I bought a banana in the houseplant section at w-mart and the tag says "musa acuminata" and states "dwarf banana", though the tag doesn't really state a cultivar name. The nursery is from Florida and does have a webpage and on there under a section called "banana plant care" they do refer to the dwarf banana as "the dwarf banana or musa cavendishii" so I am guessing that the plant I have is likely a dwarf cavendish even though the tag doesn't directly say it.

Is the summer care of all banana's quite similar regardless of type? That is, sun, moist rich soil, and a sheltered spot? I do realize that this dwarf banana must be treated like a tropical plant for winter, that is, I can't store the root like I would a musa basjoo.

If this is a dwarf sized plant when mature, does it make sense to reason that the rate of growth per summer would be less than other larger banana types? I grew a musa esete last summer and it went from a small plant to four feet high at the end of summer. Am I lucky if the dwarf banana hits 2 feet by the end of summer? Is it as tolerant of cool weather as musa basjoo or musa esete, or will this dwarf banana sulk during cool weather?

Thanks for any input, I think I'll put my dwarf banana in a pot on the deck for the summer, but I can see my Mom planting her's with her annual flowers, so I want to get an idea as to how tall it might get in one Canadian summer. Basically two months of warm weather then cooler nights by mid august already.

Glen