Raja Purri cold Hardiness

[ClayMango]

After looking at a completely frost destroyed banana tree for the last 2 weeks, i spotted this thing poking out the top!  My hopes are high!

[Luisport]

Hi! What's the lowest temp she got? Thank's! 

[ClayMango]

26 degrees!

[Luisport]

26 degrees!

Ok, thank's! 

[sultry_jasmine_nights]

I am in zone 9a and it got down to 22F and my Raja Puri look ratty but are definitely still alive. I've had them in the ground for 3 years. They fruit but it seems like they like to fruit in the fall so of course, the hands freeze or are not large enough to pick by the time we get freezing weather (usually late November to mid December).
I had half size bananas ripen in time on a Dwarf Namwah this year. They start their flowering earlier here. They have been in the ground for 3 yrs as well. I bought them as Ice Cream bananas from wellspring gardens but someone on the banana forum said most of the American bananas that are sold as Ice Cream are really dwarf Namwah. So I dunno for sure what they are lol.
~SJN

[treefrog]

here's a guide to fruiting bananas in zone 8 (mobile alabama) 

http://blog.al.com/living-press-register/2011/12/guide_to_growing_bananas_on_th.html

it should work for your zone 9.  the trick seems to be getting it to blossom early enough.

good luck.

[edzone9]

Bananas are hard too kill !, Im Live in Zone Line & I was able to fruit & Harvest My Namwah & orionoco this Nov-Dec .

Good Luck ..
Ed

[ClayMango]

lets just hope I can get this banana to set fruit early before fall hit this year

[gunnar429]

Clay, was it protected at all?

[ClayMango]

Clay, was it protected at all?

No protection....26 degrees nuked the entire plant until I seen this green leaf sprouting up, its unraveling this new top leaf already.....Raja Puri is back in business....apparently she can get down even lower to 22 degrees said another forum member.

I figured people were talking about them jut dying back to the ground and emerging in spring.......Raja Puri is a beast...no time for dying

[edzone9]

We Had Weather in The 20's Up here afew weeks back, Only Damage to my Bananas where the Leaves, No Damage To The PS.
My 3640 , Namwah & orionoco Did Very Well, I thought that I would have to cut them down to the corn, Since they have sent up new leaves..

Good Luck !

Ed..
P.s. My Favorite so far is the FHIA 3640 ..

[Pancrazio]

Rajapuri is apparently a very cold hardy banana. In my opinion it does best when it gets a quick cold snap, compared to when it has to deal with prolonged low temperatures: in the latter case, after a prolonged growth stop it starts to lose its pseudostem. But if you have a brief cold snap and the soil remains warm, it does really well. Plus, it is also very dwarf!

[jmc96]

Rajapuri is apparently a very cold hardy banana. In my opinion it does best when it gets a quick cold snap, compared to when it has to deal with prolonged low temperatures: in the latter case, after a prolonged growth stop it starts to lose its pseudostem. But if you have a brief cold snap and the soil remains warm, it does really well. Plus, it is also very dwarf!

Dwarf??? you may have the wrong variety, they are known to have one of the largest leaves of any banana plant. My Rajapuri is as tall as Goldfinger.

[ClayMango]

My Raha Puri is about 6 feet right now after 7  months of growth

[Dangermouse01]

Dwarf??? you may have the wrong variety, they are known to have one of the largest leaves of any banana plant. My Rajapuri is as tall as Goldfinger.

Not sure on how tall a Goldinger gets, but my Raja Puri p-stem's are barely higher than my 6 foot fence when it fruits. Leaves are not extremely large either, kind of puny when compared to the leaves on my Jamaican Red.

Here is an old picture of the first flower (left side), 6 foot fence behind it.


DM

[ClayMango]

are  you able to fruit them before your cold snaps in central florida ?

[Pancrazio]

Dwarf??? you may have the wrong variety, they are known to have one of the largest leaves of any banana plant. My Rajapuri is as tall as Goldfinger.

I'm pretty sure Rajapuri stays relatively dwarf, let's say in the dwarf cavendish league. But maybe we refer to different plants, pisang raja, for instance, is a pretty tall banana with a name similar to rajapuri. My plant did grow very stout, but i haven't been able to flower it.

[bsbullie]

Dwarf Cavendish is a true dwarf in the world of fruiting bananas, reaching 5 - 6 feet,.  Raja Puri will grow to around 8 feet, a little taller than a dwarf but much smaller than some that will tower to 12 feet plus.

Goldfinger,  or FHIA 01 will grow to 10 - 12 feet.