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Related
Species:
Abyssinian Banana (Ensete ventricossum Cheesman),
Musa balbisina Colla, M. ornata Roxb., M. textilis Nee
Adaptation:
Bananas and plantains are today grown in every
humid tropical region and constitutes the 4th largest fruit crop
of the world. The plant needs 10 - 15 months of frost-free conditions
to produce a flower stalk. All but the hardiest varieties stop growing
when the temperature drops below 53° F. Growth of the plant begins
to slow down at about 80° F and stop entirely when the temperature
reaches 100° F. High temperatures and bright sunlight will also
scorch leaves and fruit, although bananas grow best in full sun.
Freezing temperatures will kill the foliage. In most areas bananas
require wind protection for best appearance and maximum yield. They
are also susceptible to being blown over. Bananas, especially dwarf
varieties, make good container specimens if given careful attention.
The plant will also need periodic repotting as the old plant dies
back and new plants develop.
DESCRIPTION
Growth Habit: Bananas are fast-growing herbaceous perennials arising
from underground rhizomes. The fleshy stalks or pseudostems formed
by upright concentric layers of leaf sheaths constitute the functional
trunks. The true stem begins as an underground corm which grows
upwards, pushing its way out through the center of the stalk 10-15
months after planting, eventually producing the terminal inflorescence
which will later bear the fruit. Each stalk produces one huge flower
cluster and then dies. New stalks then grow from the rhizome. Banana
plants are extremely decorative, ranking next to palm trees for
the tropical feeling they lend to the landscape.
Foliage: The large oblong or elliptic leaf blades are extensions
of the sheaths of the pseudostem and are joined to them by fleshy,
deeply grooved, short petioles. The leaves unfurl, as the plant
grows, at the rate of one per week in warm weather, and extend upward
and outward , becoming as much as 9 feet long and 2 feet wide. They
may be entirely green, green with maroon splotches, or green on
the upper side and red-purple beneath. The leaf veins run from the
mid-rib straight to the outer edge of the leaf. Even when the wind
shreds the leaf, the veins are still able to function. Approximately
44 leaves will appear before the inflorescence.
Flowers: The banana inflorescence shooting out from the heart in
the tip of the stem, is at first a large, long-oval, tapering, purple-clad
bud. As it opens, the slim, nectar-rich, tubular, toothed, white
flowers appear. They are clustered in whorled double rows along
the the floral stalk, each cluster covered by a thick, waxy, hood
like bract, purple outside and deep red within. The flowers occupying
the first 5 - 15 rows are female. As the rachis of the inflorescence
continues to elongate, sterile flowers with abortive male and female
parts appear, followed by normal staminate ones with abortive ovaries.
The two latter flower types eventually drop in most edible bananas.
Fruits: The ovaries contained in
the first (female) flowers grow rapidly, developing parthenocarpically
(without pollination) into clusters of fruits, called hands. The
number of hands varies with the species and variety. The fruit (technically
a berry) turns from deep green to yellow or red, and may range from
2-1/2 to 12 inches in length and 3/4 to 2 inches in width. The flesh,
ivory-white to yellow or salmon-yellow, may be firm, astringent,
even gummy with latex when unripe, turning tender and slippery,
or soft and mellow or rather dry and mealy or starchy when ripe.
The flavor may be mild and sweet or subacid with a distinct apple
tone. The common cultivated types are generally seedless with just
vestiges of ovules visible as brown specks. Occasionally, cross-pollination
with wild types will result in a number of seeds in a normally seedless
variety.
CULTURE
Location: Bananas require as much
warmth as can be given them. Additional warmth can be given by planting
next to a building. Planting next to cement or asphalt walks or
driveways also helps. Wind protection is advisable, not for leaf
protection as much as for protection of the plant after the banana
stalk has appeared. During these last few months propping should
be done to keep the plant from tipping or being blown over.
Soil: Bananas will grow in most
soils, but to thrive, they should be planted in a rich, well-drained
soil. The best possible location would be above an abandoned compost
heap. They prefer an acid soil with a pH between 5.5 and 6.5. The
banana is not tolerant of salty soils.
Irrigation: The large leaves of
bananas use a great deal of water. Regular deep watering is an absolute
necessity during warm weather. Do not let plants dry out, but do
not overwater. Standing water, especially in cool weather, will
cause root rot. Plants grown in dry summer areas such as Southern
California need periodic deep waterings to help leach the soil of
salts. Spread a thick layer of mulch on the soil to help conserve
moisture and protect the shallow roots. Container grown plants should
be closely watched to see that they do not dry out. An occasional
deep watering to leach the soil is also helpful.
Fertilization: Their rapid growth
rate make bananas heavy feeders. During warm weather, apply a balanced
fertilizer once a month--a 8:10:8 NPK fertilizer appears to be adequate.
A mature plant may require as much as 1-1/2 to 2 pounds of the above
fertilizer each month. Young plants need a quarter to a third as
much. Spread the fertilizer evenly around the plant in a circle
extending 4 - 8 feet from the trunk. Do not allow the fertilizer
to come in contact with the trunk. Feed container container plants
on the same monthly schedule using about half the rate for outside
plants.
Frost Protection: Bananas flourish
best under uniformly warm conditions but can survive 28° F for short
periods. If the temperature does not fall below 22° F and the cold
period is short, the underground rhizome will usually survive. To
keep the plants that are above ground producing, protection against
low temperatures is very important. Wrap trunk or cover with blanket
if the plants are small and low temperatures are predicted.
Pruning: Only one primary stem
of each rhizome should be allowed to fruit. All excess shoots should
be removed as soon as they are noticed. This helps channel all of
of the plant's energy into fruit production. Once the main stalk
is 6 - 8 months old, permit one sucker to develop as a replacement
stalk for the following season. When the fruit is harvested, cut
the fruiting stalk back to 30 inches above the ground. Remove the
stub several weeks later. The stalk can be cut into small pieces
and used as mulch.
Propagation:Propagation of bananas
is done with rhizomes called suckers or pups. Very small pups are
called buttons. Large suckers are the preferred planting material.
These are removed from vigorous clumps with a spade when at least
three feet tall, during warm months. Pups should not be taken until
a clump has at least three to four large plants to anchor it. When
the pup is taken the cut must be into the mother plant enough to
obtain some roots. Plant close to the surface. Large leaves are
cut off of the pup leaving only the youngest leaves or no leaves
at all. Some nurseries supply banana plants as container grown suckers.
Pests and Diseases: Bananas have
few troublesome pests or diseases outside the tropics. Root rot
from cold wet soil is by far the biggest killer of banana plants
in our latitudes. California is extremely fortunate in not having
nematodes that are injurious to the banana. Gophers topple them,
and snails and earwigs will crawl up to where they can get continuous
water, but these pests do not bother the plant.
Fruit Harvest: Stalks of
bananas are usually formed in the late summer and then winter over.
In March they begin "plumping up" and may ripen in April. Occasionally,
a stalk will form in early summer and ripen before cold weather
appears. The fruit can be harvested by cutting the stalk when the
bananas are plump but green. For tree-ripened fruit, cut one hand
at a time as it ripens. If latter is done, check stalk daily as
rodents can eat the insides of every banana, from above, and the
stalk will look untouched. Once harvested the stalk should be hung
in a cool, shady place. Since ethylene helps initiate and stimulate
ripening, and mature fruit gives off this gas in small amounts,
ripening can be hastened by covering the bunch with a plastic bag.
Plantains are starchy types that are cooked before eating.
CULTIVARS
The antiquity of the banana and its tendency to produce mutations
or sports have resulted in an extensive number of cultivars. Only
the common ones growing in California are listed.
Apple, Silk, or Manzana
Dessert type, pleasant sub-acid apple flavor when fully ripe.
Fruit: 4 to 6 inches. Grows to
10 to 12 feet. The fruit is not ripe until some brownish specs appear
on the skin. From planting until harvest is approximately 15 months.
Cavendish Resistant to Panama Wilt
disease. Clones of this variety are distinguished by the size of
the pseudostem. The largest is Lacatan (12 to 18 feet) followed
by Robusta and Giant Cavendish (10 to 16 feet). The smallest is
the Dwarf Cavendish (4 to 7 feet).
Cuban Red Very tall (up to 25 feet),
very tropical. Skin dark red, with generally reddish pseudostem.
Fruit is especially aromatic with cream-orange pulp. 20 months from
planting until harvest.
Gros Michel Commercially, the most
important and considered by many to be the most flavorful. Because
of its susceptibility to Panama Wilt disease it is being replaced
with resistant varieties. Although there is no Panama Wilt in California,
it does poorly here as the plant seems to need more heat and it
tends to grow more slowly than other varieties
Ice Cream or Blue
Java Medium-tall (15 to 20 feet), bluish cast to the unripe
fruit.
Fruit: 7 to 9 inches, quite aromatic
and is said to melt in the mouth like ice cream. Bunches are small
with seven to nine hands. 18 to 24 months from planting until harvest.
Lady Finger Tall (20 to 25 feet),
excellent-quality fruit, tolerant of cool conditions. 15 to 18 months
from planting to harvest.
Orinoco Commonly grown in California
for years as a landscape plant. Grows to 16 feet, more cold hardy
than any other. 15 to 18 months from planting to harvest. Flavor
is good, texture is less than perfect, but when properly grown and
cultivated it can produce enormous stalks of fruit. Excellent in
banana bread. Sometimes called horse, hog or burro banana, it can
be purchased at most nurseries.
Popoulu A Hawaiian variety with
short, salmon-pink flesh, plump fruit that may be cooked or eaten
fresh. A slender plant preferring a protected area with high humidity
and filtered light. Grows to about 14 feet tall.
Valery A Cavendish clone resembling
the Robusta. Some believe them to be the same. The Dwarf Cavendish
is the most widely planted as it is better adapted to a cool climate
and is less likely to be blown over.
Williams The same as Giant Cavendish.
Originated from a mutation of Dwarf Cavendish found in Queensland,
Australia. A commercial banana grown in many countries that does
well in California. 10 to 16 feet in height and has a distinctive
long, very large bud. The Del Monte is a Williams.
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AVAILABLE FROM:
Alan’s Tropical Fruit Trees
Largo, FL
J.D. Andersen Nursery
Fallbrook, CA
Atkins Nursery, Inc.
Fallbrook, CA
California Tropical Fruit Tree Nursery
Vista, CA
Exotica Nursery Inc.
Vista, CA
Green Mart
Orange, CA
Jene’s Tropicals
St Petersburg, FL
Laguna Hills Nursery
El Toro, CA
Louisiana Nursery
Opelousas, LA
Roger & Shirley Meyer
Fountain Valley, CA
Northwoods Wholesale Nursery
Mollala, OR
Oregon Exotics
Grants Pass, OR
Pacific Tree Farms
Chula Vista, CA
Papaya Tree Nursery
Granada Hills, CA
Ben Poirier
Fallbrook, CA
Montoso Gardens
Maricao, Puerto Rico
Just Fruits and Exotics
Crawfordville, FL
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