English home-grown bananas!
 

Finally I've got to eat my first crop of home-grown bananas...Musa rajapuri...which are about half the size of M. cavendish, but are sweeter and have a slightly stronger flavour.

Re: English home-grown bananas!
 

Congratulations! I saw your photo gallery... do you take any photos of matured banana hands? :bananas_b

Re: English home-grown bananas!
 

Hi Luisport...

Have one image...am just about to upload it.

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Can't find the original image I uploaded...apparantly it was received OK but God knows where its gone!

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Finding your picture was easy.


Someone else can explain how you can find your pics; I'm lousy at that stuff.

Congrats on your bounty.

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Thanks for your comments.

That was image number two...I can't find image No 1 anywhere, so I'll try again!

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Good skills that man! I have a Raja Puri, but it didn't do anything this year, oh well we'll see what next year brings.

I notice it's growing next to a wall; is it south facing?

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Yes, all winter it was supported at 45 degrees in my greenhouse because it was too tall, with an additional tubular heater under the stalk plus a UV light above when it was cloudy! It came out in spring against that south-facing wall. Those fruits were on the stalk for 12 months...but they wouldn't ripen until I cut them off and put them in brown paper bags in warmth for a few weeks.
A lot of bloody effort and expense for about 30 bananas!

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Re: English home-grown bananas!
 

By Jove I think he's got it! They look yummy and I don't even like bananas--well not the store bought ones.

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Hi Barrie! So, this is raja puri bananas? They look great, congratulations! :08:

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Seems I was sending too big a file...and yet was informed each time that the file uploaded successfully. Who knows?

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They look like Orinoco, not Raja Puri.

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Thanks, Rob, but I can only go by the label!

What do your rajapuri look like, then?

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Well my first Raja Puri was a Gros Michel. My 2nd was a Namwah. My 3rd is the real thing, but hasn't fruited yet, lol. Mislabeling seems to be the curse of home banana growing.

They are more rounded and look very much like a Dwarf Brazilian banana. They don't have that triangular shape with those sharp ridges.

Congratulations on getting your own edible fruit in England, whatever it is they are!

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Hi Rob,

Thanks for your comments...having looked at your 'garden' you are obviously an expert as you certainly have a fine collection of bananas and other tropical fruits.

I envy your location and weather...last night was our first cold one of winter...it went down to -4C (25F). Everything is squeezed into my greenhouse, apart from a couple of basjoos which are now looking a bit sad. Haven't got round to covering them with insulation, not that you would know about that, presumably!

Also enjoyed your comments on the BBC website. Will look at YouTube eventually!

I have now renamed the pups from original Raja Puri as rajapuri-maybe-orinoco.

Take care!

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Not so maybe. Orinoco for sure ;)

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This is my "not so big" Rajapuri...

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Thanks Barrie! Well I wouldn't call myself an expert, just a banana enthusiast with a bit of OCD about collecting. I'm actually not all that great about identifying types though Bluggo group types tend to have those hard angles to them, so they stand out. It's rarely dipped below 70F in the past 6 months and after several years here, anything below 65F feels almost painful!

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Congrats Barrie

How long have you had it,agree with Rob its not a Rajapuri, it definitely looks like a Orinoco

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The plant started fruiting at the end of its third year...picked fruit 12 months later.

As the consensus is Orinoco, I shall rename accordingly!

My other 'named' Orinocos were purchased from the same reputable nursery, as was the original Raja Puri...if I get those to fruit, I will present them to you all for proper identification!

My ultimate ambition is to eat the fruit of a Cavendish, but finding it very difficult to get the mature specimens through the winter...eight months cooped up in my greenhouse at 10C (50F) just about finishes them off, although the younger pups survive (just).

I shall persevere!

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If you want to eat fruit of a Cavendish, try Asda or Tesco :ha:joking aside
if you want a fruiting Cavendish you will have to give it temps above 14c and adequate light levels, to keep it growing,you can not put a cavendish on hold, like a Orinoco or Rajapuri for a few months, options you have is a very large large south facing window or a heating greenhouse above 14c which will be expensive to run.

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Thanks, Mushtaq, I agree, but I will not give in just yet...I'm going to see if I can erect a greenhouse within my greenhouse, and see if I can maintain higher temps in there. Will have to see how the light levels and additional humidity effect the cavendish. I've a few cavendish dwarf...not sure how tall they will grow.

I'm still persevering, as we speak!

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A 2kw electric fan heater running a 8×10 green house between November to March at 15c will cost around £1000 :eek::eek:

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Hi Mushtaq...thanks for that, my greenhouse is 15x 13ft, with 9ft ridge and 7ft eaves, so I can't afford to heat it all to 15C, only 10C with a 3kw heater, so will try an 80w tubular heater in a polythene tent within greenhouse for a Cavendish.
Have lagged the greenhouse with 25mm polystyrene up to 4 feet, and the rest in 16mm triple walled polycarbonate. Look forward to my electricity bill in April.

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I never had a DC fruit. Mine reached about 8 or 9' growing outside in Jacksonville, FL at the end of her 1st season (May thru December). Can you find a Super Dwarf Cavendish? All I know about them is that they're much shorter and would be easier to tent.

Re: English home-grown bananas!
 

Hi Kat2,

Thanks for the comments about the Super Dwarf Cav...I shall certainly look around for one in UK and give it a try.