john_ny

There seems to be a new-found interest in Gros Michel. I find this very interesting, as these were my first bananas, many years ago.

Background: I had a business, importing aquarium fish. I kept them in little concrete pools, in a greenhouse. Sometimes, when I was in a warm place, I would catch my own. Once, while sitting on a stream bank, in Panama, waiting to get some fish in my trap, I noticed many little palm seedlings, and thought it would be nice to grow some of them between the pools, in the greenhouse, so I brought some back. I then started planting other tropical plants, also. After a while, some customers asked me if the plants were for sale.

My wife is an RN, Operating Room Supervisor. The then Chief of Surgery, at her hospital, and his wife, had a vacation home in Saint Lucia, and invited us down there. I knew that this would be a good place to get tropical plant cuttings, and seeds. I knew nothing about bananas, but thought it would be interesting to bring some back. At that time the island was very closely tied to the U.K. Almost everything they used came from there, (a bottle of catsup, on a restaurant table, had a label that read, "H. J. Heinz & Co., London") and most everything produced on the island, was shipped to the U. K. When I inquired, of the locals, about the bananas, one said he could get me some, and I started to get my education. I was informed that these bananas were Gros Michel, not what we got, in the States. I was told that the British preferred a slightly smaller banana than Americans. I really couldn't notice any difference in taste or appearance. I brought a couple of corms, about the size of bowling balls, back with me.

They grew well, and I learned some more things.
1. They get big. I had brought a couple of them home, and had them in front of a glass patio door, in a finished basement. In short order, they were pushing the tiles out of the suspended ceiling.
2. They get sunburned. I took some to a charity fund raiser flea market, held in a shopping center parking lot. Full sun, with no protection. In a few hours the leaves turned white.

I wish I still had my connections down there. I'm sure there are still plenty of the plants there. There's a picture of me with a bunch of the fruit in the Wicki.

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John