Hi - WOW!!!!Wonderful looking banana pics. Where, can I get some of those?????? Are they expensive? Does the fruit have a nice taste? Thank you. tina_2

Hi joey powell,
Really nice pics. It seems that all Orinocos overwintered outdoors even in zone 8a/8b.
Was it the case? Or young pups overwintered indoors and
then they were transplanted outdoors in Spring?
Could you tell us the truth and thanks in advance.

Okay warning: this may take a while...:)

When we moved into our house in February of 2007, we had no banana trees. I was able to get several good size Orinoco corms (for free!) from my uncle who had recently dug them in an area about 50 miles north of here, near Highland Home AL in zone 7b.

I planted them in my back yard in what appeared to be pure clay in March and April. I put a soaker hose on them and give them about 15 or 30 minutes of water per day by using an electronic water timer that I got from Wal-mart. I also gave them a little triple 13 fertilizer. And they grew very fast last summer. Some got up to about 13-14ft, and I had thirteen clumps of banana trees going into the winter.

Around Thanksgiving, just before our first frost, I thinned each clump back to leave only one pseudostem. And for each psuedostem, I cut it off smooth at about 4 to 5 feet high above the ground. Then I let them go for a few weeks.

Even after we started getting frosts, they continued to grow, although more slowly. Then during the coldest three or four weeks of the winter, I put some old blankets and/or sheets around them and covered them with 6mil plastic. According to my weather station we got into the low 20s a few times, and we saw 20.5 degrees at the coldest.

I took all the coverings off around the first part of February, but we continued to have frosts unusually late this year...I believe on into the last part of March. We saw several periods when new leaves began to emerge, only to be burned away by cold temps. Anyways, once Spring finally came they really took off. I saw some new pseudostems go from literally nothing to about 13-14ft tall and 4" wide in only about four months.

And so after going through all these experiences and doing a lot of research, I now think I have figured out the best way to make them produce bananas (at least for Orinocos)...

(1) Overwinter just one psuedostem per established corm.

(2) When spring comes cut back a lot of the pups, especially the big ones right up close to the main psuedostem. When there are a lot of pups it seriously decreases the chances that you will get bananas, or at least that you will get a lot of them.

As an aside...As far as pups go I have found these big psuedostems to grow faster, but they do not seem to transplant as well as the little pups that grow out a foot or two away from the mother corm. Typically the little pups will have developed their own little corm, and they will have more thin, swordlike leaves.

Anyways, I digress...basically just allow for only the overwintered one and one other that will act as a replacement once the main psuedostem fruits. Although the mother corm will not die, the psuedostem always will after it fruits.

Also I think it helps to cut the flower bud off once it gets to the point where bananas are no longer being produced. They say this helps the fruit to fill out better.

Right now in mid August I have already seen five blooms...

The first was in June and produced no bananas. That clump had about ten or fifteen psuedostems on it. I am convinced that is why it made no fruit. The mother corm was devoting all her resources to maintaining them.

The second bloom was in the first part of July. I got forty bananas from that one.

The third was about three or four weeks ago. I got 30 bananas from that one...And I just clipped off the bloom today because I was worried about damage from the winds (25-30mph) we are experiencing from Tropical Storm Fay.

The fourth and fifth bloom are making bananas right now...I already have ten bananas hanging on one of them.

I also have 3 or 4 more psuedostems that I expect to bloom within the next four or five weeks. I hope to have edible bananas in about six weeks.

Wow that was a LOT. Sorry if it was too much information or if I seemed to talk a lot about stuff you already know. In any case I hope this post answers your questions!

And one more thing guys...I am looking for some decent sized corms of the following...

- Ice Cream / Blue Java banana
- Ladyfingers banana
- Grand Nain banana

(Okay let's be real: maybe any kind of banana that I do not already have).

- Also any kind of clumping bamboo, especially Alphonse Karr

If anyone would like to arrange a trade, I am game. I can promise you a big Orinoco corm that I will dig up myself.

JP

Thanks a lot, joey powell, for your detailed infos which answered
almost what I wanted to know. Perfect!!
Your infos encourage such persons like me who seek to harvest
bananas in a marginal zone.
Thanks again.

Joey, how long did it take for your bananas to ripen? Flower to fruit?

The jury is still out on that one.

I have found that, with steady heat and water, the Orinoco fruit will ripen at just about four months. Of course if the weather begins to cool it will probably take longer. Also, if you haven't heard, DON'T cut the fruit until it turns completely yellow on the tree. Otherwise, it will take forever for it to finish ripening. And these need to ripen more than your average grocery store banana...I mean, the outside of the banana should at least be a little mushy when pressed before you eat them. They are very flavorful...we made two batches of banana nut bread (and yest it was good)!