What have you known from the disaster in CA?

17 years ago

Hello the bananafans in CA!

I deeply sympathize with you all who suffered from the

recent disaster.

Knowing it is quite difficult to tell the influences on

the plants, depending on the different circumstances and

the locations, but could you tell us your findings and

observations about the cold hardiness of the bananas you

grow? As everybody know that Basjoo, Sikkimensis, Velutina

and Chinese Yellow are quite cold hardy, also tell us how other species like CA.Gold, Rajapuri, Orinoco, Ice

cream etc. tolerated against the disaster.

Thanks in advance.

Comments (5)

pitangadiego
17 years ago
The old adage, "location, location, location" still applies.
scottlk
17 years ago
Well - I guess if you have an avacodoe or orange grove maybe it was a disaster, but for me it was just an inconveniance.

Out where I live it was subfreezing from about 10-11pm to 7am every night for a week. We had one night where it hit 21 degrees (cold enough to freeze our water pipes) and one night down in the upper 20's.

My small goldfinger (3-4 feet tall) was frozen down to the ground. It looks like the corm is just fine and appears to be pushing up new growth. Also a small 2-4 foot apple lost about 1/2 it's pseudostem - I see some new leaf trying to push up, but we've still been down in the upper 30's to low 40's at night so it's struggling.

My big ice cream (7-8 feet tall) lost maybe the top 6-8 inches of stem, it's starting to push out new leaves as well.

Of course YMMV and no warranty expressed or implied :-)
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godsdog
17 years ago
goldfinger, saba, blue java all came through with top leaves frozen. Mysore seems to be a lot more sensitive and had to be trimmed back severely, but new pups coming up. I was about to give up on Kru and red lhoene anyway but they had to be taken down to the corm. Cardaba did ok but was in a much better location so don't know it's sensitivity. Manzano froze back to ground in spite of better protection.
Blue java and goldfinger bananas have turned yellow and are edible, but clearly not the same quality of fruit as before. One stalk of mysore is starting to turn but i'm waiting to see what it will do, but the other bunch is smaller and looks as if it will wither.
asacomm
Original Author
17 years ago
Hello Bananafans in CA!

Unfortunately nobody posted how Rajapuri and Dwarf Orinoco
endured the CA disaster.
Could anyone report on this subject please? and if possible
also on Helen's hybrid.

thanks in advance.
godsdog
17 years ago
I have a non-dwarf orinoco which had very little damage however it is sheltered on the north by the neighbor's garage and a very large lemon tree and swimming pool on the south side. The tops froze down to the roofline of the garage. I suspect that this speaks more to the protection than to plant hardiness.