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wxman81

Dwarf Cavendishes went in the ground today!

wxman81
16 years ago

Today I put my two dwarf cavendishes in the ground today. They are my first two bananas which I bought last Friday from Stein's. How long does it take them to fruit generally? And would they do it if I brought them in this fall and put them in a window that got afternoon sun? How many pups do they generally put out per year and how soon until I might see a pup? How tall can I expect them to reach by October? And lastly, if I were to leave them outside this winter in SE WI heavily mulched would they survive?

I have two basjoo's coming tomorrow, and I'm excited to get those in the ground too!!!

Here is a picture of the planted babies.

{{gwi:407214}}

Comments (4)

  • daryljurassic
    16 years ago

    Well, two things to start....Its alittle early to plant in your zone unless its a very warm April. Cavendishes don't like chilly nights. I suppose you can cover them up...Also your location looks like its a bit tight. Is this area a micro climate? 'Dwarf' cavendishes can still get pretty big btw. You will probably never get fruit in your zone. They do overwinter well indoors. A greenhouse could help in fruiting. If it were me I would plant in early May (depending on long range forcasts) and consider a more roomy location. The musa bajoos will also need some room and try to avoid the temptation of bringing them in this fall. Keep this variety in ground. All your bananas should get better each year. More pups/taller. Hard to say what you will get this year...I have attached a photo of a musa basjoo that is a couple years old. I have to move this year cause it has out grown its location. This puesdostem(several) are easily each bigger than basketballs. Basically, a Bobcat dozer would be nice about now.

    Here is a link that might be useful: musa basjoo

  • Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
    16 years ago

    None of my bananas are going in the ground until May. Too risky. Course I guess you can be ready to cover them with a pot or something. Those look like possibly Superdwarfs. I have a Dwarf Cav and it can easily get 8-10 feet tall. Cavendish are fairly tender. They'd never survive your winters. Not unless you're maybe zone 8 and that's with protection. Even Basjoos might be iffy in zone 5.

    Don't expect fruit on Super Dwarfs, they can be tricky. They'll produce tons of pups, but unless you have greenhouse conditions, may not produce fruit. Hope you prove me wrong though!

  • franktank232
    16 years ago

    {{gwi:407215}}

    You should be fine. Here is a pic of my SDC last summer. It was small like yours when it went in the ground last spring. Hopefully it gets warm and stays warm.

    Don't ever expect fruit. Unless you have a greenhouse or something. They would need to start fruiting by mid June? and then you'd probably still need a very warm fall...not likely.

  • hlily
    16 years ago

    I have the super dwarf cavendish that i just keep in pots and move them out in late May and bring inside in Sept or Oct. I have had them for 5 or 6 years. they put out plenty of pups, grow about 3 or 4 feet tall and never produce fruit in my zone.
    Hlily