Rookie needing a coach! Southern Cali zone 10a
 

I am completely new to growing bananas and really know very little...

We would really appreciate some education and suggestions on variety for best tasting, eating raw and maybe one type for cooking. I purchased a bunch of 1/2 wine barrels and plan on using for them for the bananas.

I bought some tissue culture starts from Baker Creek; I am not sure if I am excited about what I got since I was unable to select variety. Also, potentially discouraged from what I've read so far. They sent Dwarf Maoli, Dwarf Cavendish, Dwarf Iholena.

Should I bother with any of what I have? If you recommend something different the money spent is really of no concern to me, to waste what I received is no big deal at all. Guide me to the promise land of banana growing and I would like to share in the enjoyment... also, if you can direct me to a good place to get banana plants too!!

Thank you to everyone for the point in the right direction.

Re: Rookie needing a coach! Southern Cali zone 10a
 

Put your city/town in in your profile and maybe a local can get some help from a local. We have a lot of folks in SoCal area.

Also go over to the Member Introductions area and introduce yourself to everyone.

Re: Rookie needing a coach! Southern Cali zone 10a
 

Thanks for reminding me to fix location on profile !

Re: Rookie needing a coach! Southern Cali zone 10a
 

Interesting, I don't see any bananas on their website. I know some people who would like to buy a couple of those types

Re: Rookie needing a coach! Southern Cali zone 10a
 

They are under "live plants"

Banana, Dwarf Collection (3 Plants, Ships April-June) | Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

Re: Rookie needing a coach! Southern Cali zone 10a
 

In the live plants section, they have a "Dwarf Collection". Like LoveR said there wasn't a choice of plants, notice how the first reviewer got Dwarf: Namwa, Green, and Cavendish. Just a crap-shoot of dwarven musa.

Re: Rookie needing a coach! Southern Cali zone 10a
 

I seen that customer review when I linked for Hamakua. I ordered again when I linked just to see what I get. Hoping it's not same as what I already have :ropingnaner: I don't think I need 9 plants of same 3 varieties haha.

Re: Rookie needing a coach! Southern Cali zone 10a
 

where do they ship from?

Re: Rookie needing a coach! Southern Cali zone 10a
 

I was told Florida

Re: Rookie needing a coach! Southern Cali zone 10a
 

First of all, welcome to bananas.org from another SoCal grower.
Given the fact that a wine barrel volume is 60 gallons, (half barrel only 30 gallons), it is quite ambitious to grow a banana plant in there.
Here in SoCal we are lucky enough to grow banana plants in the ground almost anywhere. Do you have the space to do that? If so, you have several varieties that do well in our SoCal climate, Namwah or Mysore (Pisang Ceylon/Pisang Klotek) are good reliable beginner plants.
I have successfully grown tomato plants in those half barrels though.

Re: Rookie needing a coach! Southern Cali zone 10a
 

I do indeed have room to grow in ground if it came to that. I guess I just liked the flexibility of being able to not have something so permanent. Is it not possible to grow and fruit plants in containers, I thought that's kind of what this sub-forum was geared around? Was I being too hopeful?

Re: Rookie needing a coach! Southern Cali zone 10a
 

You probably can do that. Especially people who live in a more marginal climate other than us here in SoCal, may not have a choice other than moving containers indoors every winter or to dig up plants and store them.
Personally I have my plants in the ground and occasionally, when I have a pup that needs extra TLC or if someone wants a plant for decorative purposes, I pot them up.
If you remove any new emerging pups of your plant, it does not have to be permanent at all. It will grow, flower and fruit. You will have to manage the size of your plant in a pot as you will with a plant in the ground.
Overall, I am saying that you will have better success growing bananas in the ground, but if the size of a fruit bunch or the taste of the fruit does not matter to you, I would say go for growing in a container, but you will be extremely limited to the varieties you can grow.

Re: Rookie needing a coach! Southern Cali zone 10a
 

How about a full size wine barrel! Would that be adequate size (60 gallons) or still a joke for legitimate growing needs of bananas?

Re: Rookie needing a coach! Southern Cali zone 10a
 

Bigger is definitely better 😉.
Banana plants are relatively shallow rooted, so if you still want to grow in a container, I would look into something with a bigger surface area other than a deep container.
Have you thought of putting drainage holes in a livestock stock tank? "Tractor Supply Company" offers the foam type which are not too heavy, but they will get heavy once you fill them up with dirt and a nice banana plant. I have seen people doing this here once, but I don't know how successful they were with fruiting their plant.

Re: Rookie needing a coach! Southern Cali zone 10a
 

I think I'm going to scrap the container planting idea and do the old fashion way that we were given since the beginning of time and just stick them in ground. I would hate to wait so long and then struggle with fruiting.

Re: Rookie needing a coach! Southern Cali zone 10a
 

In the ground is always better for plants if at all possible.

Re: Rookie needing a coach! Southern Cali zone 10a
 

The best thing about banana plants is your garden is always changing. Once the plant fruits you cut it down and the look of your yard changes just a bit. You can also move plants around. I have taken large pups and placed in rope buckets and have had them fruit. The bunches are small but still tasty.

Good luck neighbor

Susan

Re: Rookie needing a coach! Southern Cali zone 10a
 

Baker Creek is notorious for offering a lot of different types of products but they don't have very good quality control over them. On their seed sales, they often have poor germination and varieties which are not true to type. I know people personally who have grown seed for them and basically they just assume that whoever is providing seed is doing a good job, and keeping seed true to type is not as easy as most people would think.

I'm saying this in regards to the bananas because I highly doubt they really have a clue what they are selling. They are certainly not producing the plants themselves, and have no capacity to verify if they are true to type. They are cheap but you get what you pay for. And in this case you are paying for random tissue cultured plantlets which you are gambling are 1.) suitable for your needs and 2.) true to what they claim they are.

This is somewhat evidenced by the fact they are offering a 'Dwarf Maoli' (which is not a standard name for any cultivar) for gardeners on the US mainland. Compared to other true dwarf varieties, the shortest Maoli varieties are far from dwarf relative to other common dwarfs, and even if they were, they are relatively poorly suited to US mainland gardeners in most areas where other hardier banana varieties can be grown.

I would recommend anyone to stay clear of Baker Creek for bananas (or anything really in my opinion, unless they have something obscure which you absolutely can't find anywhere else from a more reputable dealer), and try to source your plants from members here or Going Bananas Nursery (Welcome to Going Bananas of Homestead, Florida!) where you can be confident you are getting what you pay for and getting a cultivar you have a chance at having success with.

Re: Rookie needing a coach! Southern Cali zone 10a
 

That's been a great help and you're a wealth of knowledge. Thank you very much