We bought a Banana Tree yesterday. We have been given reassurances this variety of Banana will withstand the cold and the heat of the valley. Has anyone else tried planting Banana in Phoenix? We are planting it tomorrow, so if you have comments about what kind of soil to put it in, we would appreciate quick reply.
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Where did everyone find these or are any of your selling any shoots?
You are welcome Chelsey, Alex, the owner is very knowledgeable. Do ask him about timing for transplanting.
Chelsey Tropica Mango carries some banana plants.
http://www.tropicamango.com/
You can sometimes get lucky and find plants at the chain nurserys (Home Depot). You can also try the Arizona Rare Fruit Growers who have demo gardens and sometime sales at the Maricopa County Extension Office.
http://www.azrfg.org/
I have been growing bananas for several years in Central Phoenix. I started with 4 and now have over 20 -they multiply pretty fast. So far I have not had any fruit yet but I don't know what kind of bananas I have so that could be the problem. I really just love the tropical look! If exposed to frost the banana leaves will freeze but return in spring. I have had some completely exposed that froze to the ground and "pups" came out in the spring. The only amendment I add to the soil is Lava Sand, which I find at Bakers Nursery.
I would say they are pretty hardly and do best with eastern exposure, for the cold protection more than sun. I also have papaya and other tropicals which mostly seem to be doing fine.
To add briefly, I find they do well with a bit of afternoon shade. They tend to dislike direct western sun in June-July-August.
Also they need well draining soil and are heavy heavy feeders. They grow so quickly in the heat.
Hi Christie,
I have been growing the Ice Cream banana for about the same amount of time as Michele noted. I actually carted the plant around in a pot before I planted it for about 4 years :-) So I got the initial plant about 12 years ago. Bananas do very well here with some considerations. Most people fret over the shredding of the leaves in high winds, so if you have options place in an area where they can get a little wind protection. An east or south facing wall works well particularly for retained heat in the winter. In a hard freeze the plant can almost go to the ground but bounces back quite well. After a couple of years the root mass can be quite large. A happy location will give you multiple babies a couple of times a year.
If you are going to plant near a wall, make sure you leave a good 2-3 feet between the wall and plant and keep the babies volunteering on the wall side cut out (you can usually root and replant elsewhere or give away).
It may take 1-2 years of growth to have enough energy to give you a flower.
Once the plant flowers, that stalk will eventually die.
Getting the fruit is totally guided by nature. The fruit takes 4 months from initial flower push to ripe. Sometimes nature's joke is to put the flower out late summer which means the fruit won't be ripe until the cold weather hits. You may have to cut the bunch off and ripen indoors.
The Ice Cream banana puts out 3 inch fruit. The ones we have had the fortune to get ripening in the right time of the year were not overly sweet, but sweet enough and very very creamy. We thoroughly enjoyed the ones we got.
Our bananas are watered every 4-6 days depending on time of year.
Almost the entire plant is edible: leaves, flower and of course fruit. The leaves make great wraps to steam or grill food in. Done up in aluminum foil on the grill the leaves impart a fruity quality to light meats like chicken or fish.
Good luck :-)
We have had great luck with bananas. Bananas thrive in the valleys little micro-climates. We live in Ahwatukee and we have had them growing in our yard for about 8 years now. We planted an Ice Cream banana and a couple of dwarf bananas, sorry, don't remember the name. They have provided a great privacy screen from our neighbors. They spread from little shoots that come up from the roots. A couple of things to know is once the plant sets fruit it's a goner. :( But when that happens you can enjoy the really strange looking flower/fruit that evolves and then know that another one is on one or even three are the way. We started out with 3 and currently we have 7 with 2 on the way out. If you have a freeze you will lose all your leaves, but don't despair it bounces back. We didn't do anything special to the soil, in fact we kind of ignore them and they do well. They do like their water though. We have them on drips and they get watered 4x a week in the summer and then cut back in the winter. We bought ours from the guy on Broadway and Central and he knows his stuff. And lastly we have never been able to eat any of the bananas they just never qet sweet enough. Good luck!