Musa velutina - cold hardy dwarf pink velvet banana (plant)

Description: Musa velutina – Pink Velvet Banana (1 gallon size plants) What you’ll receive: The plants I have for sale are grown in the continental USA and they have a trunk height that ranges from 16 – 22 inches tall. They will be taller than that with their leaves. These are seed grown plants from locally sourced seeds rather than shoots or root divisions which may struggle to re-establish. Each plant will exhibit some variability since they aren’t tissue cultured but all are vigorous and strong. If I wouldn’t buy it, then I’m not going to sell it. Musa velutina thrives in my USDA Zone 8a/8b yard without any excessive care and I have reliable reports that they will survive well in Zone 7awith light mulching. They vigorously returned from our 2022 Winter-geddon where we hit6F in the Atlanta suburbs and stayed in the low teens during the day for nearly a week. They survived here without mulching or other special efforts. Care for these bananas is very similar to Canna Lilies. Their trunks will freeze to the ground in Winter and begin sending up new shoots in very early Spring when the days are still chilly. Expect plants in sunnier locations to begin growth sooner. Once a clump is established, the plants will grow to their full height, bloom, and set fruit each season. In a good sunny spot and with rich soil it’s possible to get 2 fruitings per season. Unlike larger varieties of bananas, there’s no need to wait 18-30 months for fruit with this dwarf species. Description: Musa velutina is a small banana from the colder regions of India that makes a trunk approximately 4 foot tall. Their trunks often have attractive red accents that are stronger when the plant is grown in a sunnier exposure. The sleek paddle shaped leaves on a mature specimen add another 3 feet to the overall height of the plant. They are a light green in sun but the color is deeper when the plant is grown in part sun to part shade. Plants will grow well in full sun with rich soil and ample moisture, but the leaves are prone to folding during the hottest part of the day so they look best in part sun to part shade. It doesn’t thrive in deep shade and will eventually degenerate over several seasons. Once the banana has developed an ample root system it will begin to flower. Blooming normally begins in the third season after planting in the ground. Similar results can be achieved indoors as this is one of the few bananas that will fruit inside the house. A sunny room is required and spidermites are a persistent threat in the drier conditions inside the average home. The bloom spikes are impressive but the individual blooms are somewhat inconspicuous and look like pinkish waxy tubes. Despite this, hummingbirds manage to locate and drink from them. They are replaced by showy pink velveteen fruits that take about two and half months to mature. The fruit is delicious, but it needs to be fully ripe, otherwise it will be nearly impossible to peel and it is highly astringent. When the fruit is ripe and ready to eat, it does an amazing thing – it self-peels. This trait is called dehiscence and Musa velutina is one of a very few species of bananas that does this, and it is perhaps the only reliably cold-hardy one that will. The small fruit is sweet and delicious, but unfortunately they are full of seeds. The seeds are very hard and certainly capable of cracking teeth so care must be taken while eating them. The fruit is a bright white and unlike a normal banana, it doesn’t turn brown when exposed to air. Even if you don’t care to eat the fruit, the plant provides several seasons of interest - first with its gorgeous green growth, then flowers, next the beautiful fuzzy pink fruit, and lastly the mature open fruit. Seethe images below for all of these stages. Shipping: I ship Mondays and Tuesdays once the payment clears. Please be advised that I may need to trim the tallest leaf to make the plant fit into the shipping container, but this will not affect the plant's vigor. I ship to the continental United States only (lower 48***). This is to ensure that the package won’t spend a weekend cooking in a hot warehouse somewhere. The bananas will be sent in pots as I’ve had bad experiences with bare root bananas that I’ve received from other growers in the past. All plants have been grown without contact with garden soil in sterile potting mix to avoid introducing any pest or pathogens to your garden. I will inspect each plant prior to shipping for any insects that might be on them. Please advise me immediately if there are any issues with the shipment. Proof that the plant arrived dead is required for a refund. Once the package leaves my control unfortunately anything can happen, but I’ll be glad to work with you to resolve any issues. Please do this before leaving a negative review. *** California buyers, please contact me first. I contacted the California Department of Food and Agriculture and I should be able to send plants to your state since my plants are growing in sterile, commercially prepared potting soil without ground contact, but I don't know how rigid an individual agriculture inspector might be. I don't believe there will be any issues, but I can't rule that out. ***Future Projects*** Fall/Winter 2024 Amorphophallus bulbifer (dormant bulbs) Spring 2025 Crinum Lilies (various colors) Summer 2025 Agave montana Bowtie Cycad (Ceratozamia hildae) Flowering Cold Hardy Gingers: Hedychium kewensis, Hedychium "Honeysuckle",

Price: 35 USD

Location: Austell, Georgia

End Time: 2024-09-21T15:59:49.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD