Author Topic: Can you grow avacado, mango and banana indoors?  (Read 5562 times)

Desertcitrus

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 111
    • Hurricane, UT 8b
    • View Profile
Can you grow avacado, mango and banana indoors?
« on: May 01, 2019, 03:00:45 AM »
I have read at a lot of information but can’t seem to find out if you can grow avacado, mango and bananas indoors in the winter and outside in the summer in a container. If so is it worth the effort.  you can get good crops off citrus this way but what about these others. And how hard are they to grow ? I live in zone 8b.

lebmung

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1097
    • Romania, Bucharest,7b (inside city 8a)
    • View Profile
    • Plante tropicale
Re: Can you grow avacado, mango and banana indoors?
« Reply #1 on: May 01, 2019, 05:33:55 AM »
Bananas they will grow but won't fruit easily, they are hungry for light.
Mangoes are really difficult to grow overall in cold climates, not like citrus.

Das Bhut

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 330
    • Davie
    • View Profile
Re: Can you grow avacado, mango and banana indoors?
« Reply #2 on: May 01, 2019, 06:12:58 AM »
avocado you could in a 100 gallon

mango, pickering could probably fruit in a 25 gallon

banana would fruit in a 50 gallon

Coach62

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 518
    • Naples, FL Zone 10a
    • View Profile
    • Naples Home Inspections
Re: Can you grow avacado, mango and banana indoors?
« Reply #3 on: May 01, 2019, 07:23:29 AM »
I believe there are bananas that will grow outdoors in zone 8 if you cut them back and cover them in winter. I’m pretty sure I’ve read about people doing this.
www.ableinspector.com

Stop New Yorking my Florida!

Bruce

tve

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 121
    • Santa Barbara, CA
    • View Profile
    • Intro post
Re: Can you grow avacado, mango and banana indoors?
« Reply #4 on: May 01, 2019, 11:46:11 AM »
For avos the best info I have found so far is from Yoshimi Yonemoto, see his two presentations linked from http://htfg.org/conferences/2016, there's also info on mango.
With bananas, what I always wonder is whether there's some way to control height.

Desertcitrus

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 111
    • Hurricane, UT 8b
    • View Profile
Re: Can you grow avacado, mango and banana indoors?
« Reply #5 on: May 01, 2019, 12:34:57 PM »
Thank you for everyone’s help and information you have shared.

spaugh

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5126
    • San Diego County California
    • View Profile
Re: Can you grow avacado, mango and banana indoors?
« Reply #6 on: May 01, 2019, 01:56:02 PM »
Anything will grow indoors given the right lighting and temperature.  Do I think its smart to try and grow any of those indoors, no.  You are better off buying a greenhouse.
Brad Spaugh

SeaWalnut

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1397
    • Romania zone 6
    • View Profile
Re: Can you grow avacado, mango and banana indoors?
« Reply #7 on: May 01, 2019, 05:12:24 PM »
I believe there are bananas that will grow outdoors in zone 8 if you cut them back and cover them in winter. I’m pretty sure I’ve read about people doing this.
Here in zone 6 we grow bananas outdoor but its a decorative specie ,Musa Basjo ,and will not set fruit because it needs a longer growing season.For zone 8 i think Java blue could be the best choice but you have to buy the plant because it doesnt grow from seeds.

Desertcitrus

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 111
    • Hurricane, UT 8b
    • View Profile
Re: Can you grow avacado, mango and banana indoors?
« Reply #8 on: May 02, 2019, 12:54:48 AM »
Great, thank you.

lebmung

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1097
    • Romania, Bucharest,7b (inside city 8a)
    • View Profile
    • Plante tropicale
Re: Can you grow avacado, mango and banana indoors?
« Reply #9 on: May 02, 2019, 05:20:30 AM »
I grow 10 species of bananas and cut their leaves in winter, they go dormant. Those really tropical from A group are sensitive to cold and die easily. There is no edible banana that can grew outside in zone 8.
I have mangoes that set flower in a 2 gallon container. Flowering mango and set the fruit it's not about the container size, it's about the scion and the grafting way. A mature scion grafted will flower instantly.
The only problem with them is the lack of light in winter plus the diseases they get once it's cold.
In zone 8 sure you can grow them, bring them indoors for 2 months when it's really cold. but in spring and fall you will need a greenhouse to have a full season.

Mark in Texas

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4220
    • Fredericksburg Texas, (central TX), zone 8a
    • View Profile
Re: Can you grow avacado, mango and banana indoors?
« Reply #10 on: May 02, 2019, 07:42:31 AM »
Here in Texas those who choose to grow without a greenhouse haul their tropical fruit trees in and out of small greenhouse or into a garage, the house, whatever.  There's very successful mango grower in Houston who grows and fruits 15' trees.  He has figured out a way to cover them using a PVC structure and vinyl.

I grow/fruit mangos, avocados, pineapple, annonas, citrus, pitaya, maters, bananas, etc. in a 31' X 36' with a 18' peak using bottomless RootBuilder raised beds.



pineislander

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2199
    • Bokeelia, FL
    • View Profile
Re: Can you grow avacado, mango and banana indoors?
« Reply #11 on: May 02, 2019, 06:23:36 PM »
I believe there are bananas that will grow outdoors in zone 8 if you cut them back and cover them in winter. I’m pretty sure I’ve read about people doing this.

Rot is a big problem keeping them in ground over winter. I'm on a Facebook banana forum and see many trying but usually have to start over with just suckers surviving. If you try in these marginal climates maybe covering the whole root zone to keep them very dry might help. Basjo does well I got fruit in zone 6 but frost eventually killed the inedible bunch.

All the fruit

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 227
    • Germany
    • View Profile
    • Youtube: all the fruit
Re: Can you grow avacado, mango and banana indoors?
« Reply #12 on: May 02, 2019, 10:31:27 PM »
You can get good fruit from plants in pots with Citrus, pomegrenade, carissa, macadamia, hapnophyllum, tamarillo etc. If you have a heated greenhouse edible bananas, papayas, cocoa, soursop etc grow well, too. Mango and avocado trees grow well in greenhouses but i have never seen them set fruit there. People say its possible, though.

Mark in Texas

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4220
    • Fredericksburg Texas, (central TX), zone 8a
    • View Profile
Re: Can you grow avacado, mango and banana indoors?
« Reply #13 on: May 03, 2019, 10:15:44 AM »
You can get good fruit from plants in pots with Citrus, pomegrenade, carissa, macadamia, hapnophyllum, tamarillo etc. If you have a heated greenhouse edible bananas, papayas, cocoa, soursop etc grow well, too. Mango and avocado trees grow well in greenhouses but i have never seen them set fruit there. People say its possible, though.

Damn straight it's possible.   ;)









spaugh

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5126
    • San Diego County California
    • View Profile
Re: Can you grow avacado, mango and banana indoors?
« Reply #14 on: May 03, 2019, 10:21:07 AM »
Brad Spaugh

Mark in Texas

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4220
    • Fredericksburg Texas, (central TX), zone 8a
    • View Profile
Re: Can you grow avacado, mango and banana indoors?
« Reply #15 on: May 03, 2019, 10:30:17 AM »
Good grief.  Must be Japan.  They have their greenhouse tropical fruit production down to a science.

All the fruit

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 227
    • Germany
    • View Profile
    • Youtube: all the fruit
Re: Can you grow avacado, mango and banana indoors?
« Reply #16 on: May 04, 2019, 04:03:49 AM »
 ;D ok, you convinced me that its possible in Texas and Japan. Still not sure it can work in Germany or other zone 8b locations. Maybe light, pollinators or other issues. But i wish it would be possible. guess the mangoes from here would be very bland, though.

SeaWalnut

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1397
    • Romania zone 6
    • View Profile
Re: Can you grow avacado, mango and banana indoors?
« Reply #17 on: May 04, 2019, 05:18:10 AM »
I am in zone 6 and i build a geodesic dome greenhouse with double walls( means insulated ) .My goal its to  grow a few cherimoya trees ,somme sugar apples( i like theyr fast fruiting) and uvaria grandiflora .These are valuable fruits and verry rare to find to buy where i am.Mangos and avocados are cheap and can be found at any supermarket so i wont try growing them.The heating will be made with a rocket stove on wood but probably il only use that just a few weeks a year.

lebmung

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1097
    • Romania, Bucharest,7b (inside city 8a)
    • View Profile
    • Plante tropicale
Re: Can you grow avacado, mango and banana indoors?
« Reply #18 on: May 04, 2019, 06:24:24 AM »
;D ok, you convinced me that its possible in Texas and Japan. Still not sure it can work in Germany or other zone 8b locations. Maybe light, pollinators or other issues. But i wish it would be possible. guess the mangoes from here would be very bland, though.

I am in zone 7b and my mangoes are 1,5m now flowering, you just need a good grafted tree.

Mark in Texas

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4220
    • Fredericksburg Texas, (central TX), zone 8a
    • View Profile
Re: Can you grow avacado, mango and banana indoors?
« Reply #19 on: May 04, 2019, 07:17:03 AM »
;D ok, you convinced me that its possible in Texas and Japan. Still not sure it can work in Germany or other zone 8b locations. Maybe light, pollinators or other issues. But i wish it would be possible. guess the mangoes from here would be very bland, though.

I selected my greenhouse design so that pollinators can easily come and go at will.  2' roof vent, 4' drop down guillotine vent (which I hate cause it's leaky).



Mark in Texas

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4220
    • Fredericksburg Texas, (central TX), zone 8a
    • View Profile
Re: Can you grow avacado, mango and banana indoors?
« Reply #20 on: May 04, 2019, 07:20:32 AM »
I am in zone 6 and i build a geodesic dome greenhouse with double walls( means insulated ) .My goal its to  grow a few cherimoya trees ,somme sugar apples( i like theyr fast fruiting) and uvaria grandiflora .These are valuable fruits and verry rare to find to buy where i am.Mangos and avocados are cheap and can be found at any supermarket so i wont try growing them.The heating will be made with a rocket stove on wood but probably il only use that just a few weeks a year.

There is some stock that doesn't like temps below 45F, 7C.  My heater setpoint is 34F, just above freezing.  I use a 100K BTU propane heater with a free standing construction heater as backup.

SeaWalnut

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1397
    • Romania zone 6
    • View Profile
Re: Can you grow avacado, mango and banana indoors?
« Reply #21 on: May 04, 2019, 07:34:16 AM »


There is some stock that doesn't like temps below 45F, 7C.  My heater setpoint is 34F, just above freezing.  I use a 100K BTU propane heater with a free standing construction heater as backup.
I have natural gas pipe there but il make the rocket stove on wood because i have branches and wood that its free.About polination ,i am a beekeper but cant use the beehives for it ,especially in winter.Instead il use bumblebees in the greenhouse that i catch and rear myself from the wild.Your greenhouse its verry nice,has a clasic design and the sliding window its nice too even thogh if reminds me of Hitlers window.
« Last Edit: May 04, 2019, 07:39:18 AM by SeaWalnut »

Mark in Texas

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4220
    • Fredericksburg Texas, (central TX), zone 8a
    • View Profile
Re: Can you grow avacado, mango and banana indoors?
« Reply #22 on: May 04, 2019, 07:48:06 AM »
Bees, honey and bumble, are just a small part of my pollinators.  I have moths, butterflies, wasps, and several species of flies.  This Gwen avocado was covered in flies.



All the fruit

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 227
    • Germany
    • View Profile
    • Youtube: all the fruit
Re: Can you grow avacado, mango and banana indoors?
« Reply #23 on: May 04, 2019, 01:38:19 PM »
 ;D ok, i guess i have to ask a few local people with greenhouses if they can grow those fruit, too.

SeaWalnut

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1397
    • Romania zone 6
    • View Profile
Re: Can you grow avacado, mango and banana indoors?
« Reply #24 on: May 04, 2019, 05:04:31 PM »
Bees, honey and bumble, are just a small part of my pollinators.  I have moths, butterflies, wasps, and several species of flies.  This Gwen avocado was covered in flies.


I dont know much about avocados but i assume they must be like those annonaceae that are not pollinated by bees but by flyes,ants and somme otther bugs.Those plants il most likely polinate with a brush myself but to have a small bumblebee hive indoor in the winter here its good because they are easy to keep and we dont have any polinators in winter.