Disease resistant, productive and reasonable tasting banana

[Mr. Clean]

I asked  a friend very knowledgeable in fruit trees, which is the "Pickering" of bananas?  Meaning a disease resistant, productive (decent size), and reasonable tasting banana.  He suggested the FHIA 17 banana.  Thoughts?

[HMHausman]

I'd go with Goldfinger.....FHIA 1.

[Mr. Clean]

I'd go with Goldfinger.....FHIA 1.

Tried the Goldfingers recently.  They were good tasting, but fairly small.

[FlyingFoxFruits]

what's up with vente cohol?

I have one I'm trying to fruit in a pot this year...I hear it's a dwarf, with fast flower to harvest period...so I can beat the cold weather.

[Tropicalgrower89]

Don't know what the common name for mine is, but it's called cientoenboca in Spanish. It has the same flavor as manzano but sweeter and smoother texture. Of the bunch in the clump, the tallest one is almost 20 feet tall. They produce lots of fruit. The last one was just a bit shorter and it produced a rack with 11 hands.  They also produce lots of suckers/pups. Haven't had disease problems so far.

[bsbullie]

Goldfinger is not a small banana.   It is a medium sized fruit.

Go with FHIA 3/Sweetheart.

[HMHausman]

I'd go with Goldfinger.....FHIA 1.

Tried the Goldfingers recently.  They were good tasting, but fairly small.

Goldfinger is definitely not small.  I would hesitate to use medium to describe them.  They are the largest banana that I have ever grown.  Only plantains that I have grown have been larger.

[bsbullie]

The medium size I stated was based on a large full size Cavendish/Grand Nain found in the grocery store being large.

[HMHausman]

The medium size I stated was based on a large full size Cavendish/Grand Nain found in the grocery store being large.

My Goldfingers are pretty much the same size as these.  Perhaps a slight bit less in length but wider in girth....probably similar in overall weight per banana.

[bsbullie]

The medium size I stated was based on a large full size Cavendish/Grand Nain found in the grocery store being large.

My Goldfingers are pretty much the same size as these.  Perhaps a slight bit less in length but wider in girth....probably similar in overall weight per banana.

All of the many I have had have been a little smaller.  Maybe its the difference in soil and moisture than what I have had in our soil/sandy conditions.  How often do you feed your naners?  I wonder if there is a taste difference?  Would like to do a side by side tasting but I have a feeling timing would not be that easy.

[Bananimal]

Goldfinger and SH3640.  Also Viente Cohol.  A friend in PR reports that the VC is one of the best tasting naners he ever had next to the Morado.  He has a 15 acre farm.  Grows mostly plantains - cash crop.   Grew the Sweetheart once, and after tasting the fruit dug up the whole thing and gave it away.  I gagged on how sickeningly sweet it was.  That's just my taste.   I eat sauerkraut as a side dish.  Yum yum.

[venturabananas]

what's up with vente cohol?

I have one I'm trying to fruit in a pot this year...I hear it's a dwarf, with fast flower to harvest period...so I can beat the cold weather.

Yes, it is very fast from flower to harvest, so if you can get it to flower in the right window of time, you should get a small bunch of small fruit.  It's not a big producer, but some folks really like the flavor, others don't.  It needs heat and humidity to grow quickly -- in other words, Florida in summer is perfect!  It doesn't like cool, coastal California conditions.  It's not technically a dwarf (which are shorter and stouter than non-dwarfs), but it is a relatively short and slender plant -- by banana standards.

[venturabananas]

I asked  a friend very knowledgeable in fruit trees, which is the "Pickering" of bananas?  Meaning a disease resistant, productive (decent size), and reasonable tasting banana.  He suggested the FHIA 17 banana.  Thoughts?

All the FHIA series bananas have some disease resistance, so they are good in that regard.  FHIA-17 is a good producer of good sized fruits.  The flavor is very similar to a Cavendish banana you'd buy in the supermarket, except that it gets really strongly flavored when over ripe (and not in a good way, to me at least).  Personally, I'd choose FHIA-18 or FHIA-01 (Goldfinger) over FHIA-17.  FHIA-01 and FHIA-18 are siblings and very similar, but some folks like the flavor of FHIA-18 a little better.  They both have a hint of tartness, which I really enjoy, which comes from their female parent Dwarf Brazilian (Prata Ana). 

The size of the bunches and the individual fruits of bananas depend on environmental conditions and cultural practices, but those three FHIA varieties can be just as big and nearly as productive as healthy Cavendish banana plants, which pretty much set the standard for productivity and fruit size in dessert (non-"plantain") bananas.  When there's heavy disease pressure, they will be more productive than Cavendish varieties.

Personally, I wouldn't be without Dwarf Brazilian.  It's at the top of my list for flavor and is a very tough plant.  The main knock against it is that it's not terribly productive, in that the bunches aren't huge and the flowering cycle isn't real fast.

For absolutely reliable, high quantity fruit production, it is hard to beat the "Namwah" (Pisang Awak) varieties (Dwarf Namwah and the plants usually sold as "Misi Luki" and "Ice Cream" in the US).  They are relatively disease resistant and also handle cold and dry conditions well.  Some people really like their flavor, some people think the flavor is just OK, and others dislike it.  They definitely have a different flavor (very sweet and with apple cider overtones) and especially a different texture (very dense) than your run of the mill Cavendish from the market.  If eaten before they are really ripe (they need some black on the peel and no green), they are very starchy and not so great.

A warning: there are hundreds of banana varieties and getting one my lead you down the path of banana obsession.  I know it did me.  My small yard is full of them now!

[jc]

The Publix variety would work best for you. It's everbearing. 

I asked  a friend very knowledgeable in fruit trees, which is the "Pickering" of bananas?  Meaning a disease resistant, productive (decent size), and reasonable tasting banana.  He suggested the FHIA 17 banana.  Thoughts?

[gunnar429]

I may be crazy, but I like the look of large (tall) banana plants, and I have the space for one.  I know saba, Mekong giant, and (I think) kandrian are all pretty tall.  Any recommendations as far as flavor, and lack of spreading when new pups form (if possible).  IOW, I have the vertical space, but don't want to choose a cultivar that spreads quickly, making a dense mat that would be difficult to keep up with. 
Thanks.

[canesgirl821]

The Publix variety would work best for you. It's everbearing. 

I asked  a friend very knowledgeable in fruit trees, which is the "Pickering" of bananas?  Meaning a disease resistant, productive (decent size), and reasonable tasting banana.  He suggested the FHIA 17 banana.  Thoughts?

I LOL'd.

[BestDay]

Venturabananas, If I understand you correctly you are saying that the Home Depot "Ice Cream", Dwarf Namwa and Misi Luki Bananas all taste simular.  Is that correct? 

I have all three.  The Home Depot "Ice Cream" banana is exactly as you described it.  If I remember correctly the Misi Luki had more tartness to it but now that I think of it, it was also a dense banana.  My Dwarf Namwa hasn't fruited yet.  Does it taste exactly like the Home Depot "Ice Cream"?  If so I'll get rid of it. 

Thanks for the help.

Bill

[gunnar429]

my understanding is that HD's ice cream IS dwarf namwa.  Even Pine Island makes this mistake so obviously HD would.

[BestDay]

Home Depots "Ice Cream" is definately not Dwarf Namwa. Mine is about 15 feet tall. I believe it is a Namwa type but not dwarf.

Bill

[FlyingFoxFruits]

I decided earlier this year to give Viente Cohol a try.  The tree is in a 15 gal, and I don't really want to put it into a 25 gal.  I want it to fruit in a pot....so I will be curious to see how it handles being somewhat root bound.  I'm ready to see some flowers soon..I'm running out of time!!!

[Mr. Clean]

I contacted a Banana grower in Pahokee.  He commented that FHIA-1 has reliably fruited 10-12 months after planting, while FHIA-17 usually takes 16-18 months.  FHIA-17 is about 1-2' shorter than FHIA-1.  I planted a FHIA-1 (Goldfinger).

[Doglips]

The Publix variety would work best for you. It's everbearing. 

I asked  a friend very knowledgeable in fruit trees, which is the "Pickering" of bananas?  Meaning a disease resistant, productive (decent size), and reasonable tasting banana.  He suggested the FHIA 17 banana.  Thoughts?

LOL
I hear the Publix banana plant doesnt grow well outside of Florida.