BANANA TREES

We produce Banana seedlings that are grown from tissue cultures obtained from Du Roi laboratories. Growing trees from tissue cultures means that only the best samples have been selected to produce disease free plants. The selections are also made with regards for vigorous growth, high viable yield potential, plant stability and standardization.

 The bananas are planted into 1.5L bags and take between 8-10 weeks in the nursery before they are the optimal height to be transplanted into the ground. All plants will have been hardened off in the sun before being released from the nursery.

BANANA TREE VARIETIES:

WILLIAMS

Originally imported from Australia to South Africa to eliminate Choke Throat in cold winters. The bunches are cylindrical in shape, have no compaction of hands, and have long straight fingers.

GRAND NAIN

Were imported to South Africa from Central America. The tree is smaller than the Williams and the bunches are slightly heavier. The fingers are a good size and have a slightly curved shape.

ASDIA

Is a superior selection over the Williams variety. The plant is 10% shorter and the bunch sizes are easier to manage. The bunch shape and finger length is conserved, and the cycle time is between 1-2 months shorter. It produces a high yield per annum and has good fruit quality.

NANDI

Has advantages over Grand Nain, in that the plant is 5% shorter, has higher yielding bunches, and a cycle time of 1 month shorter.

GRAND NEGRA

Has a tall vigorous selection, with big bunches with long peduncles. They have a longer cycling selection and are very stable in soil under windy conditions.

CHICO

Is shorter than the Grand Nain and has a cylindrical bunch shape. However the productivity is similar. It has a shorter cycling selection which can boost the annual yield potential.

DELTA

Produces a taller tree with larger yield than compared to the standard Dwarf Cavendish. It also has a cylindrical bunch shape and is more tolerate to choke-throat than the standard Dwarf Cavendish. It has a short cycling selection and is more tolerant to windy conditions.