As of 9-10-19 I am growing: 1. Ice Cream 2. Saba 3. Namwa 4. Double 5. Red Dwarf 6. Truly Tiny 7. Fei Aiuri 8. Dwarf Puerto Rican Plantain 9. Grand Nain 10. Hua Moa 11. African Rhino Horn Ask me about availability
I grow Raja Puri and Ice Cream under a high oak canopy in Ocala. The tree cover provides wind protection and a few extra degrees of cold protection. I get big bunches of bananas every year. You can grow them in dappled shade. Mine are around 15 feet tall. A banana grower in Gainesville taught me this method.
Same situation here, my blue Java is probably 15ft and is under the shade of an oak tree. The blue Java plant actually did better than my cavendish that I plants about a feet away
My guy Randy,you always got the best videos with best information about the Tropical plants.Big help to the rest of us in Florida ,Great video .thank you .
Just found the channel, and I gotta say man, nailing and answering all the thoughts i had and then throwing me for a loop with the AAA, AAB,ABB stuff. just moved into a place (australian) and noticed a banana plant in the back and it started to fruit, though have no idea what variety it is. the acronyms you gave are going to refine my search so much, thanks dude.
Great instructional video. I’m told these bananas 🍌 are very tasty. I recently bought my mom one who lives in Southwest Florida. I can’t wait to see this grow and hopefully produce.
I loved this! The video is right on time. The ice cream banana I got from you arrived well (as usual), and seems happy so far. I'm crossing my fingers that I'll get to try the living room drying technique some day. My wife just said, maybe the kitchen...oh well. Keep the vids coming! I know it takes time etc., but they are really helpful and appreciated.
I lived in Gilroy, CA and grew one against the house with southern exposure with minimal wind and it grew to the top of my 2 story. I will say that because of the cold, I had to cut it down at the base, but it grew right back every year. I never had bananas on it, but it was a gorgeous plant.
Here in tropical Aus, there are a number of dwarf varieties that can be grown in small gardens now and new small varieties are being produced. With shorter "trunks", the "trees" are less susceptible to the wind and the cyclones that come through here.
Randy: I live in the Houston area, where my saba bananas grew many pups, but only one or two stems fruited. The fruit always came late, so it was threatened by the few frosts we have. In frustration, I cut off many stems.Almost immediately, six of the remaining ones fruited. It was earlier than when they had fruited before, so none of the harvest was lost. The plants had frozen the previous winter. Somewhat later, I decided to test the pup cutting on a blue java I had planted earlier in the year (2020). It promptly fruited, too, though I had left it outside during the previous year's frosts. I just harvested over 100 bananas to rescue them from this winter's frosts. I must ripen them. Conclusion: It seems that these two cultivars survive frosts in the Houston area. Fruiting is stimulated by having a stem's pups cut, regardless whether the stem froze or not. I will have a huge harvest in 2021.
@@Toomuchbullshitt I initially thought that storm destroyed my groves of saba and ice cream banana plants. They showed not a sign of life. They have since then conquered the yard, and are threatening the government land behind it. These two cultivars and raja puri are very cold hardy. For that matter, all but one of our many citrus plants also survived after looking deader than a placoderm from the Devonian. All were carefully chosen for cold hardiness, but we had no right to expect they would survive that cold snap.
congrats on 10,000 subs. I'm growing blue java's in chula vista CA (between San Diego and Tijuana). It's the 1st of October and I noticed a green bulb at the top of my 12 foot tall plant. I'm so excited !! (I've been unemployed a little too long). I'm in zone 10, so its nice to have something other than navel oranges and avocado. My peach project has done OK. Bananas and peaches in the same yard?!? crazy! Enjoyed your video, the ABB thing is new info to me. Thanx for the info, I'm your latest subscriber.
I'm in temecula and I can so relate to being tired of citrus and avocados lol. That's all you ever see out here. I've got a tiny little blue java and 3 mangoes I bought this year and a peach tree that's about 6ft tall I bought this year as well. I want some variety in my fruit I'm so tired of the same old fruit trees of southern california. Maybe some will have some apricots sometimes or pomegranates but that's it. I want some fruit that when the neighbors see it they're like, ummm is that a bunch of bananas growing in the neighbors yard next to a mango tree and peaches, haha. Californians need to start trying to grow stuff other than citrus and avocados for God's sake. I love those, but come on, enough is enough
@Randy's Tropical Plants. Do you still have any banana pups available? Love your vidz and have learned soo much. So I'm trying to stock up on rare and different varieties
Found your video by chance. Thank you. It was very helpful and informative; especially on how you care for the banana trees before and aftet it fruits. I have two ice cream banana trees on my property here in Hawaii. I planted the banana trees when they were 4 feet tall. Now they are about 8 feet tall. Looking forward to trying these bananas for the first time. I think my 3 year old daughter will like them due to the creamy texture and sweetness...thanks again.
I just transplanted one into my yard outside in west nc zone 7. Im about to baby the heck out of it haha Thank you for the insight, tips & knowledge dude! Will probably be looking to buy from you soon! 🙏
How do you protect it from the cold? I'm from Houston. It froze last year surprisingly but usually doesn't. I have some pups in grow bags. Want to hold off until after the winter. Any advice?
Hello I was wondering if you might no how to tell the variety’ of a banana plant ? I have around 70 I live in Missouri a from late March to To October it’s very humid here mine grow to 12 ft are more some touch the power lines an grow bananas but not sure what type I dig them up every fall
Is there any way I can grow these in a container. Like a big metal trash can, or do they need to be in the ground. Do they have deep roots or do they need to be in a wide container more than a deep container? I don’t want to necessarily grow Bananas. But I’ve always antes to grow blue java ice cream bananas. But I have limited space. Help. Thank you
Have you ever dug up the corm and cut it up to produce more pups? I have seen some videos of people doing it but none of them explain what they are doing or the complete process.
I just bought two 3 foot ice cream banana pups from a guy that grows them here in Sacramento. He must have like 30 on a very very small property. Last year I was there a couple were fully fruited. He told me he simply uses Christmas lights in the winter to keep them from freezing and has them on raised beds.
Christmas lights? Ik this is old comment, but he wraps them in Xmas lights? Madman idea but it can't be stupid if it works. Does it actually work is the question though?
I am growing an ice cream banana here in Wisconsin 😅. It may be 4° outside, but in my home, it’s 78°. It is currently producing fruit, and I am super excited to see if they fully ripen. It’s possible, but goodness gracious do I ever have to put a lot of work into it 😁. Thanks so much for the video. You answered my question - was wondering if they needed to be pollinated inside. Thanks again 👍🏻
Wisconsin, bananas?!? excellent. you've got the touch. I want to grow cherries in SoCal, and it ain't happening, I can't even keep a tree alive for a year.
@@Yoyoyoyoasshole it did! But they were too small to eat. I think it needed more light. Oh well.. I got a pup off of it and I’m trying to raise that to fruit too now! About the height of me, so hopefully when I bring it in for winter it is a couple feet taller. Hoping for fruit by next summer!!
Thank you banana guru! Im growing an ice cream banana in FL 9a. Its about 2ft currently, what timeframe am I looking at before the first fruit? And I know you talked about fertilizer, but would 8-10-8 or 10-10-10 work or no?
This is one of the best channels I have seen for Bananas. You are very knowledgable and keep the videos interesting. Two years ago we sold everything we own and bought 50 beautiful acres in Costa Rica. We have bought many banana plants from the locals, But they rarely know the type. What is the best way to identify banana plants? Is it difficult to determine the types? Thanks!
what other tropical plants/trees do you have? Do you sell banana plants? I live near Daytona beach. I would like to grow some as well. please let me know. Thanks
I'm just not sure if they would do well here. Here in South Texas, one winter will be very different from the next. We're right in the path of any cold fronts coming down from the north. Although I've never seen it get below 28° or so. Will the plant survive that temperature, or will it simply go dormant? Conversely, summers are always at the opposite extreme, most of the time they're full of 100° heat waves, which makes me worry about the plant burning. I'm sorry, I'm new to this. Thanks for any advice! :)
Hi, your channel is great. Is there any chanse you can ship "blue java" to Europe? For example 5 gallon size pot!? If not, can you recommend me someone who can!? Thank you
Geat video sir. I was wondering if a pup will sprout new leaves if it lost them all. I got one of these blue java's in the mail and the 4 leaves it has are all slumped due to shipping. If I cut them off will UT sprout new ones? Thanks in advance.
If I plant one ice cream banana tree in a 5 foot circle bed will it regrow once I cut it down to the surface? Or will it be chasing runners around my pool deck?
Do you have a video on what to do to prepare them for winter? I live in N. Texas(zone 7) and was curious if you had tips for keeping them alive so they have a head start next growing season. Thanks for the videos! Very informative and helpful.
Hey Dustin No I haven't made that video because I don't have to do any of the stuff you will have to do. The thing to remember is that if you have plants in the ground, you want to protect the pseudostems from freezing if you ever hope to get fruit. On freeze nights, wrap with electric blankets, whatever you gotta do. It is not going to be possible to keep the leaves from getting burned in zone 7 Winters. Where you are, getting a fruiting banana to produce is going to be challenging without a large greenhouse. The variety you will have the best hope with is Raja Puri. I don't sell those. The other strategy for you, could be to grow super dwarf varieties (Truly Tiny, Novac, etc), in pots, and move them indoors in Winter... that is, if you have large south facing windows, and you provide warmth and humidity. Even the super-dwarf plants will eventually need rather large pots to produce properly though (15-20 gal), but it is do-able. I hope this was helpful. Cheers and good luck!
Hi, I am looking for good advice on wintering my 4 Blue Java Bananas that I planted in last June (2023). They are about 3 ft. tall. I am located in Austin, TX. Zone 8b. It gets very cold here with freezing temps lasting for 2 weeks at a time frequently during Jan & Feb. Thank you.
Nice video and very informative. I live in South Georgia. About 45 min from the coast and an hour from the Florida-Georgia border. I have had this variety for about 4 years and has produced fruit many times. Like you mention when they flower in the late summer the fruit is a lost because of the winter but we also get them to flower in the spring and that gives them all season to mature and we normally Harvest them around October/November. Here the leaves do burn but the stem usually always survives. We normally don’t get a frost until late December or beginning of January. I gave a pup to my grandmother and she lives in Zone 8a south. She has the blue java banana facing on a south wall In full sun with no protection in the winter. I can certainly say that this variety is hardy to at least zone 8.
Not true. But they’ll survive in zone 8 if it’s going to be a mild winter and doesn’t drop below 20 F. Even if it died back the pseudostem could still be alive. Zone 9 is where they can really be grown outdoors for years without heavy protection but like I said they can sometimes fruit in zone 8 with a mild winter or two.
Just found your channel and subbed. I grow three banana varieties here in Georgia: Musa Bajoo, Black Thai and another that grows very tall and produces a small banana fruit.
@@cactuscarlton3891 Hey Carlton, yes I am in southeastern part of Georgia. You may need to have a greenhouse to grow banana trees for fruit. It's a lot of difference in the planting zone from your area to mine. I don't get much freezing weather here. However, you can grow the Musa Bajoo banana for it's foliage. It's the most cold hardy banana of them all.
Hi I know this is a very old vision of yours but to your knowledge how would a blue java due in Palm springs California?? I would really love to grow and care for one
Growing blue java in zone 8a Alabama. Just noticed a flower today 7/20. How long before I can harvest? Do you think I’ll have time before winter? Still pretty warm here through October. Great information BTW
when you cut the flower head off it wont produce any new bananas. so if you want a smaller bunch of bigger bananas, you cut it off once enough(as per your preference) bananas are formed. if it's already formed as many as it will form, then it makes literally no difference.
Yup. No difference. I've tried it both ways, many times. People often will argue quite fervently for leaving the heart on, or removing it, but it makes no difference from my experience.
2:20 I am growing Ice Cream bananas in a half wine barrel in San Diego, CA. They grow to about 10ft off the ground and make prolific numbers of pups. One is fruiting right now (June 2022) after 2 years growth.
Awesome video super informative i just bought 2 ice cream banana keiki and I'm planting them along with around 15 other varieties of trees and i watched a video on every strain i got and this is the best video i watched so far on one of my plants. Mahalo
Fastgrowingtrees.com says ice cream bananas grow in zone 8. I live in South ga right at the Florida border, do you think I'd have success growing them?
You mentioned it was a young corm and as a result that psudostem was a bit smaller. Does this mean the older the corm the larger the bunches of bananas get as well?
Hiii Randy, couldn't able to find your mail, so writing over here. I am a gardening content creator from India.i want to use two screenshots from your video. I will mention you on the Image and also mention your channel in my video description. Waiting for your reply.
So will banana trees grow in Georgia? I mainly want to grow them for the leaves as we make tamales but bananas would be great too. Also can you use the leaves of a no fruiting variety in cooking and it be safe?
Look for a variety called Raja Puri. That is the most cold tolerant fruiting cultivar. Others to start with are Saba Namwa or ice cream. Getting fruit where you are will be difficult and unpredictable, if possible at all. Musa basjoo, a cold growing onramental species, will definitely grow where you are, but I'm not sure whether or not the leaves can be used in cooking. I'd be surprised if they couldn't, but I don't know for sure. Great question though.
I just planted a blue java banana tree, it's about 4 feet tall. When I give it fertilizer, do I pull back the mulch and sprinkle fertilizer on the soil then cover it back up?
Excellent question. Mulch will act as a nutrient sink. It will delay the availability of those nutrients to the plant. So it isn't a bad idea, but it isn't necessary either. Eventually, if you keep adding mulch and other organic matter, the mulch will break down and become soil, so the distinction between the two becomes blurry over time.
@@Sheikyerbouti8 Yeah, sometimes it takes me a while to orient myself watching your videos cause it looks so different, lol. I think it's great, it's how it should be for you. You're so good at this stuff and so knowledgeable.
Living in Puerto Rico here! We are growing plátanos, but I don't know why we don't have bananas, husband and sister go through a bunch every day. We had a "niño" variety, that's just these tiny bananas, but my family doesn't like the taste as much as "traditional" bananas so they went to waste. What's a good traditional tasting banana in your opinion, that I could look into growing?
I started growing platanos, because my hispanic neighbors are only interested in cooking bananas. They don't seem the least bit interested, in sweet varieties. I'm not sure why. My recomendation for a sweet banana is this one. Ice Cream. Also called blue Java. Another good one is Namwah. The regular grocery store bananas are a variety called Grand Nain. I've got one of those in the ground too, but it is not available yet.
Hi Randy. So out of all the bananas that you grow, which is the most flavorful? I just bought one (Blue Java) today. How well do they grow in pots, and what size pot should I transplant it to? I was also wondering what months do they flower and harvest?
The best tatsing banana that I've ever grown is Dwarf Namwa. Tiny fruits, but SO delicious. ABB bananas like blue java get rather large. They are not the best choices for container growing bananas. The pot size depends on the size and age of the plant you have. Eventually it will need a rather large container if you want fruit. I'd say 20 gallons minimum. I've never actually gotten any edible fruit from any of my container specimens, personally, but getting my container specimens to fruit is never my goal, either. Unfortunately, bananas do not have a season. They bloom whenever they feel ready to. Harvest is aproximately four months after blooming.
Perfect timing, I just bought one of these bananas! I'm zone 9a, North Florida should I be okay with this tree there? We do occasionally hit freezing. You mentioned cutting the pups off in a specific way but then you didn't describe it. Can you explain that or do you have another video on it? Also, any info on how to handle common banana diseases? I just had another banana type die from inside where the new leaves develop. I'm hoping it won't spread to the pups.
Yes watch my banana maintenance video. If you have any specific questions or if it isn't clear, please feel free to email me or ask your questions in the comments. Cheers
In 9a you should be fine in mild Winters, in colder Winters you will need to protect them a bit. A little frost doesn't kill your chances of fruit, but a hard freeze will kill the pseudostems to the ground.
I am in a zone 8 a/b right outside of Big Bend National Park. I love the videos. They're very informative and detailed. I want to grow the ABB so I may do that. However, that will have to wait. While living in Honduras, we would encounter so many different types of bananas and two of my favorites were, platanos and minimos. Plantain in English but I don't know the name of the miniature bananas in English. I only see them around Christmas time here in west Texas but they are like candy. Do you know what kind of variety that would be and would it be one that I could grow to start out with?
I'm looking for an musa ice cream cuz they can withstand some colder temps the say even light frost (-5°c). I have a Musa acuminata 'red dacca' growing at the moment but that one doesn't tolerate cold weather. But I have a question my banana tree is making roots above the ground at soil level. Do I have to bury these or just leave them alone and let them above the soil?
Mine flowered in April and my bananas are just sitting on the tree now with the flower cut off. It’s August now, how long before they’re ready? They just seem to be doing nothing.
Hello I have for dying pineapple trees that I just took off the pineapple itself they are turning brown and white how can I save them I never really put them in sunlight I never put them any clothes environment cold environment what can I do to save my pineapple plant
As of 9-10-19 I am growing:
1. Ice Cream
2. Saba
3. Namwa
4. Double
5. Red Dwarf
6. Truly Tiny
7. Fei Aiuri
8. Dwarf Puerto Rican Plantain
9. Grand Nain
10. Hua Moa
11. African Rhino Horn
Ask me about availability
Ice cream and rhino horn?? Do u have suckers
I live in the desert palm springs may need ice cream banana is that expensive also need dwarf Cavendish
@@oakstreetorchard7469 I have Ice Cream but the rhino horn just recently started sending up suckers. They're not ready yet.
@@Sheikyerbouti8 how much for ice cream
Where do you live?
Thank you my left ear ear is very informed
Mine right lol
I think you mean right ear
I grow Raja Puri and Ice Cream under a high oak canopy in Ocala. The tree cover provides wind protection and a few extra degrees of cold protection. I get big bunches of bananas every year. You can grow them in dappled shade. Mine are around 15 feet tall. A banana grower in Gainesville taught me this method.
Hey David, I live in Gainesville would you be interested in selling any? I could come pick them up 😉
Same situation here, my blue Java is probably 15ft and is under the shade of an oak tree. The blue Java plant actually did better than my cavendish that I plants about a feet away
love the crunchy sound when you cut the banana down, it sounds like celery XD
My guy Randy,you always got the best videos with best information about the Tropical plants.Big help to the rest of us in Florida ,Great video .thank you .
Just found the channel, and I gotta say man, nailing and answering all the thoughts i had and then throwing me for a loop with the AAA, AAB,ABB stuff. just moved into a place (australian) and noticed a banana plant in the back and it started to fruit, though have no idea what variety it is. the acronyms you gave are going to refine my search so much, thanks dude.
Randy, great to meet you at the plant show yesterday. I'm subscribing to your channel. Great videos.
Great instructional video. I’m told these bananas 🍌 are very tasty. I recently bought my mom one who lives in Southwest Florida. I can’t wait to see this grow and hopefully produce.
I loved this! The video is right on time. The ice cream banana I got from you arrived well (as usual), and seems happy so far. I'm crossing my fingers that I'll get to try the living room drying technique some day. My wife just said, maybe the kitchen...oh well. Keep the vids coming! I know it takes time etc., but they are really helpful and appreciated.
Thank you Randy. Just wanted to let you know this is a great video.
I lived in Gilroy, CA and grew one against the house with southern exposure with minimal wind and it grew to the top of my 2 story. I will say that because of the cold, I had to cut it down at the base, but it grew right back every year. I never had bananas on it, but it was a gorgeous plant.
Thanks Randy. So glad I came across your channel. Very helpful.
I'm glad too. Cheers
Brilliant talk on the Ice Cream Banana!!!
Hey Randy, you're looking good man. Been putting in some work on more than just the garden ay mate. Good job.
Thanks for that. Cheers
Here in tropical Aus, there are a number of dwarf varieties that can be grown in small gardens now and new small varieties are being produced. With shorter "trunks", the "trees" are less susceptible to the wind and the cyclones that come through here.
Awesome video, very informative. I’m in Tampa too. Just bought Blue Java’s. They’re a foot tall. Can’t wait to try them.
I LOVE your content!!❤
Man you know a lot about bananas that’s awesome great vid
Randy: I live in the Houston area, where my saba bananas grew many pups, but only one or two stems fruited. The fruit always came late, so it was threatened by the few frosts we have. In frustration, I cut off many stems.Almost immediately, six of the remaining ones fruited. It was earlier than when they had fruited before, so none of the harvest was lost. The plants had frozen the previous winter.
Somewhat later, I decided to test the pup cutting on a blue java I had planted earlier in the year (2020). It promptly fruited, too, though I had left it outside during the previous year's frosts. I just harvested over 100 bananas to rescue them from this winter's frosts. I must ripen them.
Conclusion: It seems that these two cultivars survive frosts in the Houston area. Fruiting is stimulated by having a stem's pups cut, regardless whether the stem froze or not. I will have a huge harvest in 2021.
And then the February winter storm barreled into Texas.
@@Toomuchbullshitt I initially thought that storm destroyed my groves of saba and ice cream banana plants. They showed not a sign of life. They have since then conquered the yard, and are threatening the government land behind it. These two cultivars and raja puri are very cold hardy.
For that matter, all but one of our many citrus plants also survived after looking deader than a placoderm from the Devonian. All were carefully chosen for cold hardiness, but we had no right to expect they would survive that cold snap.
congrats on 10,000 subs. I'm growing blue java's in chula vista CA (between San Diego and Tijuana). It's the 1st of October and I noticed a green bulb at the top of my 12 foot tall plant. I'm so excited !! (I've been unemployed a little too long). I'm in zone 10, so its nice to have something other than navel oranges and avocado. My peach project has done OK. Bananas and peaches in the same yard?!? crazy! Enjoyed your video, the ABB thing is new info to me. Thanx for the info, I'm your latest subscriber.
Thanks John!
I'm in temecula and I can so relate to being tired of citrus and avocados lol. That's all you ever see out here. I've got a tiny little blue java and 3 mangoes I bought this year and a peach tree that's about 6ft tall I bought this year as well. I want some variety in my fruit I'm so tired of the same old fruit trees of southern california. Maybe some will have some apricots sometimes or pomegranates but that's it. I want some fruit that when the neighbors see it they're like, ummm is that a bunch of bananas growing in the neighbors yard next to a mango tree and peaches, haha. Californians need to start trying to grow stuff other than citrus and avocados for God's sake. I love those, but come on, enough is enough
@Randy's Tropical Plants. Do you still have any banana pups available? Love your vidz and have learned soo much. So I'm trying to stock up on rare and different varieties
The most kind and honest person of all the internet! I appriciete from Italy!
Wow thanks for that! Cheers
Amazing video, I can really tell that you eat these healthy special bananas because you look super healthy man! Great work. Keep it up
Found your video by chance. Thank you. It was very helpful and informative; especially on how you care for the banana trees before and aftet it fruits. I have two ice cream banana trees on my property here in Hawaii. I planted the banana trees when they were 4 feet tall. Now they are about 8 feet tall. Looking forward to trying these bananas for the first time. I think my 3 year old daughter will like them due to the creamy texture and sweetness...thanks again.
I just transplanted one into my yard outside in west nc zone 7. Im about to baby the heck out of it haha
Thank you for the insight, tips & knowledge dude!
Will probably be looking to buy from you soon! 🙏
Do you have a video on planting the pups you have cut away?
How do you protect it from the cold? I'm from Houston. It froze last year surprisingly but usually doesn't. I have some pups in grow bags. Want to hold off until after the winter. Any advice?
Hi, thank you for video. I live in San Leandro, next to Oakland. What banana tree did you recommend for this area?
Hello I was wondering if you might no how to tell the variety’ of a banana plant ? I have around 70 I live in Missouri a from late March to To October it’s very humid here mine grow to 12 ft are more some touch the power lines an grow bananas but not sure what type I dig them up every fall
Is there any way I can grow these in a container. Like a big metal trash can, or do they need to be in the ground. Do they have deep roots or do they need to be in a wide container more than a deep container?
I don’t want to necessarily grow Bananas. But I’ve always antes to grow blue java ice cream bananas. But I have limited space. Help. Thank you
Have you ever dug up the corm and cut it up to produce more pups? I have seen some videos of people doing it but none of them explain what they are doing or the complete process.
I just bought two 3 foot ice cream banana pups from a guy that grows them here in Sacramento. He must have like 30 on a very very small property. Last year I was there a couple were fully fruited. He told me he simply uses Christmas lights in the winter to keep them from freezing and has them on raised beds.
I'm in sacramento and have about a dozen. We are getting our second fruiting right now. I'd sure like to see the other guys
Christmas lights? Ik this is old comment, but he wraps them in Xmas lights? Madman idea but it can't be stupid if it works. Does it actually work is the question though?
I am growing an ice cream banana here in Wisconsin 😅. It may be 4° outside, but in my home, it’s 78°. It is currently producing fruit, and I am super excited to see if they fully ripen. It’s possible, but goodness gracious do I ever have to put a lot of work into it 😁. Thanks so much for the video. You answered my question - was wondering if they needed to be pollinated inside. Thanks again 👍🏻
Wisconsin, bananas?!? excellent. you've got the touch. I want to grow cherries in SoCal, and it ain't happening, I can't even keep a tree alive for a year.
@@johnboach9493 i know the feeling, i tried cherries in florida. Worst $70 ever spent :(
I wish to have blueberries in Las Vegas but the soil is really alkaline and the weather is too 🔥.
So??? Did it fruit?
@@Yoyoyoyoasshole it did! But they were too small to eat. I think it needed more light. Oh well.. I got a pup off of it and I’m trying to raise that to fruit too now! About the height of me, so hopefully when I bring it in for winter it is a couple feet taller. Hoping for fruit by next summer!!
Great video, very informative!
Thank you banana guru! Im growing an ice cream banana in FL 9a. Its about 2ft currently, what timeframe am I looking at before the first fruit? And I know you talked about fertilizer, but would 8-10-8 or 10-10-10 work or no?
Excellent video, thanks bananaman!
This is one of the best channels I have seen for Bananas. You are very knowledgable and keep the videos interesting. Two years ago we sold everything we own and bought 50 beautiful acres in Costa Rica. We have bought many banana plants from the locals, But they rarely know the type. What is the best way to identify banana plants? Is it difficult to determine the types? Thanks!
Hello, If there is a list for blue java trees, I would like to be put on it.
what other tropical plants/trees do you have? Do you sell banana plants? I live near Daytona beach. I would like to grow some as well. please let me know. Thanks
How long did it take to fruit? I have one for about 1 year and a half now.... no fruit yet
I'm just not sure if they would do well here. Here in South Texas, one winter will be very different from the next. We're right in the path of any cold fronts coming down from the north. Although I've never seen it get below 28° or so. Will the plant survive that temperature, or will it simply go dormant? Conversely, summers are always at the opposite extreme, most of the time they're full of 100° heat waves, which makes me worry about the plant burning. I'm sorry, I'm new to this. Thanks for any advice! :)
Hi, your channel is great. Is there any chanse you can ship "blue java" to Europe? For example 5 gallon size pot!? If not, can you recommend me someone who can!? Thank you
I'm just west of San Antonio (8b) and ordered a cavendish and an ice-cream banana. Do you think I can get some fruit?
Great video. Thanks for the info. How are the banana tree now?
Would love more of your videos!
What does the blue java banana fruit taste like if you freeze it first?
Can you do a taste test video? or even just explain it. Thank you.
I can't wait till the next variety of banana drops
Whats should be the temperature for growing them?
Thank you for the information
Very nice video.
Geat video sir. I was wondering if a pup will sprout new leaves if it lost them all. I got one of these blue java's in the mail and the 4 leaves it has are all slumped due to shipping. If I cut them off will UT sprout new ones? Thanks in advance.
How can you tell if you have a Blue Java if your tree still hasn't put out Bananas yet ??
Hi Randy! This is nick from the state fair. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Great to meet you Nick. My website is www.buyraretropicalplants.com. My email is randystropicalplants@gmail.com
Cheers
If I plant one ice cream banana tree in a 5 foot circle bed will it regrow once I cut it down to the surface? Or will it be chasing runners around my pool deck?
Can you grow them in europe (bulgaria) thx for the reply
Thank you.
Do you have a video on what to do to prepare them for winter? I live in N. Texas(zone 7) and was curious if you had tips for keeping them alive so they have a head start next growing season.
Thanks for the videos! Very informative and helpful.
Hey Dustin
No I haven't made that video because I don't have to do any of the stuff you will have to do. The thing to remember is that if you have plants in the ground, you want to protect the pseudostems from freezing if you ever hope to get fruit. On freeze nights, wrap with electric blankets, whatever you gotta do. It is not going to be possible to keep the leaves from getting burned in zone 7 Winters. Where you are, getting a fruiting banana to produce is going to be challenging without a large greenhouse. The variety you will have the best hope with is Raja Puri. I don't sell those. The other strategy for you, could be to grow super dwarf varieties (Truly Tiny, Novac, etc), in pots, and move them indoors in Winter... that is, if you have large south facing windows, and you provide warmth and humidity. Even the super-dwarf plants will eventually need rather large pots to produce properly though (15-20 gal), but it is do-able. I hope this was helpful.
Cheers and good luck!
Can you grow these in a large enough Greenhouse!? Maybe 20 feet tall!
Randy, at the end, why didnt you leave the larger pup on the rhizome so that it would be the next pseudo stalk to produce bananas ??
Thank you and you helped a lot!
You're very welcome, and thank you for watching.
Hi, I am looking for good advice on wintering my 4 Blue Java Bananas that I planted in last June (2023). They are about 3 ft. tall. I am located in Austin, TX. Zone 8b. It gets very cold here with freezing temps lasting for 2 weeks at a time frequently during Jan & Feb. Thank you.
Can we get the saplings for planting in India if so give details
Nice video and very informative. I live in South Georgia. About 45 min from the coast and an hour from the Florida-Georgia border. I have had this variety for about 4 years and has produced fruit many times. Like you mention when they flower in the late summer the fruit is a lost because of the winter but we also get them to flower in the spring and that gives them all season to mature and we normally Harvest them around October/November. Here the leaves do burn but the stem usually always survives. We normally don’t get a frost until late December or beginning of January. I gave a pup to my grandmother and she lives in Zone 8a south. She has the blue java banana facing on a south wall In full sun with no protection in the winter. I can certainly say that this variety is hardy to at least zone 8.
Not true. But they’ll survive in zone 8 if it’s going to be a mild winter and doesn’t drop below 20 F. Even if it died back the pseudostem could still be alive. Zone 9 is where they can really be grown outdoors for years without heavy protection but like I said they can sometimes fruit in zone 8 with a mild winter or two.
Just found your channel and subbed. I grow three banana varieties here in Georgia: Musa Bajoo, Black Thai and another that grows very tall and produces a small banana fruit.
Janice Seigler are you in southern GA? I’m in northern Ga & wanna attempt growing for fruit but have been told multiple times they won’t grow out here
@@cactuscarlton3891 Hey Carlton, yes I am in southeastern part of Georgia. You may need to have a greenhouse to grow banana trees for fruit. It's a lot of difference in the planting zone from your area to mine. I don't get much freezing weather here. However, you can grow the Musa Bajoo banana for it's foliage. It's the most cold hardy banana of them all.
Hi I know this is a very old vision of yours but to your knowledge how would a blue java due in Palm springs California?? I would really love to grow and care for one
Growing blue java in zone 8a Alabama. Just noticed a flower today 7/20. How long before I can harvest? Do you think I’ll have time before winter? Still pretty warm here through October. Great information BTW
What part of Alabama are you? I'm Dothan,Al. Was wondering same question.
Can we try this in Zone 8 Dallas TX ?, It will be 6months before winter...is that enough to get bananas ??
More more more please. I am now off to find your other videos about how to deal with the pups etc
when you cut the flower head off it wont produce any new bananas. so if you want a smaller bunch of bigger bananas, you cut it off once enough(as per your preference) bananas are formed.
if it's already formed as many as it will form, then it makes literally no difference.
Yup. No difference. I've tried it both ways, many times. People often will argue quite fervently for leaving the heart on, or removing it, but it makes no difference from my experience.
How much does a plant cost? I would like to buy a couple of them but I don’t want to be swindle. Thanks 😊. Thanks for such a beautiful video.
@Randy is it gonna grow in a big vase? I dont have that much space in my home...
I'd pick a super dwarf cultivar instead.
2:20 I am growing Ice Cream bananas in a half wine barrel in San Diego, CA. They grow to about 10ft off the ground and make prolific numbers of pups. One is fruiting right now (June 2022) after 2 years growth.
Can I grow this tree in a large pot?
I just moved to an apartment and I have a banana tree right outside my back patio. I’m trying to properly identify them. I hope I got it correct
Thank you so much for my blue java banana it’s almost 4 feet tall now!!
Awesome sauce!
@@Sheikyerbouti8 any chance of sending one to the uk?
Is it producing bananas yet? How awesome do they taste, if so?
Im sorry, but where i can buy the seeds?
ITS posible to plant It with blue java seeds?
Awesome video super informative i just bought 2 ice cream banana keiki and I'm planting them along with around 15 other varieties of trees and i watched a video on every strain i got and this is the best video i watched so far on one of my plants. Mahalo
Thanks. You have more different cultivars than I do!
Good luck amigo. I wish you many naners.
I had read they are great for container growing up north so I bought one, I am in Seattle, what should I have bought??
This plant gets 12-15 feet tall. A super dwarf variety would be better.
Fastgrowingtrees.com says ice cream bananas grow in zone 8. I live in South ga right at the Florida border, do you think I'd have success growing them?
In a protected location you could probably pull them off. South-facing wall is good.
You mentioned it was a young corm and as a result that psudostem was a bit smaller. Does this mean the older the corm the larger the bunches of bananas get as well?
Yes it does
Great video
What would you suggest as the best variety to grow in Chicago and do you know anyone who sells them? Thanks in advance
I’m in Chicago too & am wondering the same thing. Fastgrowingtrees.com offers several varieties & have good reviews 🍌
Hiii Randy, couldn't able to find your mail, so writing over here. I am a gardening content creator from India.i want to use two screenshots from your video. I will mention you on the Image and also mention your channel in my video description. Waiting for your reply.
So will banana trees grow in Georgia? I mainly want to grow them for the leaves as we make tamales but bananas would be great too. Also can you use the leaves of a no fruiting variety in cooking and it be safe?
Look for a variety called Raja Puri. That is the most cold tolerant fruiting cultivar. Others to start with are Saba Namwa or ice cream. Getting fruit where you are will be difficult and unpredictable, if possible at all. Musa basjoo, a cold growing onramental species, will definitely grow where you are, but I'm not sure whether or not the leaves can be used in cooking. I'd be surprised if they couldn't, but I don't know for sure. Great question though.
I just planted a blue java banana tree, it's about 4 feet tall. When I give it fertilizer, do I pull back the mulch and sprinkle fertilizer on the soil then cover it back up?
Excellent question. Mulch will act as a nutrient sink. It will delay the availability of those nutrients to the plant. So it isn't a bad idea, but it isn't necessary either. Eventually, if you keep adding mulch and other organic matter, the mulch will break down and become soil, so the distinction between the two becomes blurry over time.
How do I know when to harvest? Mine look pretty small and it is late September.
In Southern Louisiana
I love seeing your videos :)
Hey you! Great to hear from you. The yard looks nothing like the last time you were here.
@@Sheikyerbouti8 Yeah, sometimes it takes me a while to orient myself watching your videos cause it looks so different, lol. I think it's great, it's how it should be for you. You're so good at this stuff and so knowledgeable.
thanks for tell information about banana trees
Great video!
Which feed store in your area are you buying the 10-10-10 and potassium sulphate?
Shell's feed on Nebraska ave in Tampa
Living in Puerto Rico here! We are growing plátanos, but I don't know why we don't have bananas, husband and sister go through a bunch every day. We had a "niño" variety, that's just these tiny bananas, but my family doesn't like the taste as much as "traditional" bananas so they went to waste. What's a good traditional tasting banana in your opinion, that I could look into growing?
I started growing platanos, because my hispanic neighbors are only interested in cooking bananas. They don't seem the least bit interested, in sweet varieties. I'm not sure why. My recomendation for a sweet banana is this one. Ice Cream. Also called blue Java. Another good one is Namwah. The regular grocery store bananas are a variety called Grand Nain. I've got one of those in the ground too, but it is not available yet.
You do your thing your the first person to get me into perpetual pineapple now I have a bunch a year in
Awesome sauce
Hi Randy. So out of all the bananas that you grow, which is the most flavorful? I just bought one (Blue Java) today. How well do they grow in pots, and what size pot should I transplant it to? I was also wondering what months do they flower and harvest?
The best tatsing banana that I've ever grown is Dwarf Namwa. Tiny fruits, but SO delicious.
ABB bananas like blue java get rather large. They are not the best choices for container growing bananas. The pot size depends on the size and age of the plant you have. Eventually it will need a rather large container if you want fruit. I'd say 20 gallons minimum. I've never actually gotten any edible fruit from any of my container specimens, personally, but getting my container specimens to fruit is never my goal, either.
Unfortunately, bananas do not have a season. They bloom whenever they feel ready to. Harvest is aproximately four months after blooming.
Perfect timing, I just bought one of these bananas! I'm zone 9a, North Florida should I be okay with this tree there? We do occasionally hit freezing.
You mentioned cutting the pups off in a specific way but then you didn't describe it. Can you explain that or do you have another video on it?
Also, any info on how to handle common banana diseases? I just had another banana type die from inside where the new leaves develop. I'm hoping it won't spread to the pups.
Yes watch my banana maintenance video. If you have any specific questions or if it isn't clear, please feel free to email me or ask your questions in the comments. Cheers
In 9a you should be fine in mild Winters, in colder Winters you will need to protect them a bit. A little frost doesn't kill your chances of fruit, but a hard freeze will kill the pseudostems to the ground.
I am in a zone 8 a/b right outside of Big Bend National Park. I love the videos. They're very informative and detailed. I want to grow the ABB so I may do that. However, that will have to wait. While living in Honduras, we would encounter so many different types of bananas and two of my favorites were, platanos and minimos. Plantain in English but I don't know the name of the miniature bananas in English. I only see them around Christmas time here in west Texas but they are like candy. Do you know what kind of variety that would be and would it be one that I could grow to start out with?
There are so many different varieties, so I could'ny really be sure, but I recommend namwa. Those are small, sweet, and so delicious.
I'm looking for an musa ice cream cuz they can withstand some colder temps the say even light frost (-5°c). I have a Musa acuminata 'red dacca' growing at the moment but that one doesn't tolerate cold weather. But I have a question my banana tree is making roots above the ground at soil level. Do I have to bury these or just leave them alone and let them above the soil?
Yoiur corm is exposed, bury it.
Very helpfull video thank you!. How many kg of fruit does each plant produce more o less?
Weight can vary a lot depending on variety, but most will produce at least 50 individual fruits and I frequently get over 100 per rack.
How do you cut and plant/grow the pups? Is there another video?
yes my banana maintenance video
Mine flowered in April and my bananas are just sitting on the tree now with the flower cut off. It’s August now, how long before they’re ready? They just seem to be doing nothing.
@@ciciazin I usually wait about 3 months after they're full size and take it down.
Hello I have for dying pineapple trees that I just took off the pineapple itself they are turning brown and white how can I save them I never really put them in sunlight I never put them any clothes environment cold environment what can I do to save my pineapple plant
Did you say not to plant Ice cream banana trees in larger (36" ) containers?