Fruiting bananas in Zone 7
larrylwill
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
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andrew Central Al
8 years agolarrylwill
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Can you Grow pineapples or bananas in South Carolina (zone 7)
Comments (2)Not outside all year. If brought inside in a sunny glassed-in room for a couple months of winter it can be done. The bananas can instead be dug up and stored semi-dormant in a cold room or in the enclosed crawlspace of the house (dark is fine). It takes a while to build up enough stored energy to fruit though. That said, I have once eaten bananas from a back yard in central SC. I was really growing them more or less as ornamentals. A group is (was?) experimenting with bananas as an annual at the old Bamboo Introduction Garden outside Savannah, Georgia. I forget which selection they used but they would be easy to track down and ask. That is considerably warmer than Z7 though....See MoreBanana in Zone 7-8
Comments (2)Hi. I have received a lot of information from bananas.org. Whatever you do, dont cut the pseudostem back or it will delay the fruiting. I stored mine in a friends unheated garage and covered mine with blankets and it did well. Since it will be dormant, water it rarely and very little, just enough to make sure the roots dont completely dry out. When you plant your bananas in the ground be sure to have well drained soil and you can use a well balanced fertilizer. But lots of organic matter is perfect. Bananas also like fertilizer high in potassium. I hope that helps a little...See MoreMichelia skinneriana(banana shrub)Zone7a
Comments (3)Kandhi, We are in northern-most central Alabama. A friend has a Michelia/Banana Shrub on the south side of his house with tall pine shade at midday. It is 15-20 years old and 8 feet tall. We have had a few degrees below zero in that time. I rooted a cutting of M. skinneri last year but will keep it in cold frames until 3 or 4 gallons in size. Larger plants, well mulched, can recover from the roots even if frozen back. Camellias die back to the ground here every twenty years or so. They always recover. I plant risky things in the spring so they can get established before freezing. We can now grow huge Banana trees (Musa) outdoors now. Same for evergreen Clematis armandii. Climate warming or a fluke? Banana shrub seedlings may vary in hardiness. Thats a trait worth watching for. There is a southeastern hardy plant society that focuses on these things. Mike519...See MoreCan you grow pineapple or bananas in South Carolia (Zone 7)
Comments (3)Pineapples will not be worth your time. You can keep then as potted plants and they will bloom and fruit eventually, but the fruit wont taste very good They are really interesting plants though so I would give them a try just because of that. Bananas are a great choice for your area. It will take a few years to get fruit, but once your plants are mature, you will be getting fruit (or at least blooms) every year. Again, its not really a plant that you can grow for fruit in your area, but they are really beautiful and you will get fruit eventually if you give them lots of care (and sun, water, plant food, and heat). Here are some varieties with a short description Musa Basjoo- They will survive your winters and they are the most cold hardy banana currently known. I would mulch them during the winter just to make sure they come back, but if you get them from a good nursery they should be fine. They are not evergreen and they will not make edible fruit. However, they look beautiful and they will make bananas (just ones with lots of seeds). They can grow 20 feet tall or more when older and they grow at least 5-10 feet in height a year! Musa Velutina- They might survive your winters. You can easily dig it up if you dont want to risk it. They are small plants as far as bananas are concerned. The fruit is very interesting because its a pink color. Its edible, but you have to work around the large seeds. Apparently they taste pretty decent, but I never tried them. They look beautiful in bloom anyway. Musa Saba- They could also be hardy, but I would dig it up and store it in a garage or your home just to be safe. Bananas are actually very easy to store. You just dig them up around the time of first frost (probably best to dig them up right before first frost) and you can pot them up and bring them in. They wont grow much indoors, but you cant take them back out in the spring and they will grow again. Musa Saba is one of the largest bananas in the world. They can grow up to 40 feet! They make edible bananas but I think you can only eat them if you cook them. These bananas taste pretty good! Musa "Ice cream"- A very popular banana because it taste very good. They are especially popular in Hawaii. I have seen people get these to fruit in pretty cold climates. They dig them up and bring them in for the year and you should do the same. They can reach 20-30 feet tall according to conditions. The bananas are kind of bluish so some people call them "Java Blue Bananas". They are not cold hardy to your area so definitely dig them up. There are tons of other banana species (1000's) and you can try to grow them. They all grow the same way and to be honest, the plants themselves look pretty similar to each other unless you really know a bit about banana plants. Good luck! Banana plants are really fun plants to watch grow. You should at least grow them for the tropical look and if you get them to fruit, you will instantly feel like you have been transported to the tropics! -Alex...See Morelarrylwill
8 years agoandrew Central Al
8 years agolarrylwill
8 years agoandrew Central Al
8 years agolarrylwill
8 years agosiege2055
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoFrancesco Delvillani
8 years agoandrew Central Al
8 years agosiege2055
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoandrew Central Al
8 years agolarrylwill
8 years agosiege2055
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoSubtropical Memphis
8 years agosiege2055
8 years agoSubtropical Memphis
8 years agoFrancesco Delvillani
8 years agoandrew Central Al
8 years agosiege2055
8 years agosiege2055
8 years agolarrylwill
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agosiege2055
8 years agolarrylwill
8 years agolarrylwill
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7 years agoCommon Cents
7 years agolarrylwill
7 years agoZone7Palmz
3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago
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andrew Central Al