Wow! That is one happy banana tree! What kind of fertilizer are you using?

My bananas are struggling and hanging on for dear life. My dwarf Cavandish has not grown bigger than 2 feet although it has about 5-6 pups. I transplanted three and they seem half dead now. I fertilize but nothing seems to help.

Your bananas are beautiful!

StP-I fertilize with anything around! I also use Miracle Grow Organic which is dry pulverized organics that stinks! But the trees and plants love it. Plus, when Dennis fertilizes the lawn-he uses high end gof course fert, he always throws handfulls in my beds if the spreaders don't reach them. The winds lately have ripped up the leaves a bit. I am trying to compete with treefrog and his Siams, Mine are also starting to look better and grow taller since I have gorging them. Plus, they get lots of water, they're in a swail at the side of the house that's keeping them nice and moist, now, with all the rain.

Hi Cindee!!!! Your nanas rock.
Heck with those non blooming hoyas, give me something I can eat w/ice cream!

In last month's 'Florida Gardening' there was an article about getting Bananas to fruit. One of the big points was to keep the Energy to a single plant and remove pups ASAP so they don't take any away from Fruiting...
Cheers,
Pat(who ordered a FHIA23 from 'Going Bananas'to try out the method in the article)

Cindee
I'm jealous of your bananas. It will be 18 months before I hope to see any. Nice job!

Pat
Don at Going-bananas told me to keep a group of 4 plants before chopping the mother plant down to 4 feet tall after bearing. The mother plant stump collects water and feeds the daughters (his term).

I hope I remembered this correctly because I had heard your version before and his is different.

Denise

I had heard before, no more than 2 pups per mama. All my bananas have 1 or 2 pups. The Raja Puri has 2 that around 1 ft tall already. Denise, when they ripen you will have to some down and sample some. We won't be able to eat them all!

Kristi, don't you have bananas, too? What kind do you have? My other edible is Ice Cream, from Helen. It's already got a nice size pup growing with it. Others I have are ornamentals-Musa Rojo with georgous leaves
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and the 2 Siam Rubys.

When do you cut the fruit from the tree? I heard before they completely go yellow. Also how long after fruiting do you cut down the mother?

I love chopping up the bananas leaves when they get ugly and using them to mulch both the bananas and other veggie plants.

That musa rojo is gorgeous!Does it fruit at all or is it strictly a pretty face?

abe-it's supposed to fruit but I don't think the fruit is edible. I bought it for the pretty foliage.

I think the general rule of thumb is the 3-4 banana rule-1 fruiting, 1 almost to fruiting and a young pup or 2.

My ice cream banana, I leave all the pups, until it gets to the point that one needs to be removed because it's encroaching on something. Honestly, I see no difference in the way it fruits vs. others that I have tried the 4 banana rule. The ice cream has 3 or 4 bunches year round doing it this way and the bunches are plenty healthy, well over 100 bananas.

FWBPat, the FHIA23 is my favorite banana. It was slow to pup at first, but as it has matured it has gotten a lot better. It's not a real tall banana, maybe 8 feet, but really stocky. The bunches are so big they will pull the whole plant over as they mature. Here's the FHIA23

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Cindee, I have ice cream bananas. In fact we cut down a huge bunch this morning. They take about 4-6 months to ripen and these started out in Feb. I know someone said you could cut them down by individual hands to stagger the ripening, but these were 8 ft up so it was cut and run. Only lost 3 in the landing.
Denise:I'm going to have to try leaving the mom at 4 ft. I usually chopped her to the ground. I'll prob do it soon as it is leaning close to the neighbor's fence.I'm glad the banana guy said to leave 4. I've heard 3 but am too lazy to dig up every pup.
I'm ready to add another kind. Heads mysore, tails raja puri.

Kristi, I'll save one of the Rajapuri pups for you. I don't need this many bananas. If I can I'll dig it and bring it to Ricky's (God willing!!) this fall. I love the Ice Creams I fell in love with them when the guy that Dennis works with brought in a bunch of fruit for him to bring home. I hoping I like the Rajapuri, never tasted them yet.

I was told the 3 to 4 pup rule as well and to cut the flower off after 3 or 4 hands or less if you can't use that many. The bananas will be sweeter and bigger if there is less of them. Also was told to cut off and remove the dead leaves to avoid diseases. This is what I was told by some one who really is into growing bananas. I am trying this method myself now.

Oh wow Katkin, so using the banana leaves for compost is not a good idea?

Thus makes a wonderful ice cream topping or drink *hic* Linda

Banana Liqueur
Yield: 1 quart

2 medium Bananas
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
3 c Vodka
1 c Sugar Syrup

The tastiest bananas will have a bright yellow peel and no discolored areas which indicate a bruise. Never refrigerate bananas. Mash peeled bananas and add to vodka, cooled sugar syrup, and vanilla extract.
Shake gently and let sit one week. Strain and filter. Let sit longer for additional flavoring, but may be used now. Experiment with cinnamon or nutmeg.

Sugar syrup - simple syrup
Yield: 7 cup
4 cups Water
1 pound Sugar
Dissolve sugar in water and bring to a boil. Cool before using

Those bananas are great! I have 3 banana plants - just starting out. Can someone explain to me what a "pup" is? And what you mean about leaving 3 or 4? Thanks!

Cindee,

Have you got to experience the birds pulling the dried brown stuff off the trunk (stems), and taking it away in strips, for their nests??? Very cool to watch these feathered contractors. lol

We have moved so much that I have yet to experience the taste any homegrown fruit. Coffeemom gave me a Ice Cream pup back in the winter. It is almost 4ft tall now.

-tropicalfreak

Cindee, after seeing your banana plants I went outside to fertilize mine. Yours look so healthy!
Sylvia

crystabel "pups" are baby banana plants that develop off the mother root. They are under the soil I believe as 'corms' and then form their own roots after a bit. they pop up with green leaves above the soil very close to the Mother or original banana tree. From what I understand, a banana tree will fruit only once, but keeps producing babies to carry out the life of the plants. Does this make sense??

Linda, that concoction sounds YUMMO!

Cliff, THAT"S why the Mockers were around my banana plants this spring! I never realized the mockingbirds were actually taking strips of banana fronds for their nests. I always leave a bunch of string, lint, twigs on my potting bench in the spring for the birds to help themselves, never realizing they were in the bananas for a reason!

Yes, Cindee, that's what I was told by someone who is big into bananas and hangs out on Bananas.org. I am trying some of his ideas now myself. Water, fertilizer, no more then 3 pups, and cut off the flower after 3 or 4 hands. Also to remove the dead leaves, I use grass clippings around the plants for mulch.

Scents, I will try your recipe this coming week. Of course the recipe will be tripled, since 1 quart will not be enough

Here's a pic of the Rajapuri babies today
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And Siams
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I am SO jealous of your bananas. I had some last year but this is another year.

Coffeemom, I have a red banana pup I could spare as a trade. Did you get my email about a trade?