Lawler

Well, I'm still interested in securing these 3 for beds that have been waiting/curing since the Fall:

1.Dw. Namwah
2.Raja Puri
3.Mysore/Pisand Ceylon.

My hope is that someone will want to thin their herd and/or trade, as we have a big mat of Orinocos if anyone wants to trade.

I believe I have the RP secured (got to get w/ my source soon , but am definitely interested if someone want to work something out.
I'm thinking pups are going to come a bit later in the season as Mr. Old Man Winter didn't want to hang his hat up for nothing this year- least in our parts.
I know ... more patience...

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Lawler

Oops... to clarify:
1.Dw. Namwah
2.Raja Puri
3.Mysore/Pisang Ceylon.

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Lawler

I have a question. I originally wanted to secure the below 3 varieties:

1.Dw. Namwah
2.Raja Puri
3.Mysore/Pisang Ceylon.

I now have the DN and the RP... but am rethinking the Mysore as I hear it may need to be propped. Call me the lazy gardener ....fact is, I have enough on my plate w/o having to prop/babysit a banana plant.

SOOO, my question is: what Banana would you all recommend that has the following characteristics:

1. good cold tolerance -I'm in zone 8b
2. is small/short/dwarf
3. has a fabulous tasting banana.

Thank for any help in this decision!

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Abnshrek

You have your order, but most people south of us will say there is no fantastic dwarf bananas, they are all talls.. I would do a lil babysitting it might be worth it if you want fantastic.. :v)

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hanabananaman

I have been growing D Namwah for over 2 years and it did much better in the cold than RP, DC and what I now believe to be Pisang Awak. I was about to rip out the PA mat before I knew what they were, they really started growing well after a mild winter. The first 2 bunches of PA last year never grew well after a nasty winter and they were fed to the compost bin. I got 1 bunch of DN last year that were very good considering the bad winter. There are 2 PA bunches and 1 DN hanging now and they both had red pedicles on the fruit and I think it was the PA that had red on the bunch stalk. The PA and DN are very close cousins according to the Kepler, Rust banana book that is often mentioned here. The book also mentions how ABB bananas like PA and DN are easier to grow requiring less water and fertilizer. The book is a work of art and it is well worth the $70+ for the huge amount of information you get. Don't let the Hawaii emphasis stop you, that is part of what makes the book so interesting. You will learn a lot about Hawaii. I think I have my second choke in 2 tries with my DC's, might give up on those soon. A good strategy I am learning and have read a little about in some posts here is trying to time your follower pups so they are about 6ft tall come winter (if they bud around 10ft). That allows it to put out enough leaves the following year to support a bunch if you lose all the leaves in the cold. If your freezes aren't too long in duration there are things you can do to keep your leaves alive below 32F like Christmas lights, propane heaters and water. It is much easier to keep a small plant alive in the cold. With a crazy amount of effort I have kept leaves alive with temps of 28F for a very short time, when it got down to 25F 2 winters back the battle was lost. Leaves died but the stems were fine. I have read that D Brazilian takes a long time from bud to mature fruit, want to learn more about that before I get one.
Good luck

crazy banana

The Pisang Ceylon is not a dwarf variety, but certainly one of the prettiest plants in my yard. I have tasted the fruit at a friends house and I loved the texture, sweetness and fruity undertone. Last winter was pretty mild here, only one night with some frost, so I cannot make any comments on the cold hardiness. I would say " go for it".

venturabananas

Personally, I'd go with Dwarf Brazilian. I love the flavor and find it very similar to Mysore/Pisang Ceylon/Pisang Klotek (though not quite as good as those Mysore varieties when they are all at their best). It doesn't need to be propped and stays shorter than the Mysore varieties. As an example, in my yard right now, the ratoon crop plants of PK and PC are both about 15' of p-stem (and still no flowers) and the ratoon crop plants of DB are about 8' at flowering. DB is a tough plant that doesn't require babying. I don't get freezing temperatures at my house, only down into the 30's and never a solid freeze, so I don't know how these varieties compare in that situation, but during winter here, DB does as well as anything except for Dwarf Namwah, which does slightly better.

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Lawler

Wellllllllll......... after much consternation, I have changed my 3rd of three in what I'd like to put in the ground.

With some sorrow from my taste buds, I am not going to put in a Pisang Ceylon ...as much as I have heard about their wonderful taste, I would LOVE to (and maybe someday, I'll get to taste what I will be missing)..... but I do just not have a place set up at this time for the taller Mysore that might need to be propped.
Perhaps next year, I'll carve me out a spot that can be easily reinforced with a support border that still makes the plant easy to access.

Soooo, after much thought and since smaller size and taste are the top two concerns, I'm going try a DWARF BRAZILIAN ....if I can find one

I have a Dw.Namwah & a Raja Puri (thank you Abnshrek & Nicolas Naranja!!) .... any nay-sayers that have an idea on another shorter and tasty banana other than the Dw.Brazilian??

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Abnshrek

That's to bad cause there is a PC of decent size on Ebay.. Lords knows it would get tore up in open country.. Good decision.. :^)

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PR-Giants

If you want a short 8' Mysore and don't mind harvesting 40-50 lb bunches, then just separate the pups and keep starting with a new plant crop (no ratooning).

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Lawler

Thanks, I appreciate the tip! I will keep it in mind when I am in a position to regularly have more time to devote.
Sooo, the "Sweetheart"... got to do some research ....or is this another name for Dw. Brazilian?

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venturabananas

Sweetheart is a good suggestion. It is tough plant, from what I've seen of others growing it, but I haven't grown it or tasted it myself. It is described more as a cooking banana, but so are other varieties that are commonly eaten as dessert bananas.

I agree with PR-Giants: Raja Puri and Dwarf Brazilian are very similar. In my yard, Dwarf Brazilian is a stronger plant that makes fruit that have better texture and maybe slightly better flavor. The Kepler and Rust book expresses the same opinion about better flavor in Dwarf Brazilian, but the difference is not big in my limited (with Raja Puri) experience.

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venturabananas

That worked for PR-Giants, but not for me. Admittedly, he's much better at growing bananas than I am, but my plant crop Pisang Ceylon and Pisang Klotek were both over 10' before flowering and definitely didn't make 40-50 lb bunches. But it's certainly worth a try, because the ratoon crop is a good 5' taller than plant crop in these two varieties in my yard.

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PR-Giants

The people I've talked to here that are growing the FHIA-03 have said it's a much better dessert banana than the Namwa, plus it produces heavier bunches, grows faster, and ripens sooner. My 03s have been growing about 6" a week and I'll be harvesting them as cooking bananas but will let a bunch ripen. With all the high quality dessert bananas we can grow here, Raja Puri, Dwarf Brazilian, Namwa, and many others are just not worth growing.

I agree with venturabananas, and would also choose growing a DB over a RP.

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Abnshrek

I don't agree with anyone.. But I like the warm weather folks input. I'd grow both and see how well they endure for your winters.. Do they finish fruit or freeze, and after a side by side test pick what suits you.. I will continue to grow both.. :v)

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Lawler

Well, I've looked at the Sweetheart... lovely large Pstems.... is taller than I'm looking for. I have space and lay in bed thinking about all these types I want to put in. BUT, the space I'm looking to fill that has border and bubble ready is smaller and I'm looking for a short yummy dessert banana to fill it.

Again, have a Raja Puri and Dw. Namwah...
So, a yummy short dessert banana... more cold tolerant would be a bonus
I am looking at Dw. Bazilian and saw these below on the Going Bananas site.
How would you rate the below 3 with regards to:

• taste
• time to fruit
• time to ripen
• cold tolerance

Thanks for any help!


DOUBLE (Double "Mahoi")- This beautiful Cavendish type has very wide, dark green leaves and produces a full sized fruit. Also called the Mahoi, the second generation produces multiple bunches of fruit, usually 2 but sometimes more. Height 5-6 ft.

GRAND NAIN - The commercial variety that you can buy in the grocery store. The purchased ones are good but when you grow it yourself and see how delicious this banana can taste you wonder what took you so long to try. These full sized fruit ripen rapidly, so be ready. They can give 40-60 pounds of fruit with ease. Height 6-8 ft.

VEINTE COHOL - A dessert variety originating in the Philippine area and having green pseudostem with some brown patches. The small plump fruit (3-4") are soft and sweet. Height about 8-10 ft. Current research shows it to be rapid to fruit, a real plus in the short summers. This is what you have been asking for, one that fruits fast before the warmth is gone for those short growing seasons!

And would a Dw. Brazilian beat them out on taste, height & cold tolerance?

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crazy banana

Double Mahoi and Gran Nain are in the Cavendish family with all AA genomes.
Having said that, I would not try to grow those without planning on good winter protection, even in my (almost) frost free zone.
Veinte Cohol: have not tried to grow it myself, but other well more experienced growers here in San Diego and on bananas.org have reported very small bunches (pitangadiego grew one from TC to fruiting stage in 2 years with only 3 bananas harvest).

My 2 cents on these varieties: no - no - no
Just follow your first instincts and get a plant in the Mysore subgroup like the Pisang Ceylon and see how it does in your area. Would be more disappointing to me to loose a plant to cold, have a small harvest or a fruit that just does not taste great. Go and get a plant in the ground and do not over-think this.

PR-Giants

Where are you getting the idea that Raja Puri and Dw. Brazilian (Prata) are yummy?

There's only a few members left on the org that still believe that.

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PR-Giants

Bananas breaking barriers in Georgia




When most people think of bananas hanging from a branch, they picture tropical places. A University of Georgia researcher wants them to start associating Georgia with the popular fruit, and he’s found a new variety to help do that.

Americans love bananas. They eat 33 pounds per person every year, consuming 31 percent of the world’s bananas. Some 99 percent of all bananas eaten in the U.S. come from another country, said Greg Fonsah, an economist with the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and head of the UGA banana project.

Bananas could be much like strawberries or blueberries, which have both turned into multi-million dollar crops in just the past few decades in Georgia.

“It will be our new commodity, and at least part of that $1.5 billion spent to import bananas to the United States would be going back to boost our economy,” said Fonsah, who worked with multinational companies such as Del Monte Fresh Produce and Aloha Farms Inc. in Hawaii with bananas before coming to Georgia.

Fonsah and his colleagues have investigated 35 banana varieties in Georgia since 2003. One variety called Veinte Cohl – discovered in Florida -- looks promising, he said.

Viente Cohol

Veinte Cohol is a short-cycle banana that grows well in Georgia and the Southeast. Its pups, or small shoots from the tree, can be planted in April. Its fruit is ready to harvest in October before plant-killing frost hits the southern part of the state. Like all bananas, it doesn’t tolerate cold temperatures.

Fonsah said Veinte Cohol can grow anywhere in the U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone 8A as an ornamental landscape or nursery plant in addition to fruit production.

Typically, bananas need to mature on the tree for three months before harvest. Veinte Cohol’s bananas need just four to six weeks before they are ready to be plucked.

There are hundreds of varieties of bananas, but Americans typically prefer the Cavendish variety. When compared to Cavendish, Veinte Cohol bananas are smaller and a little tangier with a slight citrus taste.

Veinte Cohol bananas appeal to an ethnic market and sell for as much as $1.99 per pound. Americans typically pay between 45 cents and 65 cents per pound for Cavendish, Fonsah said.

“If we are satisfied to import all of our bananas, the money will go overseas. We may not be able to produce enough to compete oversees, but we can cut into that profit and keep part of our money over here,” Fonsah said. “We can also invest in other parts of our economy by purchasing fertilizer, equipment for farming and creating jobs.”

American Bananas

Most bananas are imported from Central America. American bananas — worth $13 million annually — are currently grown on 1,500 acres in Hawaii and 500 acres in Florida. The types produced in Florida are ethnic varieties, unlike the ones typically found in grocery stores.

“(Veinte Cohol) is perfect for small growers,” Fonsah said. “It is great to grow for fun, part-time, for agritourism and for additional supplemental income. Kids just freak out when they see these bananas growing.”

UGA Banana Team

The UGA banana collaborative team includes UGA plant pathologist Pingsheng Ji, entomologist Will Hudson, agricultural engineers Paul Sumner and Gary Hawkins, Patricia Timper with USDA, and Fulbright scholar Daouda Kone from Cote D’Ivoire, West Africa.

In addition to growing bananas as a food crop, the team’s engineers are looking at the potential of using bananas or its byproducts for alternative fuels.

The team first started the project at the UGA Bamboo Farm and Coastal Garden in Savannah, Ga. In 2009, they began studying them on the UGA campus in Tifton, Ga., too.

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Lawler

Mr. PR.

Questions:

Do you like the store bought Cavendish?

Am I reading correct that you recommend the Dw. Brazilian because the AB factor (and taste)?

Thanks for your input,
Lawler

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