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When I first got into growing tropical fruit trees, one of my favorite fun facts was:
“Did you know that the bananas sold at the store are called Cavendish Bananas?”
Well, it turns out that’s not necessarily true! 🙈
That is because the term Cavendish does not actually refer to a single banana cultivar but rather to a group of banana cultivars that are genetically similar. In fact, the Cavendish Bananas you see for sale at your local grocery store are actually one of three varieties: Dwarf Cavendish, Grand Nain, or Williams Hybrid.
Therefore, this banana grow guide will be a bit different from my other grow guides.
More specifically, I’ll be summarizing the growing characteristics, flavor profile, and disease resistance of all three of the above Cavendish Bananas (which are among the most popularly grown in the Cavendish group).
That said, let’s dive in!
Table of Contents
- Cavendish Banana Tree Characteristics & Fruit Production
- Cavendish Banana Flavor Profile
- Cavendish Banana Disease Resistance
- Cavendish Banana Tree For Sale (Where To Find)
- Conclusion
Cavendish Banana Tree Characteristics & Fruit Production
The table below provides a concise summary of key information about the three main varieties of Cavendish Bananas:
| Tree Size | Species | Ploidy Level | Environmental Tolerances | Fruit Production | |
| Dwarf Cavendish | 5 – 8 feet | M. acuminata | AAA | Poor | Average to Good |
| Grand Nain | 6 – 8 feet | M. acuminata | AAA | Fair | Good to Heavy |
| Williams Hybrid | 6 – 8 feet | M. acuminata | AAA | Fair | Good to Heavy |
As we can see, Cavendish Bananas are relatively compact trees, typically reaching a height of 5 – 8 feet. This makes them a good choice as a “condo” banana that’s well suited for long-term container growing.
Additionally, all three varieties of Cavendish have wide-green leaves and a sturdy pseudostem.
Fun Fact #1: Young Cavendish Bananas often have maroon or purple blotches, known as wine marks, on their leaves, but these fade as the tree matures.
However, despite their stockier trunks, Cavendish is part of the species Musa acuminata and features a Triploid (AAA) genome. In other words, on the whole, Cavendish Bananas have one of the worst tolerances to environmental stressors such as drought, wind, and cold conditions (similar to Gros Michel and Lakatan).
This is precisely why I try to steer folks away from growing Cavendish and instead recommend similarly flavored but much hardier banana cultivars, such as the following FHIA hybrids:
Fun Fact #2: Cavendish Bananas are exceptionally female-sterile—producing just about 1 seed per 100 bunches when pollinated by another Cavendish. That’s why the bananas at the supermarket are always seedless!
That said, if you have your heart set on planting a Cavendish Banana, I highly recommend avoiding the Dwarf Cavendish. For some reason, I have found that it consistently exhibits the worst hardiness (specifically against drought and disease) out of all three Cavendish varieties.
Finally, Cavendish Bananas are the world’s de facto commercial cultivar for a reason. When grown under optimal conditions, you can expect to harvest a fairly large crop! 😄
Cavendish Banana Flavor Profile
Maybe you read above section and thought:
Hmmm, I still don’t know which subvariety of Cavendish to grow… Let’s see what Matthew says about how they differ in taste.
Well, I’m sorry to say that I have personally found very little to no difference in flavor between the Grand Nain, Williams Hybrid, or the Dwarf Cavendish. They all just taste like what you’d expect from the store 🤷🏼
That said, I will say that homegrown, fully ripened Cavendish Bananas are definitely a bit sweeter than what you’d find in stores.
I attribute this to the fact that almost all store-bought bananas are picked very green and subsequently ripened artificially with ethylene gas, as opposed to naturally ripening.
Fun Fact #3: Cavendish Bananas naturally remain a greenish-yellow when ripe unless they are treated with ethylene gas to enhance ripening.
When given the chance to naturally ripen, the fruit becomes a tad creamier and definitely much sweeter. Beyond the pleasant sweetness, the flavor lacks tartness or tanginess, has a slight starchiness, and delivers a bland banana flavor.
However, a homegrown Cavendish is not so much better that I would choose a Cavendish over something with a much more dynamic flavor profile, such as a Mysore, Nam Wah, or Manzano. This shouldn’t come as a surprise—most commercial fruits prioritize production and shipping ability over having superior taste.
That said, is it worth growing Cavendish Bananas?
I personally believe there are far better-tasting varieties than the Cavendish.
Sure, you might get a decent crop size and larger fruit, but what’s the point of having big harvests if the flavor is only mildly better than what you can pick up at the store for a couple of bucks? 😬
By the same token, if Cavendish had better disease resistance (more on that in a second) or increased hardiness compared to other bananas, I think it would make a stronger case for planting one.
However, that’s simply not the case. I would instead encourage folks to browse through the various banana grow guides I’ve written to find a banana that meets their hardiness, production, and flavor expectations 🤓
Cavendish Banana Disease Resistance
Due to its triploid (AAA) genome structure, the Cavendish Banana has terrible disease resistance.
More specifically, the Cavendish Banana is very prone to both Panama Disease and Sigatoka Disease and should, therefore, only be planted in disease-free soils.
In fact, I believe that the Cavendish will eventually meet the same fate as the Gros Michel and be replaced by a variety like the Goldfinger, Mona Lisa, or Sweetheart.
Cavendish Banana Tree For Sale (Where To Find)
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For more information, please check out our Tropical Fruit Trees For Sale Page.
Conclusion
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If you have any questions regarding anything mentioned in this grow guide, please comment them below! This way, others can also benefit from the answer to the same question. For any other questions or growing tips that you think may be helpful, feel free to use the contact form and drop me a line.
Thank you for reading! 🙂
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