View Full Version : Should I cut fruit?
enigma99a
11-20-2010, 08:35 PM
Well, later next week there might be a night of light frost (low of 34F).. Even if there isn't a light frost, should I cut my fruit anyway?
I've got a praying hands with a 100 fingers that is about 3.5 months old.. but it doesn't look like it has plumped up much. Should I just leave it on or cut my losses and harvest?
Nicolas Naranja
11-20-2010, 09:50 PM
Think about wrapping up your fruit with a blanket on the coldest night, If you don't get fried you can let them hang. That being said you may have a hard time getting it to fill before you actually have a hard freeze.
asacomm
11-20-2010, 09:57 PM
If I were you, I would cut the fruit off and hung it in a warm room for further
ripeness as 3.5 moths would be enough for ripeness.
I don't think if will not ripen if you leave it still outside.
A warm room is always better than outside in this season of the year.
enigma99a
11-21-2010, 02:00 AM
Thanks for the replies. Forecast has changed and there no longer frost. i guess this is my get out of jail free card because this is a big arctic blast. No frost since 2009 and i hope it stays that way:)
Magilla Gorilla
11-21-2010, 02:23 AM
I would recheck that forcast. We are supposed to be in the high 30's next Wednesday and Thursday. I checked the Davis area and the forecast shows low 30's. I would cut the stalk and hang it inside. I have plants with fruit from September to flowers from today. I may cut some as one stalk I cut a few weeks ago is ripening up inside. I left one hanging last year and they never ripened.
Good luck!!
enigma99a
11-21-2010, 03:44 AM
Thanks Andrew.. I guess I will cut it. Even if we make it by unscathed (According to NOAA) the cool temps would not really help in maturing anyway. I got some ice creams that are still opening... Actually just saw first male flowers yesterday so I think they are 100% now. Hate how they waited until November :)
pitangadiego
11-21-2010, 04:25 PM
I'm voting for wrapping them in necessary, but leave them on as long as possible.. As long as the fruit doesn't get frozen, they can continue to mature.
El Manolo
11-21-2010, 05:34 PM
Can't you dig the plant out and try to overwinter the stem with the flower and one with fruit inside? The stems will die anyway so there is no harm in trying. If it works it's no loss.
Nicolas Naranja
11-21-2010, 06:20 PM
According to the USDA in Mayaguez, the fruit in the third hand should be about 27 mm wide as measured with a caliper. Once you hit that measurement you should have no problem ripening them in a warm room. In Puerto Rico, it took 117 days to reach that point.
sunfish
11-21-2010, 06:23 PM
I had a D,Namwah flower 10/2009 the fruit ripened 8/2010
http://www.bananas.org/f2/dwarf-namwah-8609-9.html#post138757
Magilla Gorilla
11-21-2010, 08:48 PM
I had a D,Namwah flower 10/2009 the fruit ripened 8/2010
http://www.bananas.org/f2/dwarf-namwah-8609-9.html#post138757
I had a Oronico flower on 8/2009 and ripen on 7/2010. I did cover the fruit in a bag with some cut up apples and then they ripened. The fruit was good for shakes and not very taste to eat of the plant.
enigma99a
11-21-2010, 08:52 PM
I went ahead and cut them.... Might have some problems early this week afterall... Hopefully they ripen:)
Look at this Jet Stream forecast.. I'm so done here in NorCal. Sucks to lose your whole yard from one storm each year. Oh well!
http://squall.sfsu.edu/gif/jetstream_pac_h60_00.gif
Magilla Gorilla
11-21-2010, 09:53 PM
Life is full of choices. I lived in Davis for 10 years and had the same problems. It is warmer down this way but can still be chilly at times. I am planning to move to Hawaii in 2012. The Hawaiian way of life is what we want. The weather is an added bonus! I hope your plants do well with the current conditions.
enigma99a
11-21-2010, 10:43 PM
Yea Hawaii would be nice but when my mom lived there she said she felt a little land locked.... What is the warmest place in CA? If you are close to the ocean it is cold but nights are much better. Come inland and days are nice but the nights are cold. Maybe i am just upset after a freezing summer, this. I thought for sure we would have a more mild winter.
Magilla Gorilla
11-22-2010, 01:23 AM
Probably SD. Talk with Tony or John. The ocean does help but it is also damp here. I don't have air conditioning as it does not get hot. 68 to 74 most of the time. SD is warmer.
sunfish
11-22-2010, 08:35 AM
Coronado ca. - Google Maps (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Coronado+ca.&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=Coronado,+CA&gl=us&ei=-3DqTI2RM4X6sAOpkISxCw&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBwQ8gEwAA)
enigma99a
11-22-2010, 07:56 PM
Probably SD. Talk with Tony or John. The ocean does help but it is also damp here. I don't have air conditioning as it does not get hot. 68 to 74 most of the time. SD is warmer.
Andrew, I hope you are not close to Goleta.. NOAA is showing 29F for Wed night. (33 for SB). We're updated to 26 tomorrow. LOL This is going to be fun:D bring it on!
Magilla Gorilla
11-22-2010, 11:09 PM
Andrew, I hope you are not close to Goleta.. NOAA is showing 29F for Wed night. (33 for SB). We're updated to 26 tomorrow. LOL This is going to be fun:D bring it on!
Right next to Goleta in Santa Barbara. My property is very well protected and I usually run 8 to 10 degrees warmer than my friends five minutes away. Thank you for the heads up!! I will put some (30 plus maybe) potted plants into my greenhouse tonight. I have way too many plants! Yes I said it!
enigma99a
11-23-2010, 10:27 PM
I filled my greenhouse and everything else is wrapped.. All I can do now is hope on some wind tonight to keep temps up. Tomorrow night i will be switching my gas bbq on under my mats with fruit. Hopefully it will get me through this week...
harveyc
11-24-2010, 12:36 AM
I think I've got six bunches hanging right now and we're supposed to get down to 29F-30F or so, but I'm hoping it might not get that cold and luck out. We have a think layer of cloud cover right now but that may blow away. Even at 29F I don't think the fruit gets damaged much (based on past experience). I should bag the fruit but don't think it helps enough to make it worth it, at this point.
Magilla Gorilla
11-24-2010, 02:03 AM
I filled my greenhouse and everything else is wrapped.. All I can do now is hope on some wind tonight to keep temps up. Tomorrow night i will be switching my gas bbq on under my mats with fruit. Hopefully it will get me through this week...
I hope all your plants make it o.k.
I think I've got six bunches hanging right now and we're supposed to get down to 29F-30F or so, but I'm hoping it might not get that cold and luck out. We have a think layer of cloud cover right now but that may blow away. Even at 29F I don't think the fruit gets damaged much (based on past experience). I should bag the fruit but don't think it helps enough to make it worth it, at this point.
I hope all is well. Wednesday night seems to be the coldest of the nights. We will wait and see. I have put everything in the greenhouse that I want to move. We had lots of rain today and it is cloudy right now as well. Good luck!
Bananaman88
11-24-2010, 10:43 AM
Good luck to you all out in California. We have a predicted low of 34 coming Fri night/Sat. morning. I have fruit that is approx. 2 months old on my Ice Cream and Dw. Brazilian. I will be out of town so I went ahead and wrapped it this morning. I feel that both racemes of fruit are too immature to cut just yet so I figured I may as well wrap it and give it a shot. We could have three more weeks of decent weather before the next real cold front comes through. We'll see how it goes. Happy Thanksgiving!
Magilla Gorilla
11-24-2010, 11:45 AM
Thanks Brent. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family and all on the forum. This weather SUCKS! Another reason to move to Hawaii!
enigma99a
11-24-2010, 12:03 PM
harvey, I hope my fruit is still OK. Not sure what we got down to, but .75 mi away is a station and it read 27.1. VERY COLD! I did all I could, watering before sunset, and set a BBQ under my banana mats. The mats next to the BBQ are still green this morning! Others are hurt but not completely roasted. Tonight is supposed to be a degree warmer according to NOAA, so that's good news. Every degree helps... BBQ will be on again:)
Looks like you got lucky last night. You got some wind which kept it above 32. Being on the east side of the valley sucks because no wind:(
enigma99a
11-24-2010, 09:07 PM
it's going to be COLD tonight. little scared to be honest. Sick of the 20 degree below average lows.....
Magilla Gorilla
11-24-2010, 11:59 PM
it's going to be COLD tonight. little scared to be honest. Sick of the 20 degree below average lows.....
I hope all your plants make it o.k.
enigma99a
11-25-2010, 12:38 AM
I hope all your plants make it o.k.
Yeah, we'll see LOL. Some years we don't even drop below 28-30, and already we've had 27 last night and 26 or colder tonight. AND it's only November.
I've got 4 large King palms and a trunking majesty palm that has been in the ground for 3 years. Hoping they all survive this insanity..
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