Texas Star VS. California Gold
 

Did I get your attention? I copied this from directly from a banana selling website. This may have been debated to death - but does anyone know that this is true for sure? I think I read in past posts that some of you have these growing side by side and would let us know. I will send the website address to anyone that wants it - just PM or email me. (I am not affiliated with them in any way)

Dwarf Orinoco banana plant banana tree ....The ‘Dwarf Orinoco' is a small vigorous plant that has a beautiful solid green has a thick stem and is very cold hardy. Often called the 'Texas Star' and the "California Gold" - a real cold hardy fruit producer. Exceptionally frost hardy compared to other bananas, produces good fruit, year after year, without any frost protection. This is the most popular landscaping plant in Florida for around pools and garden jungles. Wide, big green leaves make this a real winner. It is a heavy bearer of thick skinned fruit of very good eating quality. A very good and delicious banana. Sweet with a bit of a strawberry taste. There is very little curvature to the fruit and the fruit can ripen on the plant without splitting. The plant is hardy and withstands cold temperatures and wind, Hardiness: Zone 7-11, Height: 8', Healthy approx. 12" high plant with soil.
B83 16.95 10.95

The $10.95 is in red and their current sale price.

Re: Texas Star VS. Califonia Gold
 

I have Texas Star , California Gold and Dwarf Orinoco growing side by side. These are young plants and I got them just to see if there is a difference between the plants. Right now all I can say is to my eye , each is different.

Re: Texas Star VS. Califonia Gold
 

Hi Tony! Can you explain the differences? I am guessing visual since they are young plants (texture, wax, coloring, etc.). Is this a recent experiment or by young do you mean less than 2 years old? I know that the gentleman that sells the "California Gold" is very reputable, but the double "T" nursery that sells the "Texas Star" has terrible feedback on the internet. Both state that their original plants were purchased in Texas. (I have tried to do my homework! :) )

Re: Texas Star VS. Califonia Gold
 

I will post pix. The plants only have 12 to 18" of p.stem.

Re: Texas Star VS. Califonia Gold
 

I just got one of the Cali Gold pups that Scot was selling prior to his departure its only 14" high all let your all know how it dos this winter I'm in a zone 9 vary dry and hot so we will see don't have any O or TX star so i can't say what the differences are

Re: Texas Star VS. Califonia Gold
 

Thank you Paulo and Tony! I will be watching for your pictures Tony and your results Paulo.

I also wonder if folks that have purchased these are certain that they got what they thought they purchased? Again not from the reputable folks but the others, or purchased from someone, that got it from someone else, who got it from someone else, etc. I love to trade plants and have had some fantastic trades - and I have purchased many unusual and expensive plants - and I certainly don't mind paying for what I want. But I have found from experience that sometimes you don't necessarily get what you pay for.

I know I am wound up this morning. What can I say? HA! HA!

Re: Texas Star VS. Califonia Gold
 

I'm up to 3 Ca. Gold, one from ebay, the seller claimed to have gotten his from Jeff Earl, 1 from member bigdog and 1 direct from Jeff. They all appear the same and I'm pretty sure the ebay one is legit as are the other 2. I had a D. Orinoco that I've since given away and remember it being just slightly different, unfortunately without it here I could say exactly why.
After all I've read and seen in advertising (did you catch the banana planting video or the "pomagrante" one?) I don't think I'd recommend anyone buy from (they ought to go) By By nursery.
You may want to check our wiki or pitangadiego's webebananas site for a lot more info.

Re: Texas Star VS. Califonia Gold
 

I think that the quoted description from Greenearth, Inc. (Banana Trees Banana Plants), is just a claim by them and not based on actual experience. They only sell TC plants. And as far as I know, there have been no TC done on either TX Star nor CA Gold. There have been other claims by other parties of origins of either of these two varieties, but most of these have been just conjecture.

The person that named the CA Gold has stated that, in fact, he has several Dwarf Orinocos on his property, and he found them to be less cold hardy and less productive than the CA Gold in his area. The purveyors of the TX Star, whose ads I've seen since the very early 70s, gives a separate but parallel account as to its origins as the CA Gold, which only gained prominence in the 90s. While the origins of both varieties are from TX, the specific sources and locations are different.

There was a member of GardenWeb from TX who posted a picture of the TX Star, CA Gold and CA Hardy, side by side, several years ago. The post is still there but the photo is not. I contacted the poster by email for further info, but he has not responded. Fortunately, I remembered saving a copy of the photo, and after going through several older hard drives, I found the photo. I posted that photo in this forum a couple of times.

Since you're doing some homework on these plants, check out also, WeBeBananas' description: ENCANTO FARMS

While I have my own opinions on these varieties, I cannot back them up with results directly from experience. However, I own all 4 varieties, with the added bonus of a couple of TX Stars from TX, in addition to the ones from the Double Tee Nursery.

Re: Texas Star VS. Califonia Gold
 

Thanks Bob! If you are up to 3 you must like them. Have they fruited for you in New Jersey? Why did you give away the Dwarf Orinoco, any particular reason? Yes, I saw the videos.

Thanks Chong! I wasn't sure if I could mention the websites' name here so I didn't. I did see the posting at GardenWeb but couldn't view the picture either. I will try to search your posts to find the picture. I did read the information from the websites mentioned by both you and Bob in the last couple of weeks while researching. I would be interested in your opinion. You can PM me if you would rather or regular email me. Or maybe I will find it, if I find your picture - Do you have it posted in your photo gallery?

A call out to Pitangadiego.....in your information there is a quote "I don`t think there is any thing special or rare about this banana plant. I don`t think its' a mutation of Dwarf Orinoco. I think it IS Dwarf Orinoco." Is this your specific opinion or is this verbage from someone else? (sorry I couldn't tell)

A call out to Gabe.....have there been any genetic testing on these yet, and if so results?

Thanks!

Re: Texas Star VS. Califonia Gold
 

D.O.C.G.
T.S

T.S.


url=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=21912&ppuser=2868][/url]D.O
C.G.

Re: Texas Star VS. Califonia Gold
 

I just after so much reading felt that this dwarf variety would be one of the most likely to produce fruit or at least flower here. This is my first year with them and have legitimate hopes for the oldest(ebay) one for next year to produce. I got rid of the D. Orinoco simply because of space limitations. It was an especially nice little plant and I gave it to a member here.

Re: Texas Star VS. Califonia Gold
 

Check out my answer to a similar question on this thread:
http://www.bananas.org/f15/carolina-...html#post94010

I know that I posted a reply to your questions here just before I went to church this morning, but somehow the post is gone. There is nothing wrong with posting your source. Personally, I would encourage you to do so, even just to show that you're not making it up. Posting a website to promote it is another issue.

Here is the photo, (L-R) CA Gold, TX Star, CA Hardy:



In my missing reply, I stated that I probably would interpret the statement in that description by Jon's website the same way that you would. Just make sure that you understand that not all of that entire paragraph came from Jon. Rather, while the first few statements are Jon's, the succeeding statements are from several different owners of CA Gold. It can be confusing because the quotation marks are not always where the previous commentator ends and the next begins, and vice-versa. I suggested that you try to distinguish the between the various commentators and develop your own conclusion. That was how I arrived at mine, which I dared publish in these forums, to which I received some strong criticisms. I do still stand by them, until someone can come up definitively proving otherwise.

Re: Texas Star VS. Califonia Gold
 

[/quote]
i hope that i never gave you the impression that i was criticizing you i have the up most respect for you at all time i have learned much from the
"old Man" heheh just kidding Chong take care
Paul

Re: Texas Star VS. Califonia Gold
 

I might add, also, that I have all 4 varieties (DO, CG, TS, and CH), with an added bonus of a couple of survivors from a shipment of five TX Stars from a lady in TX, not affiliated with the Double Tee Nursery in GA. This lady is the source from whom Scot bought the TX Star that is now in Tony's (Sunfish) hands. I may even have a fifth variety, a Tall Orinoco, that remained green and even grew slowly last Winter. However, it was sold as a Dwarf Lady Finger, and I only noticed the difference during the Winter because the other DLFs that came with it were so much shorter, and these shorter DLFs did not survive the Winter as well.

Re: Texas Star VS. Califonia Gold
 

Thank you for your concern. Just for the record, Pauly, you never have. And I have utmost respect for you, as well. I would not take any criticism from you personally, if you ever do. Matter of fact, that holds true for anyone. I just weigh the criticism, and figure if the shoe fits . . . . well, then I'll accept it. If not, then they're wrong and I really don't feel need to set them out straight, unless I feel strongly that the issue might be destructive if the opposite of what I believe or experienced is followed. Then after that, it's up to them to do whatever they want to do.

Re: Texas Star VS. Califonia Gold
 

Sunfish, Thanks for the picture insertions - Yours do have different looks to them. One is very waxy almost bluish, the others not so much and the others are very green and different colored mid ribs - those characteristics jumping out at me.


Chong, Thank you for your picture also. The only thing I can see is the pinkish peach pstem of the one on the right and the yellowish green on the one in the middle. The one on the left I can't see for the leaf. I think I remember reading that the California Gold (Jeff) and the California Hardy gentleman are Brother's in Law is that correct - or maybe that was California Cold? And these two are supposed to be different or no? I did see in your photo gallery that you had some other pictures posted there too. I am trying to study them carefully.

Thanks for all the help!!!!

Re: Texas Star VS. Califonia Gold
 

JaNan:
I just saw your post. It is my second fruit of Calif Gold, I have many pups that are tall as of right now. I have a Calif Gold fruit that I expect to harvest before the frost. I also have a mature orinoco and dwarf orinoco plant. Not too long ago I was able to sell a large pup to a member here but unfortunately he is having a problem with his pup for the time being . I also have many pics but probably I did not post all to my website.
Since you are interested seeing them I will do so when I have the time.
I also have a post here titled "This is my Calif Gold 2009" .on Main Banana Discussion . You can research it and see what you think.

Benny

Re: Texas Star VS. Califonia Gold
 

Don't forget the similarities/differences in heights besides the coloration. I don't know if you can rely on the coloration so much, though. The photo, most probably, was taken with a film camera, and depending on the brand of the film used, the color hues may favor one color versus another. The slant of the sun at the time that the photo was taken, can like wise be a factor. The best picture for comparison would be one where they are all in bright shade. That way sun angle and shadows have very little influence over the coloration.

CA Gold (Jeff's) and CA Cold Hardy(Shawn's) are definitely not the same variety. Outside of their cold hardiness and fruitfulness in their region, they have dissimilar characteristics. Jeff and Shawn are indeed brothers-in-law.

Notice the underlined variety above. CA Cold and CA Hardy are the same plant. Shawn, as with members in other forums, actually calls them more often as CA Cold Hardy.

Re: Texas Star VS. Califonia Gold
 

C.G.
D.O.
T.S.


THESE MIGHT BE A LITTLE BETTER

Re: Texas Star VS. Califonia Gold
 

WOW Benny! Your backyard is Paradise to me! Just Gorgeous! I can tell that is an incredible amount of work. I know they are always a work in progress, but how long did it take you to achieve what you have now? Did you have a lot of help or do it primarily on your own?

With your bananas did you find either Orinocos and your Ca. Gold were the same banana? Have you had any dealings with the Texas Star?