My SoCal banana growing experience

[PixelTreat]

I ordered a Blue Java banana plant from Plantogram in 2016. Though I understand that it may actually be another Ice Cream Variety. Friends and family really like it. Personally it's not quite as I expected, it's not very sweet. It's better eaten fresh as the bananas don't ever get mushy and sweeter. You can leave them out till they are pitch black and when they are peeled they still have a fresh bright white fruit.  They make terrible banana bread. Making ice cream from them, I baked the bananas in their peel to bring out their sugar content, the peels dyed the fruit a dark purple. The ice cream was very mild in flavor and little starchy. So I suppose my question is whether others had a similar experience.

Now for the plants themselves,  a full sized shoot can be 12 to 15 feet tall, is prolific, and extremely fast growing. I can remove a bunch of new shoots and a week later 10 more are popping up. It's starting to become a full time job keeping the plant as bay. I'm beginning to consider if it's worth the effort. I have a feeling it's growth is exponential. My understanding removing the plant will be no small feat. On the plus side they really do look make the front yard look great.

[Johnny Eat Fruit]

Why is it that you chose Blue Java banana?  Dwarf Brazilian, Dwarf Red and Dwarf Namwah are the variety that do the best in our SoCal climate according to people that grow Banans them in this area.

Intersting you chose Blue Java.

Johnny

[spaugh]

Its probably not really a blue java.  The blue javas fall over if they are not propped and look more blue than that.

I have grown tons of different banana plants and the dwarf namwah and dwarf brazilian are my favorites.  Not a fan of the tall trees that can fall over.  Theres more waste to deal with when you harvest a big tree too.

[spaugh]

Heres a blue java rack.  By the way the blue java banana is ok but not the greatest flavor.  They tend to be a little dry and fluffy.  The namwah is more dense and sweet.

[RodneyS]

Praying Hands & Pitogo have intrigued me

[Jabba The Hutt]

Praying Hands & Pitogo have intrigued me

Prefer the flavor of Reds and Cavendish types. I don't mind a few Pitogo or Praying Hands but I don't want to gobble them down like i do bananas with the banana pudding like flavor and texture like the reds possess.

[PixelTreat]

Heres a blue java rack.  By the way the blue java banana is ok but not the greatest flavor.  They tend to be a little dry and fluffy.  The namwah is more dense and sweet.

I would consider my bananas pretty dense. There is a short stage where the bananas get a bluish hue but not to the levels you show. Perhaps I have namwah and I'm just not tasting it as sweet. Does Namwah have ripening characteristists I described?

[spaugh]

Its really hard to tell for certain what you have with bananas but yours may be namwahs.  Namwah have thin peels and dense fruit and need to get pretty ripe.  Blue java goes mushy if left to turn brown.  I think the namwahs are better fruit.  The rack in your last picture does look like namwahs. 

This one was a tall namwah

[PixelTreat]

Its really hard to tell for certain what you have with bananas but yours may be namwahs.  Namwah have thin peels and dense fruit and need to get pretty ripe.  Blue java goes mushy if left to turn brown.  I think the namwahs are better fruit.  The rack in your last picture does look like namwahs. 

That looks really similar to mine, and same characteristics. And yes, I explain to people that it's tastes better the longer you let it ripen, don't be afraid of it getting a deep dark yellow peel. Like I mentioned it never gets mushy. Ever. They also split if left on the plant to long, though I'm not sure if that's a common banana trait.

Now if the plant would just slow down a bit or it's going to get replaced with a Sharwil Avocado tree I've been eyeing.