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kay5432250

Banana trees

kay5432250
16 years ago

I am looking for the best variety of banana trees to grow bananas. Can anyone help me with any information? I live in Port st Lucie, Fl. I just moved here a year ago from Jacksonville and I need to learn about growing plants in this area.

Comments (13)

  • garyfla_gw
    16 years ago

    Hi
    There are hundreds of varieties of bananas . Do you want them for fruit ,flowers ornamental leaves ?? Also check on sizes from under 10 feet to at least 30 . many different flavors of fruit also. Check on the web for MUSA will help narrow your search. gary

  • kay5432250
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Thanks Gary,
    I want them for furit. I will start the search with the information you provided.
    Kay

  • houstonpat
    16 years ago

    Rajapuri is a good one for the home.

  • kelpie473
    16 years ago

    How about Going Bananas in Homestead? I haven't been there but my husband has and he thoroughly enjoyed it. You can try bananas that are ripe as well as see them growing.

    Suzanne

    Here is a link that might be useful: Going Bananas

  • kay5432250
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Thanks everyone! It lossk like I have a lot of research to do.

  • tropicalfreak
    16 years ago

    I grow Ornamentals as well as Edible. We have moved 3 times in the past year and a half. I am rebuilding my collection. I only have one edible that given as a pup.

    I have used banana leaves as placemats.

    A guy here in Ft Lauderdale runs a site called bananas.org. People are always selling pups. Free to sign up.

    Cliff

  • sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
    16 years ago

    I have a few for fruiting that stay on the smaller side in a large round laundry tub: Double Mahoi, Dwarf Cavendish (not super dwarf), and Grand Nain.
    The others I have just for looks are zebrina, super dwf cavendish ( I know this may fruit but hasn't for me lol), E. Ventricosum, and Maurelli. I used to have more but like Tropical Freak I've moved a few times ;P

    Banana Leaves for placemats! What a cool party idea..How long will they last?

    We have used the leaves to steam fish and veggies they work awesome. Wonder what else you can do with banana leaves?
    I got alot of mine at Stokes Tropicals (walk in- never did the mail order thing_ miss going there lol). I hear good things about Going Bananas might try them next.

    ~SJN

  • anitaathome
    16 years ago

    I have about 7 varieties and I really like my Misi Luki. It is not too tall so I can keep it trimmed and it is not too vulnerable to high winds. It is prolific both in terms of how quickly it fruits and also in pup generation. It has a small but plump dessert banana.

    I would be happy to give you a pup. I am trying to get one to Gary too but I live East of Orlando, he is So of Melbourne and you are even further South.

    Will either of you be at Kate's swap in Orlando. Another alternative is mail but it gets expensive since bananas are heavy.

    I bought mine from the Going Bananas people who set up a booth at the Leu's Garden Plant sale every year. I got two new varietes from them this year but they have not been in the ground long enough for me to assess.

    My praying hands is nice in that I really like the fruit form but often the fruit is stunted and the leaves really get tattered in the wind and it is so tall that it takes a ladder to trim up. Since my bananas are all integrated into my gardens looking good is importan to me.

    Anita

  • tropicalfreak
    16 years ago

    SJN-

    I use them as placemats for one meal only and then shredded and sprinkled at the base of others.

    Anita,

    Thanks for you kind offer. I will not be able to attend Kate's Swap. I understand the coast of mailing is expensive.
    Thanks agin.

    Tropicalfreak

  • Tarvus
    16 years ago

    At one time I had 24 varieties growing. I've narrowed that down a bit since hurricane Charley hit and blasted my collection. Five cultivars that I would recommend for flavor include:

    FHIA-3 Sweetheart (great flavor, huge bunches, large fruit)
    Apple - also called Monzano (delicious, small fruit)
    Ice Cream (Blue Java) (delicious, small fruit, large bunch)
    Mysore (delicious, small fruit, small bunch, tall tree)
    Goldfinger (tasty, large fruit, large bunches)

    If I had to choose just one variety, I would pick Sweetheart since it is disease resistant, easy to grow, and has such tremendous yields. I had one bunch from my Sweetheart that weighed nearly 90 pounds!

    I suggest staying away from the cavendish varieties (Grand Nain, Williams Hybrid, etc.) since they taste like store bought bananas. Better to enjoy the variety of flavors the others offer!

    Best advice I can give a new banana grower is MULCH HEAVILY with 6 or more inches of mulch! I grow mine organically now, but I used to chemically fertilize. If you opt to use chemical fertilizer, it's almost impossible to over fertilize them once they have put out about 4 or 5 new leaves.

    Good luck!

  • southlatropical
    16 years ago

    I just got a musa red iholene. I have not tried the fruit, but this one is supposed to be both tasty and a very attractive plant with burgundy on the undersides of the leaves. Maybe someone else who has been growing one for a while could chime in. There is a guy at bananas.org that has some for sale or trade on the exchange forum.

  • tophersmith
    16 years ago

    Isaac,

    I had no idea you had Red Iholene, let me know if you get any pups. By the way here is some info in it; One of the most ornamental of all banana plants, and
    this one bears fine-tasting fruit, too. This Hawaiian
    cultivar has leaves that are burgundy colored on their
    lower surface to match the red-pink pseudostem. Being
    of a modest height, it is suited to both the landscape
    and greenhouse where it makes a beautiful specimen.
    The unripe fruit skin starts out pale yellow and should
    not be picked until it is very ripe. Very distinctive
    peachy flavor.

  • paradisi
    16 years ago

    Don't know if it's available in the USA - but the variety favoured by a lot of Aussies is lady finger, very sweet, good eater, large tree - mine approach 8 metres and a heavy cropper - the last bunch we picked was 28 kilos - that includes the stalk

    or there's blue java and gold finger - mentioned earlier.