austinl01

Musa basjoo has so much going for it in colder climates. It's a very vigorous banana that starts growing very early in the season and is capable of reaching heights of 18+ feet! Simply amazing in my book. Musa velutina is another banana that starts growing quite early--about the same time as Musa basjoo.

Do you think other bananas (edible or non-edible) will be found in the future that will be as robust and cold hardy as basjoo? Is there any chance an edible banana could be as cold hardy as basjoo but that it hasn't been found yet or maybe not tested in a colder climate?

Musa basjoo

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Austin
Arkansas River Valley

Average January Low: 31°F, Average August High: 92°F
Extreme Winter Lows: 5-15°F, Extreme Summer Highs: 100-112°F, Annual Precipitation: 52 inches

Gabe15

They are out there, they are just not available for sale at this time.

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Growing bananas in Colorado, Washington, Hawaii since 2004. Commercial banana farmer, 200+ varieties.

austinl01

Gabe, what's holding back their release? Are the edible or non-edible varieties?

I could see a cold hardy banana farm in the Mid-South given a super variety!

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Austin
Arkansas River Valley

Average January Low: 31°F, Average August High: 92°F
Extreme Winter Lows: 5-15°F, Extreme Summer Highs: 100-112°F, Annual Precipitation: 52 inches

Gabe15

There are so many plants out there, and only a fraction of them are available for sale in nurseries, this is true for all plants not just bananas. It would take collecting missions by people who know what they are looking for (and know a thing or two about bananas), and then they would need to be distributed and propagated. No one is holding anything back, its just that they are way out there in the world and they have not yet been collected, characterized and distributed. Wild bananas in particular are very diverse and new things are found all the time, but only a rather small portion of them are available and in cultivation.

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Growing bananas in Colorado, Washington, Hawaii since 2004. Commercial banana farmer, 200+ varieties.

austinl01

Gabe, thanks for the info. Do you know who discovered Musa basjoo and put it in cultivation? Are there records like these available?

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Austin
Arkansas River Valley

Average January Low: 31°F, Average August High: 92°F
Extreme Winter Lows: 5-15°F, Extreme Summer Highs: 100-112°F, Annual Precipitation: 52 inches

Bama Banana

Let me just say this: 19.8 degrees this last winter. Other nights at 21 and 22 degrees. My Musa Orinocos received no protection at all. Of course all that were left were psuedostems, but all of them made it. And all of them continued to push leaves - although slower - throughout the entire winter.

And the best part is...as long as the psuedostem remains (stop laughing if you live in Miami), you will most likely get bananas the following summer. And these bananas are GOOD!

I have seen the outer three or four layers of a psuedostem packed with ice, and then the same one go on to make bananas a few months later. Don't underestimate Orinocos.

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bigdog

As hardy as 'Orinoco' may be, it still doesn't hold a candle to Musa basjoo in a zone 7 climate. My M. basjoo clump is shooting back and has been for a couple of weeks now, and from the previous year's pseudostems. My 'Orinoco clump is still dormant, and I wouldn't be surprised if it is dead this year after this tough winter.

Austin, I am going to officially proclaim M.itinerans var. itinerans just as hardy, if not more so, than M. basjoo! I have pups coming up everywhere, and pseudostems that were completely unprotected and unmulched this past winter are returning (from ground level). This banana is the hardiest banana that I own. I did protect three pseudostems, and they are all growing. One of them, I just put one bag over it and left a big hole in the top. Water got into the bag this winter, and it was a really wet Dec. and Jan. here. I expected it to get into the meristem and rot it out. Looking today at it, it is growing back! Amazing plant.

Randy4ut

BigDog,make sure you have one for me to test!!!! I will be heading your way in another couple of weeks and would love to purchase one from you and try it down here in SE TN!!!

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Chironex

My M. itinerans var. itinerans has put out 3 pups and made it through winter quite well too. All of the pstem has survived. I just moved the container into my little plastic greenhouse (unheated, just a plastic trash can filled with water as a heat sink)

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Scot

austinl01

Me too, Frank! Me too!!!

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Austin
Arkansas River Valley

Average January Low: 31°F, Average August High: 92°F
Extreme Winter Lows: 5-15°F, Extreme Summer Highs: 100-112°F, Annual Precipitation: 52 inches

Sodak

Where can Itinerans var. itinerans be bought? Are they available anywhere?

Thanks!

hydroid

Not for sure what I'm doing wrong but my Orinocos are hardier than the Basjoo's I have. I live in South Alabama on the Gulf Coast (zone 9, I believe) and wonder if the climate might be a little too warm since this is a more cold tolerant cultivar. I did buy a couple of Basjoo's at Lowes last year and this will be their 2nd season in the ground and so far they started putting on leaves before anything else, so I'm optomistic. Usually my 2 year stuff really takes off. It's been a slow start for us here in the South with all the late cold were are having. Hope this helps.
hydroid

Chironex

The Banana Tree had them but is presently sold out. Check back with them periodically. Here is the link: http://www.banana-tree.com/Product_Detail~category~17~Product_ID~18962.cfm

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Scot

Chironex

Both Yunnanensis and Itinerans prefer dappled sunlight and shadier overstories. Full sunlight will cause leaf burn. Keep this in mind when plating them.

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Scot

bigdog

I have serious doubts as to whether or not this is the real Musa itinerans, and what they have a picture of is var. xishuangbannaensis. They started selling it at about the same time as M. yunnanensis started becoming available, under the mistaken identity of M. itinerans. Also, judging from their description, I would put money on it that they have M. yunnanensis (bluish, waxy pseudostems).

Not in my climate, but this is probably true for the Deep South and into Florida. Also for hot areas out west, like where you live. They both do fine in full sun here.

Frank

Chironex

I am quoting Tian Zi as well as other Itinerans research sources. I moved mine from full sun in order to keep them from frying. Perhaps your climate is not as intense, but where they are found is in the understory.

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Scot

bigdog

Oh, I realize that, LOL! They are also found much closer to the equator and at a higher altitude than we are in Knoxville, with more intense sunlight. I'm just sharing my experience with both species here in Knoxville, not trying to contradict you.

mnorell

I'm in zone 9a, and have only experienced a low of 23F over the last five years...but I can say that of all my banana species and cultivars, the first to push other than basjoo is Musa mannii. It is very vigorous and that's a great thing especially since its dwarf size makes it a very valuable addition to the landscape. My clump already looks nice and pretty full and it's only 10 April. 'Red Ruby' is also looking nice as is velutina, but neither are as developed as mannii. 'Helen's Hybrid' also is looking good and growing fast already. But it is unusual in that its outer sheaths became very slimy while the core was firm and growing...Unfortunately I often find the opposite to be true!

The banana that has shown great stem-hardiness on a par with basjoo (and better than 'Orinoco') is 'Belle.' This is a fantastic cultivar. Never have I lost a stem and a small keiki I planted in June 2007 was flowering a year or so later at 12-14' tall, in July 2008. It takes some time to ripen (four months), but it is very easy to overwinter the pseudostems. 'Dwarf Namwah' and 'Rajapuri' also have held their stems well, the former throwing leaves very quickly now. I will usually lose a few 'Orinoco' stems around my property, and always seem to lose large trunks of 'Goldfinger,' 'Brazilian,' 'Dwarf Brazilian,' 'Thousand Fingers,' etc. But 'Belle' is an absolutely amazing thing. Grows huge very quickly and produces large bunches of fruit with no coaxing in my climate. On the other end of the scale, M. laterita and M. siamensis are very slow to start back into growth (usually just about now here in southwest Mississippi). Even M. coccinea starts back into growth early by comparison with these two slow-pokes.

just j

hey frank any life on the african red matt u left outside mine didnt make it in the basement wondering how yours did outside