harveyc

A friend of mine from SoCal was chatting with me and told me that he's been growing bananas for 30 years and has grown many varieties. Pitogo is the best tasting in his opinion, but the fruit are too small. Monthan is the next best-tasting variety and it endures temperatures in the low 30s better than any other he has tried.

I had a Monthan once but it was a small plant when winter came and did not survive. I don't remember now if it was a wet winter leading to rot problems or not (it was a few years ago). I'll try again next spring.

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Richard

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Back in business at plantsthatproduce.com

harveyc

Thanks, Jon is who I bought my pup from maybe around August 2007, I'd guess. I don't remember if he told me anything about it at the time or if it was just from information I read on his site. Citation 910 at Encanto Farms redirects to what appears to be Jon's Gardenweb so I don't know if those are his comments on the fruit or not.

My friend who was mentioning this banana to me (not a member here and I'm not sure he would want his name posted so I won't) said it produces larger fruits than are typically bought in stores.

I've got way too many varieties now but I'll make room to try this one.

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momoese

What area of So Cal Harvey?

venturabananas

Harvey, I haven't tasted it yet, but Jon thinks it is very good. He described it as very dense, with large fruit, so a single one is about all you can eat at a time. Another guy I know who owns a "boutique" tropical fruit nursery, told me it is his second favorite (after Misi Luki awak). His description of the fruit matched Jon's, so I think they are talking about the same cultivar and not a mix up. And Jon's photos match up with what Monthan is supposed to look like.

I got one from Jon this spring and it has done great up to this point. It's a really nice looking plant. Very dark green, and a strong grower. We'll see how it fares over winter. Mine is not in an optimal spot, unfortunately, so if it can hack that, it's a winner.

(The 910 citation is Jon's own comments.)

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harveyc

Huntington Beach

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momoese

Thanks, same weather/temps I get. Sounds like a winner.

harveyc

Thanks, Mark. I don't think Psiang Klotek appears to be very hardy so Monthan might be a better choice for me. I can't keep all of the Misi Luki variants straight...is Misi Luki awak the same as Psiang Klotek? Mitchel, can you confirm?

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momoese

Totally different animals. We've had a lot of talk lately about the two. PK is real Misi Luki/Mysore.

harveyc

I knew there was a lot of talk about it but I got lost trying to understand it. Might be easier if they were all names I knew how to pronounce.

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harveyc

I want to correct this comment I made last fall as Psiang Klotek proved to be pretty hardy here this past winter, enduring 35 mornings with frost and one morning getting down to 22F. Wish I had planted this thing in the ground sooner.

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