So Cal Banana growers, a question for you!
 

Hello, what a great website this is. I am planning my yard here, and it would be of great value for me to know what height the following varieties flower at in your yards. I know they vary depending on location, so I don't even pay attention to what they do in Florida.

Belle
Goldfinger
Misi Luki
Mona Lisa
Monthan
FHIA 23 (What's the deal with this one, is it a good grower and bearer?)
Cardaba
Dwarf Brazilian (How does this grow and bear for you?)
Dwarf Namwah

Thank you Thank You Thank you (and so on!)

Re: So Cal Banana growers, a question for you!
 

See We Be Bananas Heights listed with (910) next to them are my verified trunk heights here in San Diego. Very general rule of thumb, dwarfs are 5-6' and talls are 10-15', with most 12ish. Goldfinger is on the short end, the other talls are closer to the upper limit.

Re: So Cal Banana growers, a question for you!
 

For my home in San Diego I picked the following based on shorter stature, variations in taste and use, and cool weather hardiness:

1000 Fingers
African Rhinohorn
Dwarf Brazilian
Dwarf Orinoco
Dwarf Namwa
Sweetheart

Now Jon (pitangadiego) has picked varieties based on sheer joy of growing bananas. He only has a hundred or so growing in his front yard. You should visit him and buy some plants while you are at it. He also has the best and most diverse selection of Fig varieties anywhere.

:woohoonaner:

Re: So Cal Banana growers, a question for you!
 

Thanks guys. I have seen that webebananas site before, but most of the ones I am interested in do not have the 910 height info next to it. And if you really grow that many in your front yard, they will be taller than they would be without being crowded, by several feet for sure.

Richard, how big does Sweetheart get in your yard?

Re: So Cal Banana growers, a question for you!
 

The only Dwarfs that I have fruited so far in my West Los Angeles garden are DC and Raja Puri and they get a max PS height of about 5-6 feet with the the top of the leaves around 10-12 feet. Some other short-ish ones I'm growing are Misi Luki(currently about 10 feet of PS and expecting a flag soon), Dwarf Red(not in ground yet), FHIA 18(currently about 6 feet of PS) and Pisang Klotek. The Pisang Klotek has a max PS height of about 13 feet with leaves growing up to 18 feet or so and it's in pretty much full sun, and not too crowded.

Re: So Cal Banana growers, a question for you!
 

I received it as a pup on July 9 2008 from bencelest (thanks!). It is currently 4 feet high with a 5-inch diameter base. It also has 3 pups about 8 inches high that came up in January.

For that very reason, last year I spent 3 months researching edible banana varieties, characteristics, etc. and did quite a bit of cross-checking. Here are the varieties I have height information for, sorted by typical subtropical height. It is from a tab-delimited file, so I'm sorry if it does not format very well here. The entire file is available for a short time at this link: http://www.plantsthatproduce.com/gui...ess_hybrid.xls

Name. Height_Typical_ft. Height_Extreme_ft. USDA_Hardiness_Estimate
Truly Tiny 1.5
Red Jewel 3.0 5 9.0
Super Dwarf Cavendish 3.0 4
High Color Mini 4.0 6 8.5
Mauritius 4.0 8 8.5
Dwarf Cavendish 5.0 7 9.0
Dwarf French 5.0 12 9.5
California Gold 6.0 7 8.5
Dwarf Orinoco 6.5 8.0
Dwarf Gros Michel 7.0 11.0
Dwarf Namwa 7.0 10 9.0
Dwarf Nino 7.0 10
Dwarf Puerto Rican 7.0 10 8.5
Dwarf Red 7.0 11.0
Dwarf White Iholena 7.0 12
Gran Nain 7.0 10 8.5
Misi Luki of Samoa 7.0 10 9.0
Mona Lisa 7.0 12 8.5
Rajapuri 7.0 8.5
Rose 7.0 12 11.0
Sumatrana X Gran Nain 7.0 10 9.5
Texas Star 7.0 7.0
Walha 7.0
Zan Moreno 7.0 9.0
Kofi 7.5 12 10.0
1000 Fingers 8.0 20 8.0
Berangan 8.0
Double 8.0 10 8.5
Dwarf Brazilian 8.0 15 8.5
Dwarf Colorado Blanco 8.0
Enano Gigante 8.0 12
Kalela 8.0 12 8.5
Latundan 8.0 10 12.0
Mahoi 8.0 10 8.5
Masak 8.0
Nangka 8.0
Safet Velchi 8.0 12
Tango 8.0
Sweetheart 8.5 12 9.0
Banane Corne 9.0
Cavendish (banana) 9.0 14 10.5
Kumunaba 9.0 12
San Jose 9.0
Williams Hybrid 9.0 12 9.0
African Rhino Horn 9.5 20 9.0
Pisang Klutuk 9.5 10.0
Black French 10.0
Cardaba 10.0 16 8.5
Chini Champa 10.0
Cocos 10.0 11.0
Lacatan, Jamaican 10.0 15
Nino 10.0 17 12.0
SH-3640 10.0
Tuu Gia 10.0 9.0
Viente Cohol 10.0
1780 hybrid 11.0 9.0
Ebun Musak 11.0 8.5
French Horn 11.0 20 8.5
Golden Aromatic 11.0
Golden Pillow 11.0 16
Goldfinger 11.0 14 8.5
Hua Moa 11.0 14 9.0
Kru 11.0 14 12.0
Monthan 11.0 16
Nehumbahoka 11.0
Pitogo 11.0 8.5
Popoulu kaia 11.0 14 9.0
Sarttra 11.0
Balongkaue 12.0
Enano Nautia 12.0 9.5
FHIA-21 Plantain 12.0 9.0
FHIA-23 12.0 9.0
Giant Cavendish 12.0 17
Golden Beauty 12.0 20 9.5
Ice Cream 12.0 16 8.5
Ma'ia Maoli 12.0 22
Manzano 12.0 25 9.5
Maqueno 12.0 22
Namwa 12.0 9.5
Rasthali 12.0
Super Plantain 12.0 9.5
Valery 12.0 9.5
FHIA-17 13.0 9.5
Gros Michel 13.0 11.0
Pelipita 13.0 18
Praying Hands 13.0 9.5
Red Iholene 13.0 25 9.0
Cuban Red 14.0
Green Red 14.0 28 9.0
Pace 14.0 9.0
Lady Finger 14.5 16 8.5
Iholena 15.0 9.0
Jamaican Red 15.0 25 11.0
Lakatan, Philippine 15.0 20
Mysore 15.0 16 8.5
Pisang Ceylon 15.0 16 8.5
Pisang Masak Hijau 15.0 20
White Iholena 15.0 9.0
Belle 16.0 20 9.0
Giant Plantain 16.0 8.5
Kaulau 16.0 10.0
Orinoco 16.0 20 8.0
Ele Ele 17.0 25 9.5
Kandrian 17.0 9.0
Tall Red 17.0 9.5
Ae Ae 18.0 9.5
Brazilian 18.0 25 9.0
Manaiula 19.0
Monkey Fingers 19.0 8.5
Colorado Blanco 20.0 25
Saba 21.0 30 8.5

Re: So Cal Banana growers, a question for you!
 

Thanks for the file Richard!

Re: So Cal Banana growers, a question for you!
 

Ditto!!

Andrew

Re: So Cal Banana growers, a question for you!
 

Richard, in June 2007 Joe Real gave me a nearly fully grown California Gold and I transplanted it to my place and two weeks later it flowered. The Pseudostem was 9'1". Jeff Earl has said that some do go on the taller side and that he culls these out. I have a pup left from this after giving some away last year so I'll see if it gets tall or not. I also have another from Jeff but it has grown slowly.

Where did you get your Dwarf Brazilian from?

Re: So Cal Banana growers, a question for you!
 

Re: So Cal Banana growers, a question for you!
 

Hello fellow San Clemente'ian. :)

Re: So Cal Banana growers, a question for you!
 

Hola Amiga. I thought for sure it would be Clementian (like, "Clemenshun").

Thanks Richard, that is a good thing to have.

Jeez I can't wait until cavendish is no more and they can't make up their minds which one to go with and they decide to grow them all and I can go to the market and buy mysores, brazilians, monthans, lakatans, and haa haas all in the same trip!


I like cavendishes fine, but that would be better.