Blooming at the right time.
For us folks living here in the temperate zone 9, we have 4 distinct seasons. If our ground-planted bananas bloomed later than mid-summer, it will not produce harvestable fruits. Even early summer blooms are dicey. The best bloom time is during early to mid-spring.
I had a new variety that bloomed during mid-summer and the fruits are still immature when the frosts arrived. Since this is the first bloom for this variety, perhaps it may adjust properly next year. The biggest pup on this variety is bigger and taller than the mother plant, and perhaps most likeley will bloom by mid-spring next year.
So what are your tricks to insure that your ground-planted bananas will bloom during early to mid-spring?
One of the obvious things that I am thinking is having two to three pups instead of one. Now depending upon the size, age and typical growth rate in my yard, and their fruiting height, it is easier to guess which of the pups will not bloom at the right time. Those that will not bloom at the proper time will be cut down to the ground level, leaving only the best candidate. It helps by giving you three times as much correct timing for bloom, and also will allow you to have bigger bunches of fruits.
Another option is that to dig out the pups to either reset or arrest their growth and planting at the right time.
Some could play with water scheduling for controlling growth.
So any tips you can share based on your experiences?
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