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MUSA SPECIES. - Banana |
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CULTURE |
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Location: Bananas require as much
warmth as can be given them. Additional warmth can be given by
planting next to a building. Planting next to cement or asphalt
walks or driveways also helps. Wind protection is advisable, not
for leaf protection as much as for protection of the plant after
the banana stalk has appeared. During these last few months propping
should be done to keep the plant from tipping or being blown over.
Soil: Bananas will grow in most soils, but to thrive, they should
be planted in a rich, well-drained soil. The best possible location
would be above an abandoned compost heap. They prefer an acid
soil with a pH between 5.5 and 6.5. The banana is not tolerant
of salty soils.
Irrigation: The large leaves of bananas
use a great deal of water. Regular deep watering is an absolute
necessity during warm weather. Do not let plants dry out, but
do not overwater. Standing water, especially in cool weather,
will cause root rot. Plants grown in dry summer areas such as
Southern California need periodic deep waterings to help leach
the soil of salts. Spread a thick layer of mulch on the soil to
help conserve moisture and protect the shallow roots. Container
grown plants should be closely watched to see that they do not
dry out. An occasional deep watering to leach the soil is also
helpful.
Fertilization: Their rapid growth
rate make bananas heavy feeders. During warm weather, apply a
balanced fertilizer once a month--a 8:10:8 NPK fertilizer appears
to be adequate. A mature plant may require as much as 1-1/2 to
2 pounds of the above fertilizer each month. Young plants need
a quarter to a third as much. Spread the fertilizer evenly around
the plant in a circle extending 4 - 8 feet from the trunk. Do
not allow the fertilizer to come in contact with the trunk. Feed
container container plants on the same monthly schedule using
about half the rate for outside plants.
Pruning: Only one primary stem of
each rhizome should be allowed to fruit. All excess shoots should
be removed as soon as they are noticed. This helps channel all
of of the plant's energy into fruit production. Once the main
stalk is 6 - 8 months old, permit one sucker to develop as a replacement
stalk for the following season. When the fruit is harvested, cut
the fruiting stalk back to 30 inches above the ground. Remove
the stub several weeks later. The stalk can be cut into small
pieces and used as mulch.
Frost Protection: Bananas flourish
best under uniformly warm conditions but can survive 28 degrees
F for short periods. If the temperature does not fall below 22 degrees
F and the cold period is short, the underground rhizome will usually
survive. To keep the plants that are above ground producing, protection
against low temperatures is very important. Wrap trunk or cover
with blanket if the plants are small and low temperatures are
predicted.
Propagation: Propagation of bananas
is done with rhizomes called suckers or pups. Very small pups
are called buttons. Large suckers are the preferred planting material.
These are removed from vigorous clumps with a spade when at least
three feet tall, during warm months. Pups should not be taken
until a clump has at least three to four large plants to anchor
it. When the pup is taken the cut must be into the mother plant
enough to obtain some roots. Plant close to the surface. Large
leaves are cut off of the pup leaving only the youngest leaves
or no leaves at all. Some nurseries supply banana plants as container
grown suckers.
Pests and diseases: Bananas have
few troublesome pests or diseases outside the tropics. Root rot
from cold wet soil is by far the biggest killer of banana plants
in our latitudes. California is extremely fortunate in not having
nematodes that are injurious to the banana. Gophers topple them,
and snails and earwigs will crawl up to where they can get continuous
water, but these pests do not bother the plant.
Harvest: Stalks of bananas are usually
formed in the late summer and then winter over. In March they
begin "plumping up" and may ripen in April. Occasionally,
a stalk will form in early summer and ripen before cold weather
appears. The fruit can be harvested by cutting the stalk when
the bananas are plump but green. For tree-ripened fruit, cut one
hand at a time as it ripens. If latter is done, check stalk daily
as rodents can eat the insides of every banana, from above, and
the stalk will look untouched. Once harvested the stalk should
be hung in a cool, shady place. Since ethylene helps initiate
and stimulate ripening, and mature fruit gives off this gas in
small amounts, ripening can be hastened by covering the bunch
with a plastic bag. Plantains are starchy types that are cooked
before eating.
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CULTIVARS |
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The antiquity of the banana and its tendency
to produce mutations or sports have resulted in an extensive number
of cultivars. Only the common ones growing in California are listed.
Apple, Silk, or Manzana
Dessert type, pleasant sub-acid apple flavor when fully ripe.
Fruit: 4 to 6 inches. Grows to 10 to 12 feet. The fruit is not
ripe until some brownish specs appear on the skin. From planting
until harvest is approximately 15 months.
Cavendish
Resistant to Panama Wilt disease. Clones of this variety are distinguished
by the size of the pseudostem. The largest is Lacatan (12 to 18
feet) followed by Robusta and Giant Cavendish (10 to 16 feet).
The smallest is the Dwarf Cavendish (4 to 7 feet).
Cuban Red
Very tall (up to 25 feet), very tropical. Skin dark red, with
generally reddish pseudostem. Fruit is especially aromatic with
cream-orange pulp. 20 months from planting until harvest.
Gros Michel
Commercially, the most important and considered by many to be
the most flavorful. Because of its susceptibility to Panama Wilt
disease it is being replaced with resistant varieties. Although
there is no Panama Wilt in California, it does poorly here as
the plant seems to need more heat and it tends to grow more slowly
than other varieties
Ice Cream or Blue Java
Medium-tall (15 to 20 feet), bluish cast to the unripe fruit.
Fruit: 7 to 9 inches, quite aromatic and is said to melt in the
mouth like ice cream. Bunches are small with seven to nine hands.
18 to 24 months from planting until harvest.
Lady Finger
Tall (20 to 25 feet), excellent-quality fruit, tolerant of cool
conditions. 15 to 18 months from planting to harvest.
Orinoco
Commonly grown in California for years as a landscape plant. Grows
to 16 feet, more cold hardy than any other. 15 to 18 months from
planting to harvest. Flavor is good, texture is less than perfect,
but when properly grown and cultivated it can produce enormous
stalks of fruit. Excellent in banana bread. Sometimes called horse,
hog or burro banana, it can be purchased at most nurseries.
Popoulu
A Hawaiian variety with short, salmon-pink flesh, plump fruit
that may be cooked or eaten fresh. A slender plant preferring
a protected area with high humidity and filtered light. Grows
to about 14 feet tall.
Valery
A Cavendish clone resembling the Robusta. Some believe them to
be the same. The Dwarf Cavendish is the most widely planted as
it is better adapted to a cool climate and is less likely to be
blown over.
Williams
The same as Giant Cavendish. Originated from a mutation of Dwarf
Cavendish found in Queensland, Australia. A commercial banana
grown in many countries that does well in California. 10 to 16
feet in height and has a distinctive long, very large bud. The
Del Monte is a Williams.
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