BananaLee

Hey guys! I realy wana get Musa Acuminata 'Raja Puri'. Googlebooks has Palms Don't Grow Here and Other Myths and they have 'Raja Puri' in it but it won't come up. Soooo....can you guys tell me on how hardy it is (if its hardy to zone 6 or 7) and a little info on it please? Thanks! God Bless! BananaLee

blownz281

It will not make it in 6-7. Maybe 7 depending on where you live and how you protect it,and how mild your winter is. Its rated for 8.5 zones. If you do a search someone has a list of the cold hardy nanners. Musa Basjoo are very easy to come by,as they are very cold hardy.

BananaLee

There are acually A LOT of bananas hardy to zone 6. I cant name them all right now, but there is a LOT! I here people had luck in zone 7. Thanx though! God Bless!

BananaLee

I forgot to mention, does anybody grow it in zone 6 cause I would love to hear it! Also, how would you protect it? I'm thinking covering it with straw and burlap etc. Maybe I dunno...

blownz281

Well it does depend like I said what state you live in. One state could be a warm zone 6 and the other gets cold ya know. living in zone 5 Ohio only hardy one I know of is Musa Basjoo. I never protected mine for the five years they were planted there. So there is a handful that will live in the 6-7 without portection or being dug up?

You could try the new stuff Dave Frankco has out.
Mulch them very well
Build a hoop house over them
Wrap bubble wrap around them and place chicken wire around them and add hay or leaves all around them.
Some people have used insulation to wrap them.

BananaLee

Your right. I'm in Mighigan which is VERY good for banana plants. Our summer are hot and humid, and our autumns are longer which is good because they get gradually get colder and colder thus getting the plants enough time to protect themselves, and we get A LOT of snow which realy helps insulate the plants. I can grow Musa Basjoo, Musa velutina, Musa Yunnansis, Musa Balbisiana, Musa Sikimensis, Musa 'Bordelon' and a coulple others I forgot lol! Like I said, Mighigan has been always a great place for bananas. It's something with the Great Lakes. And I DEFINITLY need to cover most of these of course! I'm not as blessed as you by living in zone 8! Your realy lucky! God Bless! BananaLee

BananaLee

So there is a handful that will live in the 6-7 without portection or being dug up?

Not that I know of actually. All banana plants in zone 6 need to be mulched thoroughly. In the zone 7 maybe you can have luck with Musa basjoo, Musa Sikimensis, and Musa Yannansis without protection but I'm not to sure.

blownz281

Yes I just looked up and found several that can grow in 6-7. I guess I never payed attention since Ohio was zone 5. Plus we have only lived in NC for a year,which is where I can finally grow more nanners,palms,cactus. Atleast you were warmer then me HAHA. I have heard of a guy that lives in your state that lives near the river that has tons of palm trees... Where did you get Musa Yunnansis, Musa Balbisiana? They are neat looking! I like how skinny they are and the long leaves.. GOD BLESS you as well!! If you search the web also you can find other ways to protect,but I pretty much told you the ones. Everyone has different ways. If you could always save a pup from each plant,just a idea incase you have a bad winter. I can't believe you can over winter Bordelon,nice change from the green leaves.

Grow List

Musa Basjoo
Musa Velutina
Musa Siki
Musa Bordelon
Musa Laterias
Musa Ice Cream
Musa Cavendish
Musa Orinoco
Musa Yellow Banana

blownz281

(Your question) -So there is a handful that will live in the 6-7 without portection or being dug up?

No, I was asking you if there was,cause from what I read the five I saw said with protection maybe 6-7. Heavy mulching. But these all depends on your protection measures,size and age of the plant,and mild winters,dry and well draining soils.

Basjoo
Siki
Yellow
Velutina
Snow

blownz281

Where did you get Musa Yunnansis, Musa Balbisiana?

Richard

Musa 'Raja Puri' is a cultivar of the Mysore group and has AAB genetics. Some sources might error and call it "Musa acuminata" but it is a true seedless hybrid and not a species banana. The name 'Raja Puri' translates literally to Royal Pancake. It has an estimated USDA cold hardiness of 8.5. In subtropical U.S., the average pseudostem height is 7 feet. The fruit is about 6 inches long and 1.25 inches thick, with anywhere from 40 to 80 fingers per bunch. It is used green for cooking (consider a potato pancake recipe made with unripened banana instead of potato) and also for fresh "dessert" eating.

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BananaLee

Oh my gosh thats awsome!!! Some one near me with palm trees!!!! I Have a baby trachy palm and a big livistona chinensis I found in the garbage (there die back perenials here!) I know I guy in Troy with a bunch of palm trees too! Sorry, I must written it incorrectly, I dont have any Yunnansis's or Balbisiana's just a Basjoo at the moment but I am getting Musa Velutina and Musa Yunnansis and maby Balbisiana if I can find one! You can get Musa Yunnansis at most places where they sell Musa Itinerans cause most of those are acualy Musa Yunnansis!! Weird aint it! If you search on Ebay for 'Musa Yunnansis' there is a decent fellow that sells 10 Yunnansis seeds. I think he is a bit pricy and I don't know if ten is enough seeds but its still good!!! Thanks for the blessing and may you live a good, healthy, long life. I Pray you live to be over 100!!!

BananaLee

Sorry! I didn't ask you that question, I didn't know how to do the quote thing!lol!

Abnshrek

I don't get no snow for insulation so I will be using heat tapes to preserve the majority of my Nanners. So when what freeze we get breaks I have a fast transition to 70-80's...and early nanners lol... & hoping I'll be blessed.. I guess I shall see

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BananaLee

Sure I'll give you a blessing too!! God Bless!!

SeriousBan

In Houston last winter, we had 8 light freezes, never below 28, but a lot of them. My Raja Puri, which went into winter at 4 feet tall to the crotch and with good girth - probably 7 inches diameter - managed to be one of the 50% of my varieties which did not freeze to the ground in the winter, and flowered in late May. So it is hardy, and I have heard this from others. In my case, it still didn't have one good leaf on it when the bell came (it was just too mature when it went into winter), no power, and no fruit developed. Ice Cream and Pineapple flowered before it, Ice cream in latest May. Pineapple gave a decent bunch of 20 bananas which ripened in September.
Having a good number of varieties in the ground, I find that about half of them make it through the winter, only changing color for a few months (to brown) without freezing back, and most of those fruit.

austinl01

This thread has some good info.

Wintering Raja Puri - Banana Forum - GardenWeb

>> * Posted by dave_in_nova VA zone 7a (My Page) on Wed, Sep 6, 06 at 15:36

My limited experience with Raja puris is they winter over pretty easily. I dug up a nice-sized pup (8-ft or so), washed off most of the soil, trimmed back roots, trimmed lower leaves off and left 2 or 3 top-most leaves, repotted in dry potting soil, kept in 60ºF basement, some light from window, but not much. It started growing in Feb, as I then increased watering. Ready to set out after frost. It bore fruit the second season, but of course there was no time for it to ripen.

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Arkansas River Valley

Average January Low: 31°F, Average August High: 92°F
Extreme Winter Lows: 5-15°F, Extreme Summer Highs: 100-112°F, Annual Precipitation: 52 inches

jeffreyp

There was a trial done in the state of georgia...here's the article..

http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstrea...1/37010072.pdf

BananaLee

Thanx for the thread Austinl01!

Abnshrek

I had 2 Raja Puri Pups in my office this past winter that went down hill, before I replaced my broke heater. One came back really well (starting its third leaf). The other I had written off, along with a PC of the same size. I put them in the sun the past 2 days and there is life (its green :^) in both hopefully they will both have leaves soon. So never think a corm's dead till you have added some sun to it. :^)

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