estan

I have just been surprised by 4 simultaneous sprouts of unidentified seeds I planted March or April of 2006. They have been inside in winter, on heating pad around 72 F. and outside and now in the Greenhouse in 90 plus degree weather for about 3 months. They were likely dried out several times too. I had given up on them. None have germinated before. ( It may be a form of Bordelon. I collected it in Honduras, Mar.'o6. Tall, slender, sparsely red spotted leaves long and narrow, and more or less horizontal fruit bunches. 2" bananas with 4 to 6 seeds per fr. and large enough to make the fruit lumpy. The fruits were just about out of reach. Does it grow in Central America?)

I have had similar experience with M. balbisiana and M.laterita, also collected same time and place. Although in each case I had (M. bal), 8 sprouts last sept. and one M. laterita in the summer. Now both kinds have been sprouting throughout this summer and 36 balb. seeds held over and planted this spring have had about 6 sprouts.

Also Ensete glauca sprouted one seed each from two mail order source last summer, and now this year, two more seeds from Chilterns have sprouted.

What about putting them in the refrigerator for the drops in temp.? Is that too cold? for sikkim. and itinerans.?

In any case I finally believe some tropical seeds do take over a yr. to sprout.
I always thought it was just the dealers' ploy to keep us from asking for replacements. I won't throw anything away now.

I have photos of the above but don't know how to get them from my CDs to the posts here.

Stan (estan)

Kylie2x

Congrats Stan!!
I have been suprised by a few seeds that were cast to the side...I would love to see pic's.. Depending on your software you should be able to insert your CD and bring up your pic's auotmatically... select the one you want ...right click.. It should provide you with options such as... add to favorites ,create a file, save as...something along that line... Hope this helps...
Kylie

Gabe15

They are a Musa acuminata subsp., however there are many of them so its impossible to say which one without closely examining the plant. There are only a few subsp. available on the market, most notable are subsp. zebrina, subsp. sumatrana and subsp. microcarpa was just recently made available through Rare Palm Seeds.

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Growing bananas in Colorado, Washington, Hawaii since 2004. Commercial banana farmer, 200+ varieties.

estan

Here are some photos of the fruits and seeds. M. balbisiana, M. laterita and the smallest, the one in question.

Stan in Ohio

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estan

I just located the photos of the "Bordelon" -like plant and fruit. The trees are the ones in the background right at the base of the big tree on the right. It is fairly clear if you zoom in.

Kylie, thanks for the tips.

Stan (estan)

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Gabe15

Yes, that is a Musa acuminata subspecies, I just do not know which one. Musa 'Bordelon' is a hybrid between Musa acuminata and Musa ornata.

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Growing bananas in Colorado, Washington, Hawaii since 2004. Commercial banana farmer, 200+ varieties.

estan

Another surprise. Just found an Ensete superbum sprout which I planted in 9/06; first one to sprout out of ten seeds planted, acc. to my label. Like I said before -= don't throw anything away! I lost the M. acuminata sprouts last winter -even on the south window heating pad.. M. balbisiana are down to 2 and counting. oldest and largest one just died. Is it supposed to be difficult? My 100 M itinerans and 100 Red sikkim. have yet to sprout. after a year.

Stan

Dean W.

Congrats Stan! I'm working on some now I'll be sure not to loose my labels.

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natedogg1026

Congrats fellow Z6er!!

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Banana's are a safe addiction. Right?Maybe I need classes.

Kylie2x

Very cool.. I am starting to reconsider some seed I have had in the ice box for over a yr now. I was just thinking of tossing it...Maybe Not!!! LOL
Kylie

Tropicallvr

Many other plant genus' require some sort of resting, or cooling period, but Musa are sort of a mystery. Pretty unpredictable. Even thin shelled ones can last for years. It also seems like some companies have better storage procedures than other. The ones I got direct from India were'nt stored well at all, and in the states Georgia vines seems to have a nice cool spot for storage since all her seeds look fresh and really germinate well.
Your question about "is it difficult". If you're refering to M.balbisiana, no they seem really easy even after many years IMO.

Lard Greystoke

I always inspect old batches. If the seed crumbles between your fingers, that's what Sherlock called a 'clue'. Otherwise I dampen the soil and give them another shot. In the wild they go through all sorts of cycles of cold/warm and wet/dry, so who knows what it takes for success. Patience is a virtue.