species that can be crossed
I'm interested in trying to cross different species of banana in order to create some sort of hybrid that could fruit outdoors in the PNW. At least where I live in the PNW that means producing fruit in about seven months, with most of that time being somewhat cool. I'm not sure if that's feasible, but at the very least I'll end up with some pretty plants so why not try.
The first thing I'm wondering about is how easy banana species are to cross, I know most edible bananas are hybrids of Musa Acuminata and Musa Balbasinia, so I assume those two cross somewhat easily. Beyond that I don't know much about which species can be hybridized.
From what i've researched Musa Velutina can fruit faster then most species so would probably be a good candidate for this project. Does anybody know which species would be most likely to hybridize with Musa Velutina, or have suggestions for others that fruit quickly?
I've also read that Musa Velutina requires a fair bit of summer heat, which the PNW does not provide. Does anybody have suggestions for bananas that can grow in cool summers, ideally species that fruit quickly or can be crossed with Musa Velutina.
Species or varieties that can fruit in a pot would be ideal so I can take them inside during the winter, but I would probably be able to protect one or two plants outside as well.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated
|