bananas?

[Suess]

I know odd!
I was wondering about bananas. Can I grow them in Southern California. I am officially a zone 9 I believe. And how many do you need? Are they a tree that needs friends?

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

We have 6 banana trees that we have been able to get bananas a few years in the past 6 years.

Bananas don't need a pollinator as they develop parthenocarpically. They do however need at least 12-15 months of frost free conditions to develop a flower stem. Bananas grow best in temps of 80-95 degrees with high relative humidity.

That being said, there are some cultivars that have been hybridized to grow in less favorable conditions. Also, most dwarf varieties will grow outdoors during the summer months and indoors during the winter months to ensure a frost free environment. Many companies have these varieties available.

They really are a fun plant to grow and are very cool when they do produce. Not the easiest thing to grow but certainly a cool plant!

Good luck!

 

[Tutter]

Suess, I think you might be able to grow them trouble-free.

Before we moved, we had them, and never did much of anything to them. But got nice hands of bananas.

We did have to cut them, then hang them from our porch roof to ripen, as there was a very strange lady who would come and stare at them every day...with a machete in her hand! When we didn't get them quickly enough, she took them!

Now those I do miss! They were there when we moved into the house, and produced for the 10 years we lived in it.

Good luck!

OaklandCityFarmer, are you in marginal conditions for them? Ours in S. California were care-free....

Ours were growing in typical S. California conditions...low humidity, hot summers etc. And I'd say they were about 15' tall.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

It may have been just the varieties. We have Musa acuminata LA Colla which is not very cold tolerant.

We are in a bit of a low spot and do get a lot of wind and over the past few years we've had some really cold winters sporadically. I remember about 3-4 years back we were having winters with lows in the teens and 20's. Definitely not the optimum conditions for bananas.

They can tolerate low humidity more than they can cold. Bananas will literally stop growing if the temps drop below 50.

 

[Texas Fluffy Feet]

Does the dwarf variety you mentioned produce fruit? Here in North Central Texas I could not plant one in the ground, but if the dwarf varieties can produce fruit I'd love to have a couple in huge pots. My DD is a banana nut! She would think it so neat to grow our own bananas! I have seen some trees at a local nursery but I didn't take time to learn more about them there.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Does the dwarf variety you mentioned produce fruit? Here in North Central Texas I could not plant one in the ground, but if the dwarf varieties can produce fruit I'd love to have a couple in huge pots. My DD is a banana nut! She would think it so neat to grow our own bananas! I have seen some trees at a local nursery but I didn't take time to learn more about them there.

Some dwarf varieties do produce fruit and it would be a great thing to try to grow in Texas, you have a pretty good climate for it. Put wheels on the bottom of pots to make them easy to move.

Good luck

 

[Backyard Buddies]

Yup, sure can. I've seen them growing throughout So. Cal - even within a couple of miles of the coast and we have one growing at the church garden, although it's still on the small side and hasn't produced yet. Armstrong's Nursery sells the pups of the Dwarf Cavendish variety locally. Laguna Hills Nursery carries a larger number of varieties:
http://www.lagunahillsnursery.com/menuwebs/troptrees.asp

I have a few websites bookmarked that you might find helpful:

http://home.att.net/~oc_crfg/banana-crfg-v27-5.htm

http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/banana.html

 

[Texas Fluffy Feet]

Thanks Y'all! We have a small pond in the backyard and I think a couple would look pretty neat out there during the long summer we have. I will go check and see what was at the Plant Shed.

 

[Suess]

Thank you Backyard Buddies
I am checking those sites out now!
Yeah...DH wants to put a pond again with native frogs, and try turtles again (our last one was 10 inches across and was taken by a opposum)...I was thinking Banana trees would look really cool with that.