ( Gulf Water) freeze along I-10 East of Mobile the winter of 1976. ... I live 35 miles North of Tallahassee. Your temps are slightly warmer, but not by much.

Heck ... grow BOTH in the hedge and compare.

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Vette-kid

I am very tempted to do just that! we do get a few temps below freezing, BUT in the nearly 9 years I have been here we have had ONE winter that was below freezing long enough to actually freeze anything. This past winter it got below freezing I think twice for all of about 2hrs each time and day temps were back into the 50's. I have yet to see a freeze hard enough to crack irrigation lines and I NEVER winterize them. If those survive I am confident that the corms will not die off due to freeze, may occasionally lose some leaves and P Stem of less hardy varieties. I am trying to stick with plants hardy enough to not lose the stem, although I will be prepared to put some protection around them should we get a hard freeze.

There certainly is a risk of damage here, but it isn't significant. I10 is actually a fair amount cooler than us, even though its only about 20 miles north. Crestview (sits on I10 almost due north of us) will routinely be about 15-20 degrees cooler than us and we are about 5-10 cooler than destin. It really is interesting to see 40 in Crestview, 55 in Niceville and 65 in Destin!

beam2050

contact pukpukz, he is right on the coast I Louisiana, anything he has you should not have any problems with.

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npk of wood ash 0/1/3 to 0/3/7

npk of banana leaf ash 1.75/0.75/0.5

Vette-kid

Went to Destin today, both lowes abs Walmart. Everything around here is either d cav or double mahoi. Beginning to suspect the former. Either way I'll look to order something or wait until my Orinoco pushes some pups to relocate.