I love Blue Java (Ice Cream) banana trees cause they grow fast and huge!
Hey Wombat,
Thanx for the pics!
That's a really healthy pup and btw, I had the same prob with an Ice Cream banana tree that fell over. It was huge and the wind crashed it down.
That last banana tree must think it's a 1000 Fingers banana, lol! That's a ton of bananas 4 sure! Congrats about getting to grow 7 kinds now!
We can grow any banana plant we want in the U.S. but if they have Panama disease or Black Sigatoka, they have to be destroyed. I think Yellow Sigatoka is okay since copper fungicide will cure that.
Hey Bluewolf,
Def get a banana pup!
They're fun!
Hey Curbie,
Oops!
I forgot about that $50 minimum order thing. I had to get raspberries to get mine over $50. Btw, congrats about the Pineapple banana tree!
Gotta see pics!
Btw, I always wait till pups are about 3 feet before I dig mine and cut them off. They survive better that way!
And Wombat's right, the U.S. bananas come from Ecuador. Usually either William's hybrid or Cavendish.
CrabberGirl,
Thanx!
I've been making that list for about a year now. When I find a new banana plant in cyber space, I check it out and add it to the list. I dont have info for all of them but I will give some good ideas about some of them in my post.
Oh, and I'll add banana flavors too!
The first thing to remember is that any banana tree can be grown in any zone, if they're brought inside in the winter. They hibernate indoors if you dont feed or water them.
Some cold hardy bananas:
Basjoo & Sikkimensis & Red Tiger Sikkimensis love cold weather. But you still needa cover them with mulch and use plastic mats to keep the ground dry when it's really cold.
Blue Java (Ice Cream) banana trees will make bananas in zone 5, if they are brought inside in the winter. -- Winter = less than 50*F.
In zones 4-7, almost any banana tree has to be dug up and brought inside for the winter. But it's def worth it!
You can dig them up, shake the dirt off the roots, and lay them somewhere that stays around 50-70*F. The leaves will die before spring but when you stick it back in the ground it starts making new leaves and growing again!
If you do bring them in for the winter, here's some really good ones:
(this list includes bananas that people have grown in Ontario)
1. Blue Java -- The 1st year it will get about 8 feet tall, even if it's not fertilized much.
---- It will get about 15 feet tall the 2nd year. zone 8-10.
2. Dwarf Cavendish -- This one only gets about 6-8 feet tall. zone 8-9. Good in pots!
3. Basjoo -- This gets 12-18 feet tall. zone 5a-11. The bananas aren't edible though.
4. Dwarf Orinoco -- This gets 5-8 feet tall. zone 7B-11. Cooking bananas!
5. Orinoco -- This gets 16-20 feet tall. zone 7-9. Keep very dry indoors in the winter.
6. Sikkimensis -- This gets 12-18 feet tall. zone 5-9. This one loves cool, marine climates!
---- The bananas taste kinda like watermelon but watch out for the hard, black seeds!
---- The leaves are kinda red underneath.
7. Red Tiger Sikkimensis -- The same as above BUT has red pen stripes in the leaves!
8. Zebrina -- This is not easy to find. And I cant find any info either. But I grew one and in just 1 year it was about 8 feet tall! Btw, I have one now! Be careful though! Stores will try to sell you a Rojo or Ensete Maurelli and call it Zebrina. But it wont have the red/green camo leaves. Just green on top and red underneath.
---- The bananas are not edible though.
9. Zebrina x Gran Nain -- No info for this one either but it's like the other one except it makes small edible bananas!
BANANA FLAVORS
Apple Cider -- Misi Luki -- slightly under-ripe Orinoco
Grapefruit -- Gros Michel
Green Apple -- Hawaiian Apple
Honey -- Jamaican Red
Watermelon -- Pisang Klotek
Orange -- Red Iholene
Pineapple -- Pisang Klotek -- it depends on how ripe the banana is
Rose Apple -- Orito
Sweet Cheese (Ricotta or Mascarpone) -- Moradito (red-skinned minis)
Tart Cherry Pie and Custard -- Lacatan
White Sweet Potato -- Kichua Sweet Plantain, Gros Michel when used as a plantain
Vanilla Ice Cream -- Blue Java (Ice Cream)
Hey Curbie,
That banana tree you bought is prolly a Pisang Klotek! That's the only one that makes bananas that taste like Pineapples! They were imported here from Sri Lanka in 2005. The leaves are kinda pale green with maroon undersides. They survive in zones 5-10. The stem get 9-13 feet tall and the whole plant gets 20-25 feet tall (to the top of the leaves). They make small 4-5 inch long bananas and like lots of sunlight. And you wont have to protect them till the temps are about 35*F. But the pups are deeper in the ground than most banana trees so you'll needa dig deeper to cut them off.
