That's AWESOME!!!

Wow...don't know how they snuck up on me--but my 'nanners are well into early bloom stage again! 3 months earlier than last yr so I think they have an excellent shot at reaching maturity.

Can just see purple bloom about 5 ft above dirt on left.

Just found second bloom for the season this morning July 22, 2012. First bunch looks like it will show about 200 bananas total.

Great job, they are beautiful !!!
Christine

OK--this is a newbie site--my initial estimate of 200 bananas per bunch is way off, more like 50 now that I realize most of the bits are NOT real bananas but only 'fakes'...or rather innert phseudo bananas. Anyway I have two healthy looking bunches with slowly growing Orinoco bananas that I hope to see have time to become fully developed and 'tree ripe'.

Oh my! Thats orinoco looks awesome. Now I am jealous. I have been trying to get Orinoco plant/ seed with no luck. I love orinoco for it fruits as delicacy like banana fritter or fried banana and some dessert type of food. Can you pls tell me where you get the seed or plant from? Thanks !

Oh my! Thats orinoco looks awesome. Now I am jealous. I have been trying to get Orinoco plant/ seed with no luck. I love orinoco for it fruits as delicacy like banana fritter or fried banana and some dessert type of food. Can you pls tell me where you get the seed or plant from? Thanks !

or would you sell one or trade?

Funny story. Almost 30 years ago I moved from Wilmington, North Carolina to Tampa Bay. A friend told me, you are moving to Florida, take this banana plant. Up there, they keep them in containers and put them in their houses crawl space for the winter. This variety is not short; they run about 25 feet. But, they are not bothered too much by 27 degree nights. They get burned but come back and even give fruit the same year. The one in the photo had 29 degrees last winter. Others we have already harvested.
I guess I could send a plant to someone really interested and willing to pay the expense or trade another fruit.
I guess you could call this my North Carolina orinoco banana.

It looks like my photo didn't post.

Very nice plant and fruit, shuffles. So neat you kept the plant going all these years. And, yes I'd be interested in paying for shipping for a baby or two of an obviously well loved plant. I love plants with histories to them.

Would love an Orinoco pup also if you would like to trade for plants I have lots of agapanthus, crocosmia and libertia perigrinan's gold stripe. Maybe the spring would be a good time. I have a
sister in Magalia with a greenhouse that could help with a trade. Thanks Shuffles

It has been a good year for bananas. This bunch is not really that yellow - this close to sunset photo doesn't give the true color. In addition to these, there are three good looking bunches of apple bananas on the way. As usual, we have a couple dwarf Cavendish bunches on the way that will not make it if we have a freeze. The leaves have already been damaged by the slightest of frosts that we have had.

Sorry, somehow the photo got lost in editing.

We cut off our orinocos the end of Dec and brought them inside to ripen. They did great ripening inside and taste great! we still have 4 left that are ripening :)