skip to main content
Software
Integrations
Mobile App
Expert Support
All-In-One Platform for Construction and Design
See Pricing
Schedule a Demo
Talk to Sales: (888) 316-4595
My builder uses Houzz Pro to plan the timeline and give detailed estimates and daily updates with photos of progress, and provide invoices at pre-agreed key points in the build. This made the whole experience much more efficient and stress-free.
Steve W.
Client of Cribbs Construction
Learn More
Ideas
Discussions
Houzz TV
Houzz Research
Sign In
Houzz Logo Print
Explore DiscussionsFeatured Home DiscussionsFeatured Garden Discussions
Tropical Fruits
bananafan2

Banana Raja Puri's fruiting

10 years ago

It has been a very hot Summer and my bananas seem to be rather happy with the heat as well as the rain. It hasn't been as wet as last year, so I still need to water them. My Raja Puri
banana is now fruiting at a stem height of 5 ft and the daughter is
following suit at only 3 ft stem height (I was rather surprised). The bunch isn't particularly huge, but I would be too happy if they turn out ok. Here
are a few pix of them in bloom.


Mother plant in the front and the daughter close behind it:

Close up of the bananas:

Bloom spike of the daughter plant peaking out:

My experience with the larger bananas are not so good ... They don't fruit as willingly and when they die off, they leave a huge big mess for me to clean up. So, I've decided to only plant the dwarf varieties. I've added two more patches close to the home. They seem to do better there:


1st added patch (left: Mexican Red, Center: Musa Sumatrana X cross (I think), Right: Raja Puri Pineapple


2nd Added Patch: (Right: Double Mahoi, Center: Kru (a red banana) and Right (Dwarf Namwah)


I know ... they're planted so close together--really have very limited space here ... lol. I thought it would be better for them to try to grow in the ground than in the pot where there's not much chance of them ever fruiting. If they do fruit, the size of the fruit will be pathetic.





Comments (6)

  • 10 years ago

    those look great! What is a good source for purchasing a dwarf Raja Puri? I am getting the bug...but I sure don't know much about bananas. My lows are usually right around 30-32 degrees f...kind of marginal...huh?

  • 10 years ago

    Fireduck,

    Your planting zone there is close to where we are here in the Bay area. Yeah, it's kind of marginal, but if the winter remains warm like the last few years (keeping my fingers crossed), I don't have much plant damage. Some of the more sensitive ones just go on a dormant stage. The others continue to show some growth. But, there was one or two years when the Winter was really harsh and they all were 'fried up" with many of them dying to the ground. Though they usually do pop back up again when the warmer weather arrives.

    You can check out some of your local nurseries, or even Lowe's or Walmart. I remember getting mine from Walmart one time. Otherwise, you can also go online. You'll enjoy planting them. It's fun to see how they push out new leaves all the time. Their leaves can also be used for wrapping or serving food. My pet bunny loves chewing on them too.

  • Related Professionals

    Kissimmee Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · New Orleans Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Plattsburgh Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Bridgeport Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Savannah Landscape Contractors · Frederick Landscape Contractors · Spartanburg Landscape Contractors · Olean Landscape Contractors · Saint Marys Landscape Contractors · Hilo Landscape Contractors · Florence Architects & Building Designers · Rocky Mount Architects & Building Designers · Bartlesville Architects & Building Designers · McAlester Architects & Building Designers · Amarillo Architects & Building Designers
  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    Ice Cream/Java does fine in the SF bay area. Goldfinger is said to do well. Dwarf Cavendish used to be the standard,its been out of favor for some reason nowadays.

    Congrats on the Raja..I always thought of them as a big banana. 20' or so.

  • 10 years ago

    Thanks, stanofh. I'm curious to taste the Ice cream. I have one now fruiting in the pot, but only 4 fingers in the bunch. This is the compromise when grown in pots. The fruit sometimes don't even mature properly enough to be edible. Yes, Goldfinger is quite a prolific bloomers as well, but they have really huge trunks and I find it hard to manage in my small yard ... lol. I haven't had much luck with the Dwarf Cavendish when coming to fruit production.

    So, what varieties are you growing now and what's your favorite?





  • 10 years ago

    Ice Cream is it My first edible banana. Its not large at all to the tip of the top leaf, 12-14'? with 6' of stem maybe. All I have are small yards...much pruning to make it like I want. It was a pup in June 2014 from the Hayward Farmers market. Low price and hoping we would get normal rains made me take a stab.

    Somebody here mentioned NAMWA..I looked it up and it gets great reviews.Ice Cream's heritage is always in doubt. I've seen them yellow on the net and also as blue as Java. The names seem to be used for both plants regardless of banana color. I don't get it

  • 10 years ago

    Bananafan2, I'm greatly encouraged when I hear that people are growing semi-dwarf bananas and getting them to fruit at 3 or 5 feet high.

    There's hope for me yet! I haven't bought one yet, but I do have a couple of pink velutinas that are doing ok.

    Rick in CT

Related Stories
MOST POPULARMy Houzz: Open-Air Living in the Mountains of Bali
By Jeni Lee
Community, jaw-dropping beauty and sustainability come together in a tropical paradise for a London expat
Full Story
138
Sponsored
More Discussions
Jans Best Mulberry Tree Issue
4
What to do about my mango tree?
22