Re: Harvesting bananas in N. Alabama
You may stand a chance at getting mature fruit on the ones that fruited earliest. Wait as long as possible (like the day before your first frost is forecast) and cut the entire bunch of bananas off. Bring them inside once they stop dripping (beware of the dripping sap from the cut because it will stain anything it drips on brown and it will not wash off once dry!) and keep them in a cool, dry place, such as on a counter or on top of your refrigerator. They should eventually ripen up, though it may take them several more weeks. There is nothing you can do to save the mother plant once the bloom has initiated. She should have several pups surrounding her, however, to carry on the next generation. Bananas bloom only once, then that stalk dies, so cutting off the bloom is not an option.
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