Kevin

I would like to get another banana plant, but not sure which. Exotic Plants at Hawaiian Botanicals (click on 'Bananas' to see the list of available ones - just the coccinea, lasiocarpa and ornata). I will be overwintering it indoors. I already have a few varities that I have done this with, and I want to add to my collection. I like the flowers, but I'm not sure there would be much chance of me getting them to flower in my climate outside in the summer. If it's small enough, I can grow it during the winter, but if it's too big, I'll have to have it dormant. I grew my Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii' over the winter inside, and it's doing very well!

Anyway, I'd just like some tips from those who have grown these, and any advise on growing them in a pot, how big they get, is there a possibility of getting a flower, etc. Also the price - $25 seems okay, but the shipping might be a lot. Don't know how big they ship them as, though - what would a 2 gallon pot equal in plant size?

Thanks.

ChuckT

If you are looking for a small banana that does well indoors and is likely to fruit I would go with velutina (aka dasycarpa). The fuzzy pink banana is hard to beat for manageable size and goofy fruit.

Olafhenny

Hi Kevin:

I found an Ornata in Vietnam last winter with a pup. I chopped both off right above the corm, to be able
to bring them home in a suitcase. After some delay they started out well indoors. They only suffered
initially, when I put them outside, probably because I put them straight into the sun instead of letting them
acclimatize more slowly. I had not expected any problem, since they had been in a sunny south window
prior to taking them outside.

Here is the story: I Think I Scored a Coup

I thought, that I had discovered something quite unusual there, since during the few months I had been on
the 'Bananas' board I had not heard of a banana, which was small enough to serve as houseplant in the winter.

This winter I will bring both into the living room by the window. I am quite sure, hat they will survive. What
they will look like in mid winter or spring will be a different story.

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Kevin

Thanks. The velutina is sold out, which is why I didn't mention it. Is it the best one out of these options?