Raja Puri banana

[SubTropicRay]

At what temperature do Raja Puri bananas exhibit cold damage? Is this a dwarf banana variety?

Thanks,

Ray

[dalmatiansoap]

Yes it is dwarf variety and my wend down to -1.5C five nights in a row and leaves are still up, shows good wind resistance to becouse of short petioles and robust pseodostem.

[osideterry]

I believe it's one of the hardiest dessert-quality types. Mine handled temps int he high 20s on consecutive winters with no problem at all. I finally dug it up because it was a slug. It never got more than about 6ft tall, and in my climate produced 1 bunch of never-to-ripen bananas in 4 years.

[edbrown_III]

Howdy Ray

its pretty short -- I hada mass of them producing last year after many years than the freezes came ---- slow to produce-- mine are about 5 feet tall --Burned by freezes but never lost trunks etc.

Best regards

Ed

[Eric in Orlando]

Here, the foliage isn't any hardier than other bananas. 32-33F it burns. But this one is supposed to be trunk hardier than other fruiting bananas and more resistant to nematodes. Ours only get 5-6ft tall and fruit every year.

But Ray you shouldn't have any problems cold wise with most edible bananas.

[mnorell]

Ray, it will be hardy for you in Tampa but it's my personal experience up here in southern Mississippi that it can't really stand extended freezes the way the others can. I believe 'Rajapuri' is well known for its cool tolerance, not its freeze tolerance. Last winter as you know was horrendous. Here we had something like 14 freezes in a row, 64 hours continuously below freezing and a low of 18.4F. Of all my edible banana cultivars (I have quite a few), 'Rajapuri' never returned. Same for 'Goldfinger' and 'Rose.' The big champ here is 'Belle.' Shot right back up in a huge clump, earlier than any others. Also 'Dwarf Nam Wah' came back strong. After that in strength, in rough order of speed and robustness of return were 'Orinoco' and 'Dwarf Brazilian,' then 'Mysore,' 'Brazilian,' 'Ice Cream' and 'SH-3640.' I planted a small plant of the compact single-season producer 'Veinte Cohol' this spring and it actually flowered in October but too late to get any fruit off of it. If you can get your hands on one, it's a good one to try if patience is not your strong suit.

I never saw any fruit on 'Rajapuri' in the several years I grew it here, as most years the trunks didn't want to stay up in our wet 9a winters, where other cultivars had no problem. Leaf hardiness was the same as all, just as Eric says. It stayed about 6' tall and looked nice enough with its squat, broad form, but I agree with Terry it was something of a slug. Again, 'Belle' (to 15-17' tall here) and 'Dwarf Nam Wah' (to 8-9') are the most productive in my garden, growing and fruiting amazingly well with little care unless we have a bad winter such as this last one...of course no fruit at all this year.

If you want a hardy dwarf you may want to try 'Dwarf Nam Wah' or 'Dwarf Brazilian' due to their toughness and excellent quality, sweet fruit. But they're not particularly fast producers. Though 'Goldfinger' didn't return this spring, it was the closest to a single-season producer I have had amongst the full-size bananas. New shoots would consistently come up in March and throw a flower in October, just in time to be frozen around Thanksgiving. Frustrating here, but in Tampa it might be a good one to try, as fruit quality is meant to be very good on that one. I do know however that 'Rajapuri' is at least somewhat adaptable: despite its mountain origins, it is grown in the Keys and produces well there.

[junglegalfla]

Ray,

I've grown this one for years. I got my first pup from Jeff. I have a pup for you if you want it. My leaves are browned out but it pushes through. Right now it's fruiting but the cold may inhibit that. It's a squatty beefy plant. Trunk maxes out around 6-7' plus leaves. Tasty desert type fruit.

[junglegalfla]

Make that 'had' a pup. I might get lucky and have one early summer if mine makes it. Looks really fried at the moment & it had a big hand of fruit on it that froze

[edbrown_III]

Ray, it will be hardy for you in Tampa but it's my personal experience up here in southern Mississippi that it can't really stand extended freezes the way the others can. I believe 'Rajapuri' is well known for its cool tolerance, not its freeze tolerance. Last winter as you know was horrendous. Here we had something like 14 freezes in a row, 64 hours continuously below freezing and a low of 18.4F. Of all my edible banana cultivars (I have quite a few), 'Rajapuri' never returned. Same for 'Goldfinger' and 'Rose.' The big champ here is 'Belle.' Shot right back up in a huge clump, earlier than any others. Also 'Dwarf Nam Wah' came back strong. After that in strength, in rough order of speed and robustness of return were 'Orinoco' and 'Dwarf Brazilian,' then 'Mysore,' 'Brazilian,' 'Ice Cream' and 'SH-3640.' I planted a small plant of the compact single-season producer 'Veinte Cohol' this spring and it actually flowered in October but too late to get any fruit off of it. If you can get your hands on one, it's a good one to try if patience is not your strong suit.

I never saw any fruit on 'Rajapuri' in the several years I grew it here, as most years the trunks didn't want to stay up in our wet 9a winters, where other cultivars had no problem. Leaf hardiness was the same as all, just as Eric says. It stayed about 6' tall and looked nice enough with its squat, broad form, but I agree with Terry it was something of a slug. Again, 'Belle' (to 15-17' tall here) and 'Dwarf Nam Wah' (to 8-9') are the most productive in my garden, growing and fruiting amazingly well with little care unless we have a bad winter such as this last one...of course no fruit at all this year.

If you want a hardy dwarf you may want to try 'Dwarf Nam Wah' or 'Dwarf Brazilian' due to their toughness and excellent quality, sweet fruit. But they're not particularly fast producers. Though 'Goldfinger' didn't return this spring, it was the closest to a single-season producer I have had amongst the full-size bananas. New shoots would consistently come up in March and throw a flower in October, just in time to be frozen around Thanksgiving. Frustrating here, but in Tampa it might be a good one to try, as fruit quality is meant to be very good on that one. I do know however that 'Rajapuri' is at least somewhat adaptable: despite its mountain origins, it is grown in the Keys and produces well there.

Mike this is real good news for me-- I live in North FL with simular freezes --whats the sources of the varieties that worked for you?

I have a few big clumps of Rajapuri if anyone is passing by here ---

Best regards

Ed

[Alan_Tampa]

I have found it to be mostly hardy, probably just ahead of Saba for me, maybe a tie.

Last year sent it back to ground level and the clump has been slow to recover. Kinda of a slow grower for nanners.

Had fruit a couple years back, was pretty good.

Alan

[aussiearoids]

I know Saba as a plantain type .

[_Keith]

I had one. All I can tell you for sure, is that after 3 nights near the 20 degree mark it is dead.

However, my Belle banana came back strong. Seems we have another sucky winter, but I do have faith that given just a little bit of a break, it will produce fruit in zone 9a.