Fruiting Orinoco's

[Matt in SD]

Terry,

Our Brazilian (tall) take forever for the fruit to swell, and they never get that fat really.  We have one with fruit that I swear flowered last fall and the fruit is still not ready.  It might have flowered early in spring, but either way we're talking more than 6 months for sure to get the fruit to eating size.  

The fastest I've seen from flowering to edible  fruit is Mona Lisa, followed by Goldfinger.

Matt

[gerard]

Does anyone have orinoco seeds for trade?

Thanks

[osideterry]

Glen - I hope I wasn't confusing my orinocos and brazilians in that last post.

Brazilian - Set fruit August 1. Looks about the same as my photo in Post 35. 3 months in and it's getting cooler at night. They don't look ready to pull to me. I might cut these off if it looks like we're going to get a freeze, enough to damage them.

Orinoco - Set fruit October 3. Look exactly like yours did in the photos at the beginning of this thread. The year before last I did not get a serious freeze. The cannas didn't die, and my Raja Puri held it's leaves. I think if I have a mild Winter, these could ripen into Spring.

[ghar41]

(osideterry @ Nov. 05 2007,10:56)

QUOTE

Glen - I hope I wasn't confusing my orinocos and brazilians in that last post.

Brazilian - Set fruit August 1. Looks about the same as my photo in Post 35. 3 months in and it's getting cooler at night. They don't look ready to pull to me. I might cut these off if it looks like we're going to get a freeze, enough to damage them.

Orinoco - Set fruit October 3. Look exactly like yours did in the photos at the beginning of this thread. The year before last I did not get a serious freeze. The cannas didn't die, and my Raja Puri held it's leaves. I think if I have a mild Winter, these could ripen into Spring.

Hmm. not sure.  I started all my banana's from small stalks ( I do not know of any seed sources.)  Jeff in Modesto gave me the guidelines...and I have had edible fruit every year since then.  None of mine overwinter.  They almost always defoiliate in the winter, leaf out by Apr. or May, throw flower stalks somewhere around June and are havested in October.

The only other advice I can give is to check with the only banana expert I know, Jeff in Modesto.  He has served as the Rare Fruit Growers Assc. president...and based on my experience in getting his advice.....This guy seriously knows his stuff.

[osideterry]

From my reading, it sounds like bananas have an internal clock more based on how many leaves they push.

Random example: 37 leaves, then fruit. It doesn't care what time of year it is.

I have more bananas I bought at the same time, all 5 gallon. The two now fruiting were the biggest, but the Ice Cream, Manzano, and Raja Puri are almost as big now. I'm hoping they all throw flower stalks next Spring.