SSP

So you don't think there is any realistic way to have a Dwarf Gros Michel indoors for most of the year be able to flower/fruit?
So I am left with a Dwarf Cavendish (which can?), or a very short cycle like Patupi? Which is closer to Gros Michel in flavor/texture?

cincinnana

Here is a plant that you want.....SDC.
This the size, height, girth.
There is really not a plant you want that will meet your criteria.

Most Dwarf plants will exceed 8-+ feet with leaves...Banana ‘Super Dwarf Cavendish’ (Musa acuminata)

How mucn are you really willing to spend to have this plant and grow it out for about 2 lbs of bananas...once.
50-100.

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cincinnana

Not in our zone6......ever.

SOOOOO who ever is telling you this ....says this plant will fruit faster than a hybrid tomato such as Early Girl ......LOL.

Please send me one also (as I had asked before to the same Patupi seller) .I willl test it in the garden....

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SSP

Once you have a plant, would it not keep renewing with suckers? I probably could handle a regular Dwarf Cavendish, Super Dwarf seems to make only tiny bananas. I could also handle Patupi, since if the cycle is only 6 weeks, that's enough time to do flowering and fruiting outdoors in the hot summer, sucker growth could be indoors for the 7 months or so leading up to summer. Would that be feasible?
What varieties have you grown successfully in here Ohio?

SSP

I think he has a waiting list for when he gets pups, not sure?
Here is the info I saw:
Musa Patupi - Bananas Wiki

Vudu Papua (PNG004) (ITC-0590) - Papua New Guinea
Patupi (PNG225) (ITC-0848) - Papua New Guinea
Huki West - Solomon Islands

Time To Bloom - 5 to 7 months
Bloom To Harvest - 5 to 6 weeks
Mature Height - 2 to 2.5 meters

Sounds almost perfect for indoors (winter) / outdoors (summer) in Ohio, if this info is accurate?

cincinnana

Looks like time to bloom +time to harvest = 264+- days

Our grow zone6 is 170+- days frost to frost....

If you decide to put the plant under lights( 250$+-) you will be pressed to have fruit you can even eat.


Are you willing to spend 350.00+- for one banana??

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cincinnana

Here is a photo from another great forum members gallery....
Photo is of a cut pstem that had a flower/bananas on the way.
This member cut this plant to bring in the house to overwinter and the plant just happened to have a flower on the way, thus this photo.
.

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SSP

The fruiting and flowering (if it is indeed only 6 weeks) could be outdoors in June-August, when it is plenty hot and humid. Wouldn't that work?
The other several months would be indoors with sun/lights.. I thought bananas could grow well indoors.. How do you grow them in Ohio?
Or don't you get fruit?

cincinnana

Heck yeh ...go for it.......
For some more great info check out the SEARCH button for awesome plants you can also grow in your zone..Also do not forget the local big box stores for banana plants.
Another great source of info is Youtube/growlights/bananaplant/indoors..

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SSP

We grow all sorts of plants including lots of native and Ohio endangered species that we get from the Nature Conservancy, also grow "giant" sunflowers, 1000 pound pumpkins, 20 foot plus corn, you name it! (Yes we are one of those crazy people who do that sort of thing). We do have a lighting setup with full spectrum lights and sun rooms, we also grow wild blueberries, black raspberries and goji berries, and supposedly bananas are basically a giant yellow berry (botanically speaking) so figured why not give it a go! Seriously though it would be something "different" to grow something so tropical here in Ohio. I started seeing advertisements with people growing fruiting bananas in their homes, then jumped on the idea of something even better than the Cavendish they all sell, and always wondered what the Gros Michel was like. But being able to grow any cultivar to significant fruiting would be something.

cincinnana

There is a great thread about grow lights and bananas in the forum that that could be of benefit.

Your setup sounds awesome....
Which conservancy do you deal with.?

It is a shame that your limited to 6 feet high as you stated in previous post you could really grow a jungle of bananas in your growrooms.

Why did you make them so small?

Post a photo if you can that would be cool.



Have you thought of making a banana topsy turvey??

Sdc upside down sounds just up your alley if height is an issue

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PR-Giants

I'd guess the member has dozens of pups and is just being conscientious by waiting for the initial results from the first wave of members that received them.

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SSP

It's the Nature Conservancy of Ohio Protect Ohio Natural Preservation | The Nature Conservancy

They work here with the Kitty Todd Center and Oak Openings preserve, which has brought back several endangered species, both plants and animals. One federally endangered species of butterfly as well, the Karner Blue, it was bordering on extinction. It was brought back into the Kitty Todd preserve and then Oak Openings. We visit both each year, really amazing experience! They have a special limited sale of native species of plants each year (coming up next weekend, actually), if they feel you know what you are doing they will sell special propagations of endangered and rare species of the local genotype for you to help grow and propagate. Ohio Junegrass is one, which we grow, as well as Ohio's species of prickly pear cactus. The whole northern part of Ohio used to all be wetlands, which was about as important to as many species as the rainforests are. Oak Openings and Kitty Todd are probably the only places that are left of what used to be here for thousands of years.
We also do rearing and tagging of Monarch butterflies, which were nearing a threatened status in recent years. It's really rewarding to be able to take part in such things.

We didn't build anything to be a grow room, we just use a room in our house that gets lots of sun We also have fluorescent lighting setup for starting veggie and flower seedlings, which consists of cool white tubes in addition to full spectrum (warmer) tubes. Doesn't use up too much electricity, and all set up on timers. Grows amazingly strong seedlings, too.

Funny you should mention that, I actually have thought of the possibility of growing a tall banana horizontally or on an angle! Didn't know if it would distort the growth though.
The picture you posted of the cut stem, its possible to grow out fruit on a cut stem? How?

You never mentioned which bananas you have been successful with in Ohio and getting to fruit and how you do it?

venturabananas

If you search around on the org you'll find some threads on this topic.

The short answer is that it is possible, but relies on luck or great ability to time when to cut to ensure you have an adequate number of leaves emerge before the bunch does to fill the fruit. Without enough leaf surface area to provide carbohydrates to fill the fruits, you'll end up with small fruit or fruit that never fill. I have unintentionally done some experiments like this my yard.

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cincinnana

Thanks for the info on the conservancy

I have volunteered on honeysuckle pulls locally at ours. ARG.

I cannot grow my plants for fruit but I do get flowers and small inedible bananas at times.

The foliage of this plant is just awesome, thats why I have them.

All my plants are landscape plants and are in irrigated containers tucked in throughout the garden.
Some plants are big and some are small.

You can grow any banana plant you wish in our zone, having the means to overwinter and keeping them healthy is the true challenge we have, if you get a flower or immature fruit at the end of the season it is a bonus.

Getting consistent/anticipated results is even better.

Do check out the other plants mentioned in the previous posts they might work for you and the sellers are reputable.

A list of what I grow is in my profile if you want to check it out.

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SSP

Is it really that difficult to get full fruiting here? What is the determining factor? Winter temps?

RRedBBeard

Could you post a link to that study please?

SSP--what banana cultivar did you finally select, and what was your experience with that?

Thanks,
--Rick in CT

PR-Giants

It obviously damages the plant, but what do YOU consider is needed for the "adequate number of leaves emerge before the bunch does to fill the fruit." The "luck or great ability to time " is the easy part in the Tropics.

If it's done early enough and the plant has time to grow close to it's normal height the fruit fills but bunch size is dramatically reduced.

It appears your goal is to do it close to bud emergence, but how close?

What do YOU consider perfect to be?

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Nicolas Naranja

Veintecohol is dwarf and fills out quickly...the fruit are tasty.
I have a variety that came to me as Baloy. It fruits at 4-4.5 feet and makes a 20-25 lbs bunch of cavendish type bananas.

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Some people go bananas, I went plantains.

PR-Giants

Veinte Cohol is not a dwarf...but they are tasty...eating some right now

Here they grow to 9 feet.

I think South Georgia was the furthest north that someone was somewhat successful...they had a greenhouse...and averaged 1 oz. fruit.

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