Quote:
Originally Posted by crazy banana
Rob and other experts: one other question: is there a difference in the number of fruits someone gets if you compare tall and dwarf Namwah? So more fruits, more weight on tall Namwah or is it strictly just a difference in height of p-stem?
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From what I've seen in my yard, there's at least three different "Namwah" varieties that are commonly available in the US: Dwarf, "Misi Luki Namwah", and "Ice Cream Namwah". They rank in height in that order. At flowering for the first time, mine were about 6', 10', and 12', respectively. Subsequent p-stems have bloomed at 7-8' for Dwarf and 15' on "Ice Cream". My "Misi Luki" hasn't flowered for a second time yet, but I assume the next p-stem to bloom on it will be about a couple feet taller. When people here talk about "tall Namwah", I suspect they are mixing up at least two different cultivars that differ somewhat in height and other characteristics (see below).
An important difference to me is that "Misi Luki" doesn't seem to need propping to support the bunch, whereas both the Dwarf and "Ice Cream" do -- at least in my yard.
It's still early days for me, so I don't lots of bunches to compare among, but so far Dwarf and "Misi Luki" have produced similar size bunches, and "Ice Cream" has made somewhat larger bunches. But all make big bunches of fruit. The individual fruit have all been about the same size and same basic flavor and texture.
Because "Ice Cream Namwah" gets so tall in my yard and needs propping, it's a bit of a pain to deal with, and so I plan to get rid of it. It's right up against the fence between me and my neighbor and tends to lean over her driveway and make a mess when it blooms. And it tastes like the other two "Namwah" varieties, so it's not giving me something really different. But if you want a tall, fast growing, bulletproof plant, and don't mind propping the bunches, it's a winner.