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DeborahL
- Green Thumb
- Posts: 543
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2010 11:40 pm
- Location: Coastal Southern California
Banana Tree
Why is it that I often see banana trees in yards but never any with bananas?
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lorax
- Greener Thumb
- Posts: 1316
- Joined: Mon Jul 12, 2010 5:48 pm
- Location: Ecuador, USDA Zone 13, at 10,000' of altitude
Because in Califonia it can take up to 2 years for a plant to produce fruit. The normal cycle of a banana plant is 12-18 months from sprout to flower, but the northern winter stops the plants (or sets them back) which means that they have to start up again where they left off last season.
The other possibility, of course, is that you're looking at ornamental bananas, but in California many of the edible cultivars are both available and possible. Orinoco is quite popular, and that's a longer-cycle banana.
The other possibility, of course, is that you're looking at ornamental bananas, but in California many of the edible cultivars are both available and possible. Orinoco is quite popular, and that's a longer-cycle banana.