PR Plantain Banana

The PR Plantain is a traditional Puerto Rican plantain variety known for its high yield, sturdy growth, and outstanding flavor when cooked. Unlike dessert bananas, plantains are starchy and harvested green for frying or yellow-black for baking, roasting, or boiling. The PR strain is especially valued for its adaptability and performance in both backyard and field-scale cultivation.

This cultivar is a staple for growers who want reliable production, strong trunks, and excellent market demand in Latin and Caribbean communities.

🌿 Plant Growth

• Grows to 10–14 ft tall with a thick, sturdy trunk

• Upright, wind-tolerant structure — ideal for South Florida and the Caribbean

• Strong vegetative growth; sends out pups quickly for future harvests

• Begins producing within 12–18 months from planting

• Prefers full sun and rich, moist, well-drained soil

🍽️ Fruit Description

• Large, elongated plantains with thick peel

• High-starch content when green; sweetens as it ripens

• Used green for tostones, mofongo, and chips, or ripe for maduros and pasteles

• One bunch can yield 30–60 lbs of usable fruit

• Fruit holds well post-harvest and is easy to handle for market or kitchen use

❄️ Cold Tolerance

• USDA Zones 9b–11

• Can tolerate light cold (down to ~32°F) with minimal damage

• Recovers from root if frosted — similar to bananas

📅 Harvest Season

• Fruits 12–18 months after planting

• Matures 4–5 months after flowering

• Can yield 1–2 full cycles per year in tropical zones with proper care

💼 Ideal For

• Latin & Caribbean markets, family farms, and backyard growers

• Restaurants, food trucks, and specialty food programs

• Agroforestry projects and edible landscaping

• A culturally significant, high-demand staple crop with dependable return

🔒 Zill High Performance Notes

Our PR Plantain starts are grown from true field pups, not tissue culture, ensuring vigorous root systems, fast establishment, and reliable yield. Grown in South Florida and selected for strong stems, early fruiting, and clean foliage.