PaulOdin

I'm reading some reports on line calling these 2 types of bananas very similar. How? In size and appearance only? I have both, but they are only a couple of feet tall, and I'm wondering what to expect. I've also read a report that call rajapuri an apple banana. Can someone give me a bit clearer picture? Thanks!

Paul

Bananavilla

They are different in size, appearance, growth habit, and fruit quality. Only thing I can say that would be somewhat similar is that they both tend to hold there leaves quite upright.
Dwarf Cavendish has patchy brown to the trunk and doesen't like hot or cold weather. Raja loves heat and tolerates cold (zone 9) quite well. Darf Cavendish is probably a foot shorter than Raja generally.

I have not tasted home grown Dwarf Cavendish fruit but Raja Puri blows away store bought cavendish bananas.

I'm sure some of the others will post in with some genetic and more technical differences.
Just some simple speak from me,
Mike

pitangadiego

The one that "chokes" is the Raja Puri.

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Bananavilla

I keep hearing that one but have not seen it myself. And several others I know have not experienced that problem.
Do you have that experience down in So Cal Pitangadiego? Maybe Raja needs extreme heat around bloom time. Not sure, but Southergrower cranks them out in down in 7B with winter greenhouse protection.
Mike

PaulOdin

Thanks for the information. I'd heard about the choking problem before, but other than slicing and stripping back the outer leaves, I don't know anything to do about it. I'm in a humid zone 9 area, so maybe it won't (knock on wood) show up here. I've little interest in DC because I can buy the fruit at the grocery, but hope to move rajapuri around the edges of the yard as I get pups. I was not happy to see them lumped together.

Paul

Southern-Grower

the fruit is a lot better..

i've got 3 5' plants on same mother corm in gh now awaiting for them to fruit..

90+ bananas and one large zing in flavor... wife and kids love them..

in fact this is the only so far my wife has raved about..

http://spaces.msn.com/sgbananas/
above are pics on site.. use drop down menu to find raja then check out pics including raja fruits

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Happy Growing,

SG

Enjoy Life as it's too Short

pitangadiego

Yes, on Raja Puri Choking. The flower often doesn't make it out of the trunk, fully, and I have one fruiting now, whre the flower came out the side of the trunk about half way to the top. I have pix, when I get time to prep them for posting.

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pitangadiego

Here is the pix:

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GATrops

pitangadiego-Nice picture. I was wondering how much space you allowed between your plants? Do you plant them on 6 foot centers, 8 foot centers, closer? I'm putting in a few more plants (and taking out some more lawn) and was wondering how close you planted yours.

Many Thanks.
Richard

pitangadiego

Richard,

If I had the space, I would go to 10' centers. But I don't, so I have done the following. Some are at 5' centers, in a row, with no bananas to either side, which still gives them some space to spread out. Some have been planted in triangular groups of three at 5-6 feet apart, again with no bananas near by. Some have been planted in groups of four in a sort of trapezoidal pattern. PLUS, They were all mostly interplanted amongst the pears, apples, cherimoyas, citrus, figs, etc, which were there before the bananas, and were on 15' centers originally, with more planted on the diagonals (which made for an effective 9' center arrangement). So the whole thing is a huge jungle. That's why I can have a picture of a banana flower hanging in a tangerine tree.



Lakatan, by the way. Fhia23 was in the fig tree and Thousand Fingers shares with the Apple tree. It is not a machete-optional zone.



Red Green with Grapefruit, Fig, Apple, etc in the back ground, and Fhia23 and Red Iho off to the side, and Misi Luki just out of th pix.

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GATrops

pitangadiego-Thanks for the great info. I also suffer from not having any space (or having too many bananas but I refuse to accept that option). I like your triangle method with 5-6 foot centers. I love the idea of making effective use of the space available.

Many Thanks,
Richard

ngiann

pitangadiego, how can you combine figs and bananas? I know bananas need a lot of water and here in Greece if a fig gets water the fruit gets rotted - so it can only be eaten fresh and it can't be kept as dry nut.

pitangadiego

ngiann,

The figs get their water from the watering of the bananas, and don't get a lot of other irrigation - plus, I haven't gone to the work of drying - I just eat them fresh.

Sometimes there are trade-offs, but I'm not giving up the bananas or the figs.

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