Bananas
Bananas 101 Banana plant is an herb not a tree Bananas do not need any pollina3on Bananas are easy to grow sun, water, food Around 1000 varie3es of edible bananas
Growing Bananas in Florida
Bananas a>er a freeze
Recovery 6 Months Later
The Maqueno Bananas in Ecuador
Mul3- Use Plant Flowers/nectar source
Flowers
Landscaping Diamond Landscaping Palm Beach, FL
Fiber and Leaves Fibers are used to make furniture and baskets. Leaves were used in Ecuador as plates and for wrapping up food for cooking.
Fruit
Using Fruit
Best Cultural Prac3ces Sun full or at least ½ day sun. Min. 50% Variegated varie3es prefer more shade. Soil rich, well drained with lots of organic mauer. Thick layer of mulch spread as far as possible. Banana roots tend to stay near the surface and can travel 10s of feet. Water more water in warm months, but never standing water
Nutrients Fer-lizer Lots of organic material. Can add small amounts of ash or biochar. If not growing organically, use high potassium fer3lizer 4-6 3mes during growing season. Nutri3onal sprays Bananas remove 10 3mes more potassium from the soil at harvest compared to mangos. Even without care, you should s3ll have fruit. Greater care when the plant is young, will lead to increased fruit yield.
Grove Maintenance If leaf is brown or diseased, cut it off. Cut down plants a>er they fruit
Removing Rot
Fungus Remove leaves at first sign of fungus and throw away do not use as mulch
Other pests/diseases Corm borers/weevils Nematodes Panama Disease Moko Disease Viruses (Banana Leaf Streak Virus:mealy bugs, Cucumber Mosaic Virus: aphids)
When will it fruit? Pseudostem width Plant Height Flag Leaf
Flower Structure/Fruit Female flower with ovaries Maturing hands of female ovaries with remnants of perianth at 3ps Hermaphrodi3c flowers Sterile Male Flowers Bunch or raceme Terminal male bud Composed of bracts
Removing male flower
Male Flowers
Props
Prop or leave on ground?
Harves3ng Fruit
Propaga3on Removal of Pups Tissue Culture
Sword shoots vs Water shoots
Propaga3ng by removal of pups Leave one sword shoot every 3-6 months for con3nued produc3on of the banana mat Remove sword shoots by cueng as close to the mother plant as possible, then dig down on one side of the shoot and pop the new plant out. Pups with few or no roots will rot if poued up and over watered. Watch for signs of rot and remove and adjust watering as needed.
Tools
Don t Spread Pests or Disease! Do not import bananas from Hawaii or from other countries Clean corms Grow new pups in pots Sterilize tools!!
Tissue Culture
Musa acuminata Sweet (wild, diploid, seeded, fer3le) AA Musa acuminata Edible diploid AA Taxonomy/Grouping Musa acuminata x balbisiana (edible, diploid AB) (edible triploids AAB and ABB) Musa balbisiana Starchy (wild, diploid seeded, fer3le) BB Musa acuminata Edible triploid AAA Tetraploids mostly developed by breeders AAAA, AAAB, AABB, ABBB Taxonomic Scorecard for Banana Characteris3cs (great for knowing iden3fying characteris3cs to help ID unknown banana cul3vars) hup://www.promusa.org/nomenclature+of+cul3vated+bananas
FHIA1 Goldfinger AAAB/hybrid Some newer 3ssue cultured plants being sold as Goldfinger in our area do not have the same characteris3cs. Fruits around 11 high Has large, heart shaped terminal male bud Reported not to turn brown when cut USDA- ARS - TARS
FHIA2 Mona Lisa AAAA/hybrid Dessert Banana Manageable frui3ng height Resistant to fungus Can be slower to fruit USDA- ARS - TARS
FHIA3 Sweetheart AAAB/hybrid Perfect all around banana for ea3ng out of hand or cooking Manageable frui3ng height Great disease resistance Quick to fruit and thrives in our area
Raja Puri ABB/Pome Short, wind resistant, prolific, nice landscaping Poor resistance to fungus Some 3ssue cultured plants being sold as Raja Puri in our area are not Raja Puri
Very tasty and produc3ve banana Mysore AAB/Mysore Fruits around 12 Many carry the banana leaf streak virus which is carried in the DNA and can be present even in 3ssue cultured plants
Blue/Grey fruit before ripe Best when eaten just as they turn yellow Fruits around 12 White, fluffy texture Ice Cream Blue Java ABB/Ney Mannan
O>en sold as Ice Cream Great tas3ng, small banana Plants can be tall, even from plants purchased as dwarf namwa Very prolific Namwa ABB/Pisang Awak
Round, bite size Pitogo ABB Needs more nutrients Slow to fruit Fruits around 10
Can take 24 months to fruit Fruits around 7-8 Great dessert banana Pups and 3ssue cultures can sport with green fruit Dwarf Red AAA/Red
Red Kru Beau3ful red psuedostem Can be challenging to grow Can be cold sensi3ve Well drained soil to start pups Fruits around 12
Ele Ele AAB/Maoli Hawaiian Banana Pseudostem black color increases with shade Fruits around 12 Delicious bananas cooked or eaten out of hand when very ripe
Hua Moa AAB/Maoli- Popoulu Needs more nutrients Delicious cooked Suscep3ble to borers and fungus Fruits around 12
Fruits around 12 Great tas3ng some report hints of vanilla flavor Praying Hands ABB/Saba
Saba ABB/Saba The Sequoia of bananas Great tas3ng plantain Can be eaten out of hand when ripe Fruits around 15-20 Chris Knight
Dwarf Orinoco ABB/Bluggoe Very produc3ve Bananas can be cooked green or yellow Bananas can be eaten out of hand when ripe Large, dark green leaves Dwarf plant
Variegated Bananas Ae Ae (Manini) Variegated Namwa Require more shade and added acidity Pups can some3mes be all green or all white
True Plantains AAB French, French Horn, False Horn, & Horn Plantains For Cooking Very Disease Resistant French Red Plantain (USDA- ARS - TARS) Rhino Horn Plantain (USDA- ARS - TARS)
ProMusa
Honduran Founda3on for Agricultural Research
Haifa Nutri3onal Deficiency Info
Banana Forum
Catalog of Musa Accessions