Real Edible Fruiting Pygmy Banana
Super Dwarf in fruit
These are real fruiting bananas, a scaled down version of the dwarf cavendish grown commercially in the Canary Islands. Given correct care they can produce edible bananas in 17 months of growth, which tends to equate to 3 years in the UK. The really amazing thing is that they flower and fruit when just 4 feet tall.
Like all Bananas, they are gross feeders and like a constant supply of nutrients. However, I have found it is possible to over feed which causes the leaves to deform, therfore, I feed once a week with half strength General Purpose water soluble fertiliser. They grow best in dappled shade, unlike their bigger cousins, maybe this is due to their size, shaded by bigger plants
They are generally slower growing than most, bananas, growing a new leaf about 10 to 14 days in the growing season.
My 23cm, second year Super Dwarf.
There is some debate over the size of pot required to induce the SDC Banana to fruit, but my experience is that they stop growing even if fed, when they become even marginally pot bound. My recommendation would be to go for a large pot or tub, to get maximum growth.
They are reputed to survive down to 3C but those I left in an unheated conservatory didn't make it. So I would suggest no lower than 7C. However, these are small enough to bring indoors near a bright window. Avoid high temperature rooms in winter, or weak growth, susceptable to rot, and Red spider mite infestations will occur.
This is a suckering banana so pups will be produced. These can be detatched from the parent by cutting very close to the parent stem between the pup and parent. Allow 4 leaves to develop before attenpting to remove it. Once cut remove the pup with as much root as possible and pot up.
My 55cm, third year Super Dwarf
Three Super Dwarf pups June 2007