Author Topic: How do you get bananas to fruit?  (Read 1734 times)

fliptop

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1009
    • SWFL10a
    • View Profile
How do you get bananas to fruit?
« on: December 12, 2021, 04:46:55 PM »
My girlfriend's banana plants look awesome, but alas, no fruit. They're fed a steady diet of compost. They've been in the ground about a year. Any suggestions on getting them to fruit?

Thanks!



spaugh

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5126
    • San Diego County California
    • View Profile
Re: How do you get bananas to fruit?
« Reply #1 on: December 12, 2021, 05:00:47 PM »
Wait longer, they already have the fruit down in the P stem.  That flower is the last thing to pop out, it has to come eventually. 
Brad Spaugh

fliptop

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1009
    • SWFL10a
    • View Profile
Re: How do you get bananas to fruit?
« Reply #2 on: December 12, 2021, 05:12:23 PM »
Okie dokie artichokie, thanks, spaugh! Does she need to cut out the pups, or is it okay that they're kicking out a lot of them?
« Last Edit: December 12, 2021, 05:14:19 PM by fliptop »

kapps

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 169
    • Florida, Zone 10A
    • View Profile
Re: How do you get bananas to fruit?
« Reply #3 on: December 12, 2021, 08:17:25 PM »
It's usually recommended to only keep a few pseudo stems.  On that is fruiting, one that is mid-size, and one small pup. 

spaugh

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5126
    • San Diego County California
    • View Profile
Re: How do you get bananas to fruit?
« Reply #4 on: December 12, 2021, 08:38:05 PM »
Okie dokie artichokie, thanks, spaugh! Does she need to cut out the pups, or is it okay that they're kicking out a lot of them?

Thry look pretty nice.  They maybe are getting some shade and thats why it is taking a while.  Shaded ones take longer to fruit.  If you have lots of pups the same size it is good to remove some.  You want the sizes to be staggered so you get a steady flow of fruits. 
Brad Spaugh

canito 17

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 382
    • Puerto rico
    • View Profile
Re: How do you get bananas to fruit?
« Reply #5 on: December 12, 2021, 11:31:11 PM »
15-10-20 + micronutrients

pineislander

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2199
    • Bokeelia, FL
    • View Profile
Re: How do you get bananas to fruit?
« Reply #6 on: December 13, 2021, 08:28:03 AM »
Wood ash helps. For a clump like yours you should sprinkle 3 double handfuls thinly around the root zone within a 3 foot circle. It supplies potassium.

EddieF

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 394
    • s.e. florida
    • View Profile
Re: How do you get bananas to fruit?
« Reply #7 on: December 13, 2021, 12:55:59 PM »
Flip, you'll know when they're about to when it puts out final leaf before flower.
Final leaf will be much smaller then previous.  Also, bottom of tree will start to look preggo.
And yes, i'd transplant pups when they're smaller then yours.
Spade shovel straight down between pups & mother tree to separate.  Easiest things to grow.
They look great btw.

I forced mine by accident once when i almost wrecked them all spraying simply silica thinking it would help them.  Almost killed them overnight.  Couple weeks later, they all flowered (too soon).  Wasn't my intention.

pineislander

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2199
    • Bokeelia, FL
    • View Profile
Re: How do you get bananas to fruit?
« Reply #8 on: December 13, 2021, 08:46:02 PM »
Also, bottom of tree will start to look preggo.
This photo shows why the base of the tree swells as the flower emerges. Hard to understand but every leaf and eventually the flower forms down deep in the base and squeezes through to emergence.



canito 17

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 382
    • Puerto rico
    • View Profile
Re: How do you get bananas to fruit?
« Reply #9 on: December 14, 2021, 11:41:10 AM »
Agree, K is the clue

RodneyS

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 756
  • Cerritos, CA (Zone 11a)
    • View Profile
Re: How do you get bananas to fruit?
« Reply #10 on: December 14, 2021, 05:59:20 PM »
Separate some of the pseudostems, and plant them elsewhere or sell them

Fishinsteeg234

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 49
    • USA, FL, Longwood, zone 9b
    • View Profile
Re: How do you get bananas to fruit?
« Reply #11 on: December 14, 2021, 07:28:22 PM »
Just wait a tad longer. Give plenty of water. On average it takes 10-15 months to flower. The plant will throw out a “flag” leaf just before the bloom comes out. The flag is just a small leaf usually smaller than 24” or so. Once the flowers emerge, expect about 6 months from flag leaf to harvest. Once the bloom stops producing the banana fingers, I just cut off the Purple Heart of developing flowers to help direct growth into the fruit. In central florida, I’ve had best luck waiting until the bottom most banana fingers just starts to turn yellow on the tree. The longer left on the tree, the higher the sugar content, experienced. The bananas sliced, topped in cinnamon, and lightly fried in coconut oil in a pan on the stove top makes a great natural sugar-glazed banana snack!

RollingInTheWeeds

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 98
    • USA, CA., South Bay area of Los Angeles, USDA 10b, Sunset 24
    • View Profile
Re: How do you get bananas to fruit?
« Reply #12 on: December 14, 2021, 11:13:08 PM »
This photo shows why the base of the tree swells as the flower emerges. Hard to understand but every leaf and eventually the flower forms down deep in the base and squeezes through to emergence.



Great photo!  Thanks for posting it!

fliptop

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1009
    • SWFL10a
    • View Profile
Re: How do you get bananas to fruit?
« Reply #13 on: December 15, 2021, 06:34:31 AM »
Thanks all for the helpful info, as well as for the recipe suggestion, Fishinsteeg234!

Epicatt2

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 881
  • Fruit forest in progress . . .
    • Tampa, FL / Zone 9b
    • View Profile
Re: How do you get bananas to fruit?
« Reply #14 on: December 15, 2021, 03:11:00 PM »
Hi Fliptop,

Bill Lessard who wrote a nice banana book some years back explained that however many banana fruit you will have on a developinng stalk is determined in the embryonic stage while the sword sucker is only a few inches tall.

To maximize the number of fruit that will develop, the banana plant requires enough Potassium (aka potash).  Lessard suggested using a fertilizer balanced for bananas that is N-P-K  9-3-27!  (I always remembered this because nine times three is twenty-seven.)

Once you have fed the bananas their 9-3-27 fertilizer –Lessard explains that bananas are heavy feeders– and the sword sucker is a foot or more tall you can shift to something like 10-10-10 or similar fertilizer, given every six weeks at a pound and a half per pseudostem.  That sounds like a lot but bananas love it and will grow like mad.  Just be sure to water them a lot if it's not the rainy season where you are.

And FYI, my bananas started making fruit regularly after I began dumping all that fertilizer on them.  (I am up to seven varieties now in my yard.)

OK — HTH

Paul M.
Zone 9b
==

spencerw

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 68
    • Hawaii
    • View Profile
    • Tropical Self Sufficiency
Re: How do you get bananas to fruit?
« Reply #15 on: December 15, 2021, 04:59:28 PM »
do you know what variety it is? that will determine how long it takes to fruit. some of my bananas finish their cycle in 9 months some in 2 years. feed it more! i feed mine monthly, they end up getting 50lbs of chicken poop per year. so my 2 year maolis take 100lbs of chicken fert to make them go properly. im in lowland hawaii, bananas are really really really hungry and thirsty! as soon as that flower bud pops out give it Sulfate Potash 0-0-52. they need extra when flowering. dependent on variety will tell how long it takes from flower to fruit. my iholenas take 70 days, my maolis take over 180 days. check out my blog for details on deficiencies and fert schedules. https://tropicalselfsufficiency.com/banana-deficiencies-in-hawaii/

i harvested a 90lb dwarf maoli rack last month. and four 85lb racks.

kapps

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 169
    • Florida, Zone 10A
    • View Profile
Re: How do you get bananas to fruit?
« Reply #16 on: December 15, 2021, 06:37:41 PM »
Matt Reese (What’s Ripening on YouTube) had a good video recently talking about various banana varieties. He mentioned Namwa is the only one that produces good racks with nothing but mulch. I can definitely back up this statement. Besides peeing on it a couple times, I have gotten 50+lb racks with nothing but cuttings from around the yard on my Namwa while Gros Michel is literally sitting right next to the compost bin and has made pitiful racks.

FMfruitforest

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 391
  • Tropical Fruit
    • USA, FL,zone 10a
    • View Profile
Re: How do you get bananas to fruit?
« Reply #17 on: December 16, 2021, 06:15:39 AM »
Varieties i have fruiting after planting as pups on April 1st 2021.

Lakatan


Pisang Ceylan


Yangambi


Dwarf Namwah


Raja Puri


Orinoco 1st Rack


Orinoco 2nd rack, this one came out flexing



The planting location is slightly mounded about two feet. Lee organic Compost was mix into the top few feet of soil as well as some organic fertilizers( bonemeal, bloodmeal, horse and chicken). Mulching and  top dressing of horse manure applied after planting. Two applications of Chicken manure have been applied to root zone few months apart. Watering as needed averaging twice weekly.



May 23rd nearing 2 months after install.


April 1st first day in Ground