Raja Puri,Banana

Getting ready to flower!!!

Another view

That is so fantastic!!! I wish mine would bloom.

Is it an ornamental kind? I might have to hunt one of those up down here. That is one thing that does grow very good here, bananas!

Rajapuri is one of my favorites. How do you overwinter it in KS? I need to get another rajapuri one of these days, but I'm in a colder zone than I used to be in so I'm trying to figure out how to deal with all of my subtropicals this winter.

Cala,its a good eaten vareity I heard,hope to find out soon.
TC,I overweintered last year in 10 gallon pot,kept it growing,you can just let go dormant in a cool dark place,unrtil next spring plant it and water it ,to get it growing again.

Thanks TM. I got a banana pup last week, don't know the variety cause it came from someone's yard, but it had short fat bananas that were very good. I can't wait till mine start blooming.

Thanks Don....I think I've just figured out how I'm going to overwinter my new nana's! One is the hardy zone 5 one Musa ?? and the other a tropical purple one (both are pups). Can I keep both of them growing this winter?

Lilypon, I used to keep all my nanas growing in the greenhouse before we moved south. They did much better than when I tried to store them in the garage.

Cala,living there shouldn't be too long!!LOL
Hey lil,yep just only water once a month,but mist often as you can,give as much sun as you can too,keep temps above 53* or they will stop growing.

T-man, it doesn't frost here, so all the nanas should be okay outside shouldn't they? Most everyone has a clump of nanas in their yards down here.

Thank you both!!! I really, really, really want to see a nanner tree here! ;D

I'll second the misting for indoor bananas. Mine would probably survive without it, but they never fail to get mites if I don't.

How old is yours? I have a couple that are 2 years old growing in 5 gal. pots, about 3 ft. high. No sign yet.

Cala,yep they should do great there!!!
Larry,this is a pup from last year,that grew all summer,dug up potted and kept growing in a sunroom,planted it on April first,then we had a cold spell that got down to freezing for about a week,took 2 months before it put on a leaf,it put 3 full size leafs,then it started choking and 4 leaves tried to come out but got stuck,and I had to slice the trunk about a foot,so the leaves could emerge.then the quarter leaf came out then the paddle leaf then the flower.

Lilypon,I winter my smaller bananas in the house and they do fine every year........

Thanks CC....where do you keep yours? Under lights or in front of a window?

In my upstairs bathroom
It has south facing skylights,and gets plenty of sun
I will say when they get too big they winter in the GH but if you get dwarf varieties they should be fine in the house
I had probably 5 nanas in the bathroom this past winter and they were all fine
The one I have that is going to bloom was wintered over in the bathroom its first year,after that it was too big......

Hey you guys! If your nanas don't make it through the winter, let me know and I will SASE some. I do not know what kind they are as they were here when I purchased the property. The bananas are good, and they do make pups.

Hi Mg.
Those look scrumptious!!!
You get bananas every year?
If you live by the coast they might be what they call the Rio grande banana,or Orinoco banana,do you have lots of them on your property?

If anyone gets many pups from a dwarf variety please keep me in mind (for SASE)....some very kind people do cross the border often. ;) edited to say I've had an offer from a wonderful DG'er, Thank You!! :D

This message was edited Aug 15, 2004 3:19 PM

Yes, Tropicman, I do live on the Gulf Coast. There are bananas on two clumps and there are lots of pups. I have given away about 20 in the two years I have been here. The bananas are good, but the squirrels like them also and we have lots of those too. These trees get to be about 15 ft. tall.

Midsgarden how long does it take for bananas to ripen? This is first time I've had bananas on my trees.

I am not sure about that, since this is only the second year that I have had them. Last year I waited a long time for them to turn yellow, and finally someone told me to cut the stalk off the tree and hang it in the shade. So soon after I hung it on the patio, the bananas started turning. This year I had a bloom on a small tree, and it only made a few very small fruit and they never grew. On the larger trees, the bananas grew rapidly. The ones in the photo started flowering in April, and although it still has a flowering tail on it, no more fruit are foming. I am not sure when I will take it down.

Yes, you have to cut the stalk from the tree to make the bananas ripen.

Cala,when to you cut the stalk?
Some may takes as much as 3 months to ripen I heard,if you leave them on the tree,some a lot less depending on the vareity.

From what I gathered listening to folks down here, they let them get several hands of bananas, then when the oldest on the stalk get a slight yellow tinge and the stalk has quit making bananas, they cut the stalk and they take a week or two to ripen. My boss brought a big stalk in to work and it took about a week to ripen.

Thanks for the info.I was wondering how they determined when to cut the stalk.