Sweetheart (FHIA -3) banana
 

Has anyone heard of this banana? Any additional information about it would be greatly appreciated.

Re: Sweetheart (FHIA -3) banana
 

The "sweetheart" is listed in Agri-start's website. I see it's a few years new, but I'm sure it'll be no time before there's plenty out on the market.

It's also on the Wiki here on bananas.org.

Re: Sweetheart (FHIA -3) banana
 

We Be Bananas

It is a large, sweet banana. Huge pseudostem, tall plant, large bunches.

Re: Sweetheart (FHIA -3) banana
 

Awesome. Thank you for the links and information. I am glad that I have this one. It was just recently transplanted from my friend's yard to mine. The link said that the temp should stay above 65, but it gets into the 40's here in the winter with an occasional high 30's for a few hours. Maybe I'll have to cover it this winter.

Re: Sweetheart (FHIA -3) banana
 

I have had mine for three or four years. It gets below forty here and I dont have a problem with them coming back. My problem in timing. Mine are ready to fruit at the time the cold comes in every year. Looks as if this will be the problem this year also. This year I am not going to thin and hope for fruit next year. I was not aware they were rare. Mine do not pup much at all one maybe two a year but could just be me. Your stem looks tall and thin. I dont recall mine every looking that way. This could be growing conditions. Mine are pretty thick in the stem and grows pretty thick, different conditions could be the reason. Congrats on the new baby they are beautiful plants and produce pretty nice size bunches.

Re: Sweetheart (FHIA -3) banana
 

Clare_CA in zone 10 you won't have any problem growing FHIA-3.

Re: Sweetheart (FHIA -3) banana
 

This kind of information is not yet available for all the varieties in the international genebank, but for the released hybrids from breeding programs (such as FHIA), there is a new system on the Bioversity International site.

FHIA-03

Re: Sweetheart (FHIA -3) banana
 

Thanks, Mike, Tony, and Gabe for your replies.

Re: Sweetheart (FHIA -3) banana
 

Sounds like my weather here in northwestern San Diego. My sweetheart continued to put out a few leaves a month last winter. Then it let me know its 15-gallon pot was too small ...

Re: Sweetheart (FHIA -3) banana
 

Whoa! That's awesome, Richard! It broke right through the pot! Cool. I've had brugmansias do that.

Yeah, our climates are similar, I'm sure. I'm in Camarillo, CA, in Ventura County. I just moved to a new more open location just a mile away from where I used to live, but the microclimates are definitely different so it will be interesting to see how the bananas do here.

Re: Sweetheart (FHIA -3) banana
 

Woah... new cultivar??? Musa Hulk?!?!? Ripped right through the pot! :ha:

Re: Sweetheart (FHIA -3) banana
 

A very good friend of mine lives in Somis. He has no problems growing bananas, not to mention the two fruiting Lucma's (Pouteria lucuma) on his property.

Re: Sweetheart (FHIA -3) banana
 

Sweetheart ... or not Sweetheart ... that is the question !!!

The first generation of the famous "crackpot" plant discussed 2 years ago did not produce much fruit. However, a pup from the corm grew into a very dense, stout plant with an 11-inch diameter base, 6-inch vertical spacing between leaf petitoles, and a 6-foot high pstem that threw out a large bud of about 120 fingers.

So is it really Sweetheart ... I have some doubts. Here are some photos of leaf front/back, female flowers, and male flowers:

Re: Sweetheart (FHIA -3) banana
 

Sounds like a cultivar that I might want to take a look at. I plan on getting a bunch of other varieties next spring (i.e. the REAL Ice Cream, 1000 Fingers, maybe Dwarf Red). The good news is that after we're done working on my backyard there will be a lot more room to plant stuff. The fence around the pool was removed and I was amazed at how much bigger the yard looks now. How does this one taste compared to other varieties like Cavendish types and Ice Cream?

Re: Sweetheart (FHIA -3) banana
 

Sweetheart ... or not Sweetheart ... that is the question !!!

Re: Sweetheart (FHIA -3) banana
 

What could it be ?

Re: Sweetheart (FHIA -3) banana
 

Ok, so here's the final count, from 1st hand to last hand with fruit:

29
22
20
20
18
16
19
15 + a few males
8 + males
1 + lots of males
--------------------
168 total.

Typical fruit size: 4 inches (10 cm) long and 3/4 inch (2 cm) wide.

Re: Sweetheart (FHIA -3) banana
 

Mine hasn't fruited yet so I can't do a comparison to mine. Your leaves look a little wider than mine, and I don't think mine has the white on the back of the leaves that yours do.

Re: Sweetheart (FHIA -3) banana
 

Richard, according to the official FHIA key, FHIA 3 is the only FHIA banana with a pseudostem that is "bright light green, no blotches or very few". The red on the pseudostem of the one in your old photo seems to suggest it is not the real deal, but I've been amazed at how much red/pink some cultivars can get in the pseudostem and petioles under certain conditions.

See attached.

Re: Sweetheart (FHIA -3) banana
 

Clare ----- be advised. A few years back I got some FHIA 3 fruit along with a pup from a friend. After tasting the fruit I gave the pup away and tossed the rest of the fruit hand. It was so sickly sweet that I just couldn't get it down.

Try to sample the fruit before investing in a pup. Oh yeah, my buddy told me he tossed his entire mat soon afterwards. He couldn't eat the fruit either. It made good compost. :ha:

Dan