Some plantains
 

Apparently that strange Hua Moa sport I had either eventually turns normal or is a common somatic mutation


It actually has fruited we'll see what they look like mature


These next two are Giant Plantain





Some Hua Moa

Re: Some plantains
 

Hi Nicolas, I have few questions for you? Or any other member may be able to help.

I know you are growing different types of plantains like giant plantain, Dwarf Super plantain, Dwarf Puerto Rican Plantain, Etc. Which one is taste better? Are Burro and hua mua also plantains? Why do the giant plantains called giant plantain? What is giant? Fruits or the tree?

Does the fruits of Misi looki, Tall namwah, and dwarf namwah are the same? Any taste difference?

And one more question. What is the difference between FHIA1, FHIA17, and FHIA18 etc? Are they all (FHIAs) taste different or same?
:nanadrink:

Re: Some plantains
 

Rainforezt,

Here are the answers that I feel sure about, I've leave the other questions for someone who knows more.

FHIA 1, 17, and 18 are all genetically different plants. FHIA 1 and 18 are actually siblings, but not clones. They all taste different. FHIA 1 and 18 are similar, but 18 is more tart. FHIA 17 is very similar to a supermarket Cavendish, but gets pretty nasty when too ripe.

Burro (Orinoco) and Hua Moa and not technically plantains, though both are primarily cooking bananas. True Plantains are a specific subgroup and not that closely related to Burro or Hua Moa.

To me, tall Namwah and Dwarf Namwah taste pretty darn similar. Misi Luki could be the same as tall Namwah. The jury is still out.

Re: Some plantains
 

I'm not a very good judge of taste. I think the Giant, Dwarf and Super all taste the same. I actually think that the Dwarf is a dwarf sport of the giant and the super is a french sport of the dwarf. Technically speaking Hua Moa is not a plantain and neither is Burro. Here in South Florida, you commonly here "platano hawaiiano" for Hua Moa and "platano burro" for burro. To me, the only thing Hua Moa is good for is tostones and chips. I have trouble making tostones with Burro, they come out fluffy and don't stay together. However, once over-ripe they make a decent maduro.

As for the FHIA varieties, I personally only grow FHIA-17 and that was in order to have a regular banana that had some resistance to Sigatoka. It hasn't been a very good variety for me. I have tasted both FHIA-1 and FHIA-18 and wasn't really happy with the taste. They are very productive though.

Oh and the giant part of the giant plantain has to do with the height. It's not really that tall though. I believe it is really Maricongo from Puerto Rico.

Re: Some plantains
 

Thanks for the cool pix. Plantains are one of my favorites. The way I cook them is "45-45". I get the blackest ripest ones I can buy, then just toss in the oven whole, sitting on the rack. Turn the heat way up to 450F, set the cook time for 45 min and walk away. If I forget about them til next day, fine. (Altho the house smells great ...) The only problem with the method is the hot black juice that oozes out and makes ashes on the bottom of the oven. (If you care about that you can put an old cookie tray there to catch it.) And they look like a black mess. But serving is easy, I just put them on a big plate and people slice off bits as they want. You just have to peel into the burnt peels to find the good part and put that on a clean plate, and leave the mess until it is all gone. The flavor is killer, all by itself.

Re: Some plantains
 

My planting at the house is really starting to take off. Twin rows 6' apart 5' in row spacing. 18' from center to center.

Re: Some plantains
 

I love that picture. I told my wife that is what I want. We are saving for a piece of land, so someday it will happen.

Re: Some plantains
 

That is just my back yard. I live on an acre. I rent the other land that I farm. I figure that if I am going to maintain an acre it may as well make me some money.

Re: Some plantains
 

Nick ----- Will you plant bananas in front of the house. Or is this a no-no?

Re: Some plantains
 

My wife won't let me

Re: Some plantains
 

Dwarf Puerto Rican Plantain "enano común"

Re: Some plantains
 

My plant nursery about 250 plantains.


My backyard has 85 banana and plantain plants.

Re: Some plantains
 

Nick ---- How is the Pisang Klotek doing? Got a pic? Should be a monster by now growing in that muck soil.

And the Guanabana tree?

Re: Some plantains
 

The guanabana died from wind and 40 degree weather. The pisang klotek is the banana tree in the background on the far right.

Re: Some plantains
 

At the corner of the house? Looks good!

I just dug out another big PK sucker. Know anybody that wants it?

Re: Some plantains
 

It's the one at the far right corner of the picture. The one next to it is a FHIA-17

Re: Some plantains
 

For height reference the plants on the right are about 5-5.5' tall. I took the picture from the top of my truck which I had parked on top of a pile of spoil. So I'm about 15' in the air. Things are growing fast.

Re: Some plantains
 

As expected, two months of Summer in Florida and wow did things grow.

Re: Some plantains
 

How do you remove the pups from all those plants?

Re: Some plantains
 

Machete 1x per month.

Re: Some plantains
 

Looks great Nick. I could use some plantain pups. There's a lot of interest in plantains where I am.

Re: Some plantains
 

WOW!Great photos!Thanks for sharing the pretty photos of banana trees!I love bananas,but I know little about it.Great!

Re: Some plantains
 

Nick, do you chop them off at ground level and the gouge down with the machete to get the meristem, or do you use the machete to completely remove the sucker at its attachment point to the mother corm?

If you were to look at my yard, you'd see I have a lot to learn about mat maintenance! :ha:

Re: Some plantains
 

I gauge down. My wife said that If I had bananas in the backyard they had to be maintained a whole lot better than they were at the farm. It seriously takes me less than an hour to desucker. It's only 85 plants. I know how ridiculous that sounds but I've gone from 2000 plants to a little over 500.

Re: Some plantains
 

Thanks Nick,

Great photos & info.

I have a Super & a Giant growing, these are my first and I will not be pruning any hands this time.

What should I expect for size & yield ?

Re: Some plantains
 

The supers will probably be 7-8" long and 45mm wide if you don't prune. The bunch will probably have 8 hands and over 100 fingers. I have learned that these varieties of french plantains are used by plantain chip producers who don't really care how long the plantain is. The overall yield should be 30-40lbs

The giant plantain will probably have 5 hands of 10" long 50mm wide fruit. The bunch will probably weight 25-30 lbs. Probably only has 35-45 fingers.

Re: Some plantains
 

This is how they were advertised...

Giant Plantain produces 150 lb. bunches of long fruit on 12ft. trees.

Super plantain is named so for its ability to produce fruit in 11 months!!!

Super Plantain produces large bunches of fruit on compact 8ft. trees.

I wanted to grow them out of curiosity.

Re: Some plantains
 

The only bunch I've ever seen that approached 150 lbs was FHIA-17. The super plantain is as quick and probably shorter than advertised. I can probably count on one hand the number of bunches I have seen that exceed 60 lbs.

Re: Some plantains
 

"Giant Plantain"


"Dwarf Puerto Rican Plantain"


"Dwarf Super Plantain"

Re: Some plantains
 

Super plantain bunch unfurling its bracts

Re: Some plantains
 

Nick -- how come you didn't hand prune the super?

Re: Some plantains
 

Hand pruning is on the agenda for tomorrow, I took these pictures between getting home and going to the chamber of commerce meeting. It's actually 3 different bunches.

Re: Some plantains
 

Nicolas how do you deal with The Black spots That PR dwarf Plantain are knonw for.

I have 2 PR Plantain Dwarfs & They Get Black spots On The Leaves .
What do you treat that with & Can the black spot kill the entire plant ?

Thank you...Oh do you have PR Maricongo Plantain?

Re: Some plantains
 

Black spots: I have a rotation of Kocide, Serenade, and Keyplex and I have gotten more aggressive with deleafing and desuckering.

I have the dwarfs and the tall maricongo. I also have dwarf superplantain and A tall french-type plantain that was a bunch reversion of Maricongo. I am a big proponent of Serenade. It is a biological fungicide that has helped me control all kinds of diseases.

Re: Some plantains
 

Dwarf Puerto Rican Plantain

Re: Some plantains
 

Nick, how do plantains that flower now for you fare over winter?

Re: Some plantains
 

They do OK. I imagine that these will do better than others have since it rarely gets below 50 this close to the lake. I was a good 1000' from the lake shore at my old farm now I am 100-200' away. Nevertheless, it will probably be April before I harvest these.

Re: Some plantains
 

Hello Nick;

Is Your Plantain Tree Farm Is Open To The Public ?

I work all over the state of FL & I know that its a matter of time before i get sent to your neck of the woods.

If so i would like to visit the farm and buy afew pups & hall them to NE Florida:08:

About your Guanabana tree , i bought one about 6ft tall in miami fl by Acosta Farms , And after a cold snap here in St Augustine , all the leaves fell out .
is it dead ? the trunk looks healthy thou..

I am treating it with a lil Super Thrive .
Thank You ..

Re: Some plantains
 

So I went out and took some pictures at night and was generally pleased

This guy is nearing harvest


So is this one


This one probably has another 6 weeks

Re: Some plantains
 

Sunset in Pahokee


I've just about harvested the 1st crop from my backyard

Re: Some plantains
 

On the right Rhino Horn on the on the left Dwarf Puerto Rican

Re: Some plantains
 

Cool, those ARH look about as red as the ones I have that are supposed to be ARH.

Re: Some plantains
 

That grass would steal alot of nutrients and water from your plantains

Re: Some plantains
 

Water is not so much of an issue at this location, it is pretty wet most of the time. Killing the grass is the next thing on my to do list. But I will only kill it in the row of the banana plants, and will not till. That grass allows me to get around the farm even when it is wet.

Re: Some plantains
 

Looks Really Good !!!:08:

Re: Some plantains
 

Dwarf Super Plantain


Another Hua Moa

Re: Some plantains
 

Update
On the left Dwarf Puerto Rican Plantain. On the right, African Rhino Horn.
An older picture of this location is further down the thread. Still no flowers.

Re: Some plantains
 

It looks good, should be soon.

You are really lucky to have all that grass adding nutrients to your plantains.

It's great how the roots of the grass keep the top of the soil nice and loose.

Re: Some plantains
 

It gets mowed maybe once per month. Every 3 months cows pass through it.

Re: Some plantains
 

I have my first arh flower, but naturally I didnt have my camera or phone