BANANA

Now, you can create a tropical paradise right in your own backyard, as the lush green leaves fan out and shade layers of bananas that hang in symmetrical clusters. Shortly after a lovely bloom of purple flowers, the bananas quickly begin to grow. Resistant to most diseases. Bananas are best grown with full sun but with their roots shaded. Banana leaves are huge and can sometimes get crinkled, simply remove any damaged or worn leaves to stimulate the growth of new leaves. Use them to wrap meat for your next barbecue. During the growing season you will see fresh new leaves appear every few days. Keep your plants watered and fed regularly to maintain this development. In cold areas, they can easily be grown in containers and moved indoors during the winter. Makes a great looking tropical house plant.

The problem with varieties that grow 6m tall is that you couldn’t bring them indoors to ripen the fruit. We focus on dwarf-sized plants so you can easily bring them into your home and start growing delicious bananas! After fruiting the mother stem which bore the fruit should be cut off near ground level, this will not produce again. It can be used as mulch or compost. If your plant is hit by frost, remove the damaged top in the same way within a couple of weeks. Your Banana will send up new suckers from the rhizome, thus creating a new plant. Multiple suckers may be divided to increase your ‘Plantation’.

Musa, or bananas as they are commonly known, come in a wide array of choices: dessert, cooking/plantains, ornamental foliage, and ornamental flowering. Bananas are suitable for all climates given the appropriate care. Bananas are heavy drinkers and feeders. They perform great in a container and can be grown in a greenhouse or shade house very quickly! Their broad, long, graceful leaves and rapid growth, (commonly reaching full size in just a few months), make bananas a favourite plant for providing a tropical look to pool and patio areas. The development of bananas following a frost-free winter is a source of both pride and amazement to those unfamiliar with banana culture.

The first hands to appear contain female flowers which will develop into bananas (usually seedless in edible types). The number of hands of female flowers varies from a few to more than 10, after which numerous hands of sterile flowers appear and shed in succession, followed by numerous hands of male flowers which also shed.

Chill Hours Required: We recommend all plants are given natural cycles of lower temps and shorter days for their blossom timings and maturity.

VARIETIES

MUSA: 1000 FINGERS (PISANG SERIBU)

Pre-order: None at this time
Sunlight: Part to Full	Growth Rate: Vigorous	Drought Tolerance: No
Full Size (WxH): 4m x 3m	Ideal Min Temp: 15'C (59'F)	Min Temp Tolerated: 10'C (50'F)
Fruit Colour: Green - Brown	Harvest: Nov-Jan	Year(s) to bear fruit: 1-2
Prop. Method: Division/TC	Fertility: N/A	Chill Hours Required: See top of page
Description: Produces only female flowers, meaning the plant will continue to grow and bear nearly a thousand fruit until the stalk is cut. Tropical, long seasons can see stalks of banana nearly a dozen feet long and 5-6 feet in shorter season climates.

MUSA: AFRICAN RHINO HORN (PISANG)

Pre-order: None at this time
Sunlight: Part to Full	Growth Rate: Vigorous	Drought Tolerance: No
Full Size (WxH): 6m x 4m	Ideal Min Temp: 15'C (59'F)	Min Temp Tolerated: 10'C (50'F)
Fruit Colour: Yellow	Harvest: Sept-Nov	Year(s) to bear fruit: 1-2
Prop. Method: Division/TC	Fertility: N/A	Chill Hours Required: See top of page
Description: [Plantain] Hybrid banana cultivars from Africa. It produces strongly curved and elongated edible bananas which can grow to a length of two feet, the longest fruits among banana cultivars.

MUSA: AIURI FE'I

Pre-order: None at this time
Sunlight: Part to Full	Growth Rate: Vigorous	Drought Tolerance: No
Full Size (WxH): 5m x 4m	Ideal Min Temp: 15'C (59'F)	Min Temp Tolerated: 10'C (50'F)
Fruit Colour: Orange	Harvest: Sept-Nov	Year(s) to bear fruit: 1-2
Prop. Method: Division/TC	Fertility: Self, better with second variety	Chill Hours Required: See top of page
Description: [Plantain] It's an Aiuri Fe'i banana with orange skin! Not only is the orange skin a unique attribute, the Aiuri Fe'i also contains more vitamin A than your average banana. The Aiuri Fe'i is a hard-to-find very rare banana plant. Not a hybrid, but originally Wild and Seeded. Different from other bananas or plantains in that it is it's own species of banana. Once thought to be a native Hawaiian banana, research has shown it has travelled there from Marquesas's Islands AKA French Polynesian islands around 200 A.D. The Bunches grow from the top on short, thick stalks and grow upwards. Fruits, when ripe, can be bright red with coppery-orange dark spots. Fruit pulp can be iridescent yellow-lime or yellow to yellow-orange. The leaves are long and slender and upright. The sap is a purple-red blood like sap. This is a true plantain banana, in that it requires cooking to be eaten. Delicious with coconut cream! Fruit is 6-8" long.

MUSA: CHI

Pre-order: None at this time
Sunlight: Part to Full	Growth Rate: Medium	Drought Tolerance: Mild
Full Size (WxH): 3m x 2m	Ideal Min Temp: 15'C (59'F)	Min Temp Tolerated: 10'C (50'F)
Fruit Colour: Yellow	Harvest: Sept-Nov	Year(s) to bear fruit: 1-2
Prop. Method: Division/TC	Fertility: N/A	Chill Hours Required: See top of page
Description: [AAB Plantain] Chi is a small plantain. Its is native to Thailand (from the Muslim village Songkhla) and mainly grown as a cooking banana for puree.

MUSA: DANG FLORIDA (AEAE)

Pre-order: None at this time
Sunlight: Part to Full	Growth Rate: Medium	Drought Tolerance: No
Full Size (WxH): 5m x 4m	Ideal Min Temp: 18'C (64'F)	Min Temp Tolerated: 10'C (50'F)
Fruit Colour: Variegated	Harvest: Sept-Nov	Year(s) to bear fruit: 2-3
Prop. Method: Division/TC	Fertility: N/A	Chill Hours Required: See top of page
Description: The holy grail of banana lovers. A magnificent plant with stunning leaves. This is not an Easy Musa. It needs heat and humidity, but not (as most Musa) enormous amounts of water at the start. Do NOT overwater it. Aeae will drink a lot of water when mature, but when young, it will rot from to much water. Give it heat from below. Overwinter it warm. This is by far the most heat loving Musa.

MUSA: DWF BRAZILIAN

Pre-order: None at this time
Sunlight: Part to Full	Growth Rate: Vigorous	Drought Tolerance: No
Full Size (WxH): 3m x 2m	Ideal Min Temp: 15'C (59'F)	Min Temp Tolerated: 10'C (50'F)
Fruit Colour: Yellow	Harvest: Sept-Nov	Year(s) to bear fruit: 1-2
Prop. Method: Division/TC	Fertility: N/A	Chill Hours Required: See top of page
Description: This is an excellent apple-banana, with fruits similar to the famous Manzano. Dwarf Brazilian is a much shorter tree, the bunch is not brittle and ripens in a much shorter time. Bananas never split their skin while on the bunch. Takes cool to cold weather, it is resistant to wind and even to most banana diseases.

MUSA: DWF GREEN

Pre-order: None at this time
Sunlight: Full	Growth Rate: Medium	Drought Tolerance: No
Full Size (WxH): 3m x 3m	Ideal Min Temp: 15'C (59'F)	Min Temp Tolerated: 10'C (50'F)
Fruit Colour: Creamy Orange Pulp Fruit	Harvest: Sept-Nov	Year(s) to bear fruit: 1-2
Prop. Method: Division/TC	Fertility: N/A	Chill Hours Required: See top of page
Description: [Cavendish] Musa 'Dwarf Green' is a sturdy plant with extremely thick leaves, which may be used for wrapping and grilling meat, as well as serving food. They also make this cultivar very wind tolerant. This is a Cavendish type banana that produces a creamy orange pulp fruit.

MUSA: DWF IHOLENA

Pre-order: None at this time
Sunlight: Full	Growth Rate: Medium	Drought Tolerance: Mild
Full Size (WxH): 3m x 3m	Ideal Min Temp: 15'C (59'F)	Min Temp Tolerated: 10'C (50'F)
Fruit Colour: Creamy Orange Pulp Fruit	Harvest: Dec-Feb	Year(s) to bear fruit: 1-2
Prop. Method: Division/TC	Fertility: N/A	Chill Hours Required: See top of page
Description: [Cavendish] Rare with a wonderful taste, Musa 'Dwarf Iholena' is a sturdy plant with extremely thick leaves, which are used for wrapping and grilling meat, as well as serving food. They also make this cultivar very wind tolerant. A Cavendish type banana that produces a creamy orange pulp fruit.

MUSA: DWF NAM WAH (PISANG AWAK)

Pre-order: 3 Gal - $80
Sunlight: Part to Full	Growth Rate: Vigorous	Drought Tolerance: Mild
Full Size (WxH): 3m x 3m	Ideal Min Temp: 15'C (59'F)	Min Temp Tolerated: 10'C (50'F)
Fruit Colour: Yellow	Harvest: Sept-Nov	Year(s) to bear fruit: 1-2
Prop. Method: Division/TC	Fertility: N/A	Chill Hours Required: See top of page
Description: This group of lady finger bananas produce large sized bunches of sweet delicious fruit that is prized in Indonesia areas as well as the U.S. Somewhat sensitive to Panama disease (fusarium wilt).

MUSA: DWF ORINOCO

Pre-order: None at this time
Sunlight: Full	Growth Rate: Vigorous	Drought Tolerance: Mild
Full Size (WxH): 3m x 3m	Ideal Min Temp: 15'C (59'F)	Min Temp Tolerated: 10'C (50'F)
Fruit Colour: Yellow Green	Harvest: Dec-Feb	Year(s) to bear fruit: 1-2
Prop. Method: Division/TC	Fertility: N/A	Chill Hours Required: See top of page
Description: [Cavendish] The 'Dwarf Orinoco' is a small vigorous plant that is solid green and has a thick stem. It is a heavy bearer of thick skinned fruit of very good eating quality. There is very little curvature to the fruit and the fruit can ripen on the plant without splitting. 'Dwarf Orinoco' versatility make them popular in many regions of the world. The plant is hardy and withstands cold temperatures and wind, but may be supported when carrying large heads of fruit.

MUSA: FIGUE ROSE NAINE (DWARF RED)

Pre-order: None at this time
Sunlight: Full	Growth Rate: Medium	Drought Tolerance: No
Full Size (WxH): 3m x 3m	Ideal Min Temp: 15'C (59'F)	Min Temp Tolerated: 10'C (50'F)
Fruit Colour: Red	Harvest: Sept-Nov	Year(s) to bear fruit: 2-3
Prop. Method: Division/TC	Fertility: N/A	Chill Hours Required: See top of page
Description: [AAA] The plant has highly ornamental purple leafstalks and stem. Leaves are dark-green and wider than most bananas. Many people claim that the flavour of red bananas is superior to that of the Cavendish, the classic yellow banana. The skin of a red banana may be anywhere from dark red to almost purple, and the flesh is cream to slightly pink in colour, richer in vitamins! These bananas are plumper and smaller than Cavendish bananas, with a sweet, creamy flavour. Sometimes, there may be a hint of a berry taste in a red banana, and these bananas are also very aromatic. The Variety Figue Rose Naine is a clone of the widespread cultivar named Dwarf Red Banana, also known as Dwarf Cuban Red.

MUSA: GRAN NAIN

Pre-order: 1 Gal - $40 \|\| 2 Gal - $60 \|\| 3 Gal - $80
Sunlight: Full	Growth Rate: Vigorous	Drought Tolerance: Mild
Full Size (WxH): 3m x 3m	Ideal Min Temp: 15'C (59'F)	Min Temp Tolerated: 10'C (50'F)
Fruit Colour: Yellow Green	Harvest: Jan-April	Year(s) to bear fruit: 1-2
Prop. Method: Division/TC	Fertility: N/A	Chill Hours Required: See top of page
Description: [Cavendish] A very attractive, solid green banana up to 6 feet tall that is the producer of the famed delicious "Chiquita" bananas. These choice, very large heads of edible fruit are seedless and of the highest quality, taste is sweeter when picked ripe from the plant vs, green from the store. It is a quick ripening variety that is borne in racemes weighing 20-25kg (40-60lbs) each. Exhibits superb wind and disease resistance.

MUSA: HOM KREAK

Pre-order: None at this time
Sunlight: Full	Growth Rate: Compact	Drought Tolerance: Mild
Full Size (WxH): 1m x 1m	Ideal Min Temp: 15'C (59'F)	Min Temp Tolerated: 10'C (50'F)
Fruit Colour: Yellow	Harvest: Dec-Feb	Year(s) to bear fruit: 1-2
Prop. Method: Division/TC	Fertility: N/A	Chill Hours Required: See top of page
Description: This hybrid has a very special growth. It looks like the leaves actually lie on top of each other, but in good conditions this banana can grow up to 1m high. It is mostly grown for decoration but it does make small (10cm) long bananas that are edible. This banana is the best hybrid for growing indoors, patio, office or even outdoors.

MUSA: HOM KRUA FAD (MAHOI)

Pre-order: 2 Gal - $60
Sunlight: Full	Growth Rate: Medium	Drought Tolerance: Mild
Full Size (WxH): 2m x 3m	Ideal Min Temp: 15'C (59'F)	Min Temp Tolerated: 10'C (50'F)
Fruit Colour: Yellow Green	Harvest: Dec-Feb	Year(s) to bear fruit: 1-2
Prop. Method: Division/TC	Fertility: N/A	Chill Hours Required: See top of page
Description: Musa Mahoi is a Dwarf plant. A very rare and unusual plant that produces two large heads of fruit on the same plant and can occasionally produce a third head of fruit. Fruit is highly rated, very tasty and sweet, considered AAA+. Mahoi means twins in Hawaiian. Makes a great house or patio plant.

MUSA: HOM THONG (GROS MICHEL)

Pre-order: None at this time
Sunlight: Full	Growth Rate: Vigorous	Drought Tolerance: Mild
Full Size (WxH): 4m x 4m	Ideal Min Temp: 15'C (59'F)	Min Temp Tolerated: 10'C (50'F)
Fruit Colour: Yellow	Harvest: May-July	Year(s) to bear fruit: 1-2
Prop. Method: Division/TC	Fertility: N/A	Chill Hours Required: See top of page
Description: [AAA] Excellent flavour, historic banana, the original commercial banana, hard to find. Susceptible to Panama Disease.

MUSA: HOM THONG KHOM

Pre-order: 2 Gal - $60
Sunlight: Full	Growth Rate: Medium	Drought Tolerance: Mild
Full Size (WxH): 3m x 2m	Ideal Min Temp: 15'C (59'F)	Min Temp Tolerated: 10'C (50'F)
Fruit Colour: Yellow	Harvest: Sept-Nov	Year(s) to bear fruit: 1-2
Prop. Method: Division/TC	Fertility: N/A	Chill Hours Required: See top of page
Description: [AAA DWF Cavendish] The Dwarf Cavendish banana (or simply Cavendish banana) is a banana cultivar originally from Vietnam and China. It became the primary replacement for the Gros Michel banana in the 1950s after crops of the latter were devastated by Panama disease. The name 'Dwarf Cavendish' is in reference to the height of the pseudostem, not the fruit (which are medium sized). It is one of the most commonly planted banana varieties from the Cavendish group, and the main source of commercial Cavendish bananas along with Grand Nain.

MUSA: HUA MOA

Pre-order: None at this time
Sunlight: Full	Growth Rate: Vigorous	Drought Tolerance: Mild
Full Size (WxH): 5m x 3m	Ideal Min Temp: 15'C (59'F)	Min Temp Tolerated: 10'C (50'F)
Fruit Colour: Golden-Yellow	Harvest: Dec-Feb	Year(s) to bear fruit: 1-2
Prop. Method: Division/TC	Fertility: N/A	Chill Hours Required: See top of page
Description: A tall Banana-Plantain cross from Hawaii. Produces small to medium bunches of very plump, roundish fruits with golden-yellow skin and pinkish yellow-orange flesh. Very sweet flavour. May be eaten fresh or cooked.

MUSA: ICE CREAM (BLUE JAVA)

Pre-order: None at this time
Sunlight: Part to Full	Growth Rate: Vigorous	Drought Tolerance: No
Full Size (WxH): 3m x 3m	Ideal Min Temp: 15'C (59'F)	Min Temp Tolerated: 10'C (50'F)
Fruit Colour: Blueish-Green	Harvest: Sept-Nov	Year(s) to bear fruit: 1-2
Prop. Method: Division/TC	Fertility: N/A	Chill Hours Required: See top of page
Description: The 'Ice Cream' banana is highly regarded as one of the best tasting. This banana has slight hints of vanilla ice cream flavour and a creamy texture. Also know by the name 'Blue Java' in some parts of the world because of the blueish-green skinned fruit.

MUSA: KLUAI LEP CHANG KUT

Pre-order: None at this time
Sunlight: Full	Growth Rate: Vigorous	Drought Tolerance: Mild
Full Size (WxH): 3m x 4m	Ideal Min Temp: 10'C (50'F)	Min Temp Tolerated: 0'C (32'F)
Fruit Colour: Yellow	Harvest: Sept-Nov	Year(s) to bear fruit: 1-2
Prop. Method: Division/TC	Fertility: N/A	Chill Hours Required: See top of page
Description: This impressive banana tree is known from at least Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. Its Thai name means Elephant's toe Banana, 'Kluai Lep Chang Kut', because of the shape of the fruits. The plant is stout and tall. It has a distinct flavour and it is also supposed to be extremely hardy to cold and drought, because it is one of the few existing "BBB bananas". In fact, 'Kluai Lep Chang Kut' is a rare "Triploid BBB hybrid" of the cold- and drought-hardy Musa balbisiana (B), with no genes from the cold-sensitive Musa acuminata (A). We do not know how it will perform, but it is going to be one of the frost-hardiest of all edible bananas. The plant is robust, with distinct white-glaucous waxy pseudostems. Flower bracts are typically "balbisianesque" and fruits are somehow squared, grey-green when unripe... just like an elephant's toe!

MUSA: KOKOPO

Pre-order: None at this time
Sunlight: Full	Growth Rate: Vigorous	Drought Tolerance: No
Full Size (WxH): 3m x 2m	Ideal Min Temp: 15'C (59'F)	Min Temp Tolerated: 10'C (50'F)
Fruit Colour: Yellow	Harvest: Sept-Nov	Year(s) to bear fruit: 1-2
Prop. Method: Division/TC	Fertility: N/A	Chill Hours Required: See top of page
Description: This is a fantastic, short-season banana plant that grows quickly. Bloom to harvest time is 5 to 6 weeks, which makes it perfect for that last-minute tropical harvest. If planted in the spring, it will produce fruit by the summer. In addition, it makes a great indoor banana plant, growing fairly thin and lightweight compared to other Musa varieties. This cultivar originates in Papua New Guinea, where almost half of the population is self-sustained. That's a good testament to the hardiness, success, and versatility of the Kokopo banana. The Kokopo banana fruit is unusual in that it holds orange pulp, which is a sign of high vitamin A and beta carotene content. It can be eaten ripe, but is also a popular cooking ingredient.

MUSA: LACATAN (BURRO)

Pre-order: None at this time
Sunlight: Full	Growth Rate: Vigorous	Drought Tolerance: Mild
Full Size (WxH): 2m x 3m	Ideal Min Temp: 15'C (59'F)	Min Temp Tolerated: 10'C (50'F)
Fruit Colour: Yellow Green	Harvest: Dec-Feb	Year(s) to bear fruit: 1-2
Prop. Method: Division/TC	Fertility: N/A	Chill Hours Required: See top of page
Description: Desirable for desert bananas because of their sweet taste, aroma, and firm texture when ripe. They are preferred to Cavendish varieties in their native region of the Philippines. Claimed to be the best tasting banana. Harvest fruit in 8 to 12 months.

MUSA: MANZANO (APPLE BANANA)

Pre-order: None at this time
Sunlight: Full	Growth Rate: Vigorous	Drought Tolerance: Mild
Full Size (WxH): 3m x 3m	Ideal Min Temp: 15'C (59'F)	Min Temp Tolerated: 10'C (50'F)
Fruit Colour: Yellow	Harvest: Dec-Feb	Year(s) to bear fruit: 1-2
Prop. Method: Division/TC	Fertility: N/A	Chill Hours Required: See top of page
Description: A seedless diploid that is rendered so by bearing sterile female flowers. It is not produced commercially on large scale but it is usually grown in backyards for family consumption. Its sub-acid flavour is reminiscent of a cross between an apple and a very sweet banana, which make a pleasing combination. It must be allowed to ripen fully before eating. The plant is quite cold hardy and will not be harmed by temperatures that are close to freezing. If frost forms on its leaves they will turn brown. Mostly green coloured, with just a light margin of red around the leaf.

MUSA: NAKITENGWA (BEER BANANA)

Pre-order: None at this time
Sunlight: Full	Growth Rate: Vigorous	Drought Tolerance: No
Full Size (WxH): 4m x 3m	Ideal Min Temp: 15'C (59'F)	Min Temp Tolerated: 10'C (50'F)
Fruit Colour: Yellow	Harvest: Sept-Nov	Year(s) to bear fruit: 1-2
Prop. Method: Division/TC	Fertility: N/A	Chill Hours Required: See top of page
Description: Nakitengwa is placed in the group of "East African Highland Bananas", originating from the African Great Lakes region. They are easily distinguishable from other bananas by the numerous black (or more rarely brown or bronze) blotches on their pseudostems, giving them the appearance of polished metal. These black blotches are also found in some of the rare Fehi bananas. A few of these Highland Bananas are "Beer Bananas", also called "Mbidde" and their fruits are usually used for making banana beer. Their unprocessed pulp is bitter and astringent with sticky brown excretions. The fruits of Nakitengwa can be used for brewing beer. They can also be eaten when ripe and they are sweet and tasty. They can't be stored for long after ripening because they start to ferment (!) and they also don't dehydrate well.

MUSA: RAJAPURI

Pre-order: None at this time
Sunlight: Part to Full	Growth Rate: Medium	Drought Tolerance: Mild
Full Size (WxH): 2m x 3m	Ideal Min Temp: 15'C (59'F)	Min Temp Tolerated: 10'C (50'F)
Fruit Colour: Yellow	Harvest: Dec-Feb	Year(s) to bear fruit: 1-2
Prop. Method: Division/TC	Fertility: N/A	Chill Hours Required: See top of page
Description: Dwarf banana with small sweet fruits, similar to the "apple banana". It is easier and faster than most other types of bananas. It can grow from pup to fruit in much less than one year, so it does well in non-tropical countries with a short growing season. This Musa originated in the Punjabi region of Northern India. It is a perfect banana for the family, manageable in all its parts: a small plant, a small bunch, with small sweet fruits. Its short height (it sets fruits at 2 m or less!) makes it suitable for pot growing. Dwarf Rajapuri is an AAB type of banana, of dessert type, often compared to other AAB types such as Dwarf Brazilian or Manzano, small fruited sweet "apple" bananas.

MUSA: TEP PA NOM (Praying Hands)

Pre-order: None at this time
Sunlight: Part to Full	Growth Rate: Vigorous	Drought Tolerance: Mild
Full Size (WxH): 5m x 3m	Ideal Min Temp: 15'C (59'F)	Min Temp Tolerated: 10'C (50'F)
Fruit Colour: Green/Yellow	Harvest: Dec-Feb	Year(s) to bear fruit: 1-2
Prop. Method: Division/TC	Fertility: N/A	Chill Hours Required: See top of page
Description: A very strange banana. The hands look like they are glued together like two praying hands. Delicious fruits!!!! Definitely worth growing it.

MUSA: VEINTE COHOL

Pre-order: None at this time
Sunlight: Part to Full	Growth Rate: Medium	Drought Tolerance: No
Full Size (WxH): 4m x 3m	Ideal Min Temp: 15'C (59'F)	Min Temp Tolerated: 10'C (50'F)
Fruit Colour: Yellow	Harvest: Jan-April	Year(s) to bear fruit: 1-2
Prop. Method: Division/TC	Fertility: N/A	Chill Hours Required: See top of page
Description: Delicious, easy to grow, easy to fruit - see fruit by the end of the summer! A seedless and very cold sensitive variety.

Back to Variety List