As was said, depends upon the kind you have. (Some are ornamental, only.) When I lived in Long Beach, CA, my bananas took on average 15 to 18 months to bear. The warmer the climate, the shorter the time. If it's really consistently warm, can be as little as 9 months.

It seems as if the key words in your post are "the bottom leaves are turning brown". This is normal and happens on bananas. As the plant gets larger, the smaller bottom leaves will wither and turn brown. This is when I cut them off. ( when there is no green left in the leaf ) Has your banana been putting out new leaves as well?

Sorry..here are the links to the pics. Thank you ! [URL=http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h123/firstinlastout/banana2.jpg][IMG]http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h123/firstinlastout/th_banana2.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h123/firstinlastout/banana1.jpg][IMG]http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h123/firstinlastout/th_banana1.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h123/firstinlastout/banana3.jpg][IMG]http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h123/firstinlastout/th_banana3.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Hey Scully!I am no expert on palms or bananas! :) We have a banana forum at GW, I have a link below for you. There are several ways to care for a banana, I treat mine just like my cannas in a 7, but it's my understanding you wait for first frost to hit then there are several ways to store or protect. In really cold zones, they are removed and stored in cool,dry places for the winter, or, some people leave just a foot of trunk and cover with mulch or leaves in a wire cage. Some cover with plastic in wet winter areas to keep dry. I cut mine to the ground and cover with the remainder of its own leaves and some maple leaves. Best thing is to go to the link below and do a search there for what's best in your zone. That looks like a Musa Basjoo to me, but could be a sikkimensis as well. Both are cold hardy.There are some really knowledgable members in the banana forum. Here is a link that might be useful: Banana forum