Super Dwarf /End of this Blog

I haven't had a banana plant for over a year. I've had disappointments trying to get bananas to set fruit. I have had 3 plants to grow a bell and fingers of bananas during the fall/ winter when I have no sunlight to give them. Consequently, I haven't been able to ripen the fruit, and I gave up on bananas.

I was thinking about how I encourage others to learn from mistakes and try again. Then I thought about my years growing bananas and how I have given up. I saw some super dwarf bananas in Food Lion $14.99, and it seemed like a good time to try again. In fact, my whole tropical plants craze can be traced back to a dwarf pineapple plant that I bought at Food Lion in 2010.<\p>

This time, I'm not going to expect to much. I am limiting myself to one new plant or pup each year. Anything else must be composted. The maximum height is 2-4 feet, so I should be able to bring the plant indoors without pruning. I am not maintaining a separate blog, bananasbytbird.blogspot.com, specifically for bananas. Instead I will post information about the banana on my tropical plants blog. I am not interested in other varieties of banana because they grow too tall and I cannot accommodate them.

Rough year for bananas

It's been a rough year for my bananas. The winter of 2013 killed a lot of my banana supply. The bananas that remain are small. I've just about given up on my bananas. My dwarf Cavendish bananas flower and throw out small fingers.however, I can't get the fingers to mature. It seems like I'm wasting my time and a lot of space.The bananas that I have remaining are: dwarf Cavendish, super dwarf Cavendish, and truly tiny.

Fingers look Good

The fruit look good.

Bananas Still Hanging On

Don't know if they will make it to maturity, but looking good so far.

Banana fingers

They are still there.

Bananas

Well, the fingers on the dwarf Cavendish plant have extended. The plant did choke. This is the second DC bloom I have had, and the second time it has choked. The upright position of the inflorescence is nearly identical in both instances. The plant still had four leaves, althought I must tie them up because they are not strong enough to stay upright on their own due to my extracting surgery. The put is starting to grow. I glad of that. Hopefully the pup can get energy to the corm and to the bananas. We'll see if the nanners make it. This is my third infloresecene, and I have not gotten to eat go old home grown bananas yet.

All Choked Up :-(

My Dwarf Cavendish is suffering from choke. I decided to try to do surgery to liberate the lower portion of the inflorescence. I had to sacrifice two leaves in the process, and the remaining leaves have weakened petioles. I have tied them up to help them withstand the stress. We'll see what happens.

Big Bubba Bud

The dwarf Cavendish plant is putting out, what I consider to be, a large bud. I have only had 3 banana plants flower thus far, and this is the healthiest looking inflorescence to date. On a side note, I checked my outdoor, mulched and wrapped over-wintered bananas. They seem to be alive. Our lowest temperature this winter was 19 degrees. Still lots more winter left. I hope they make it.

Dwarf cavendish

lights camera action

Banana flower

The banana flower is looking pretty inpressive.

Progress

the dwarf Cavendish inflorescences coming along.

over wintering outdoors

this is the first year I have plenty of bananas in the ground. I hope that they make it through the winter. if they survive and thrive, I will put more plants in the ground.