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View Full Version : A visit from Fyffes/Turbana


Nicolas Naranja
08-02-2012, 08:28 PM
Sometimes it's good to know somebody that knows somebody that knows somebody. I had the joy of hosting somebody that was an agronomist at Fyffes/Turbana before they moved up the corporate ladder. He wanted to see what banana production was like up here around Lake Okeechobee. I got to pick his brain about plant spacing, bunch pruning, desuckering and leaf pruning. He is also the first person I have ever met that knew Phil Rowe at FHIA. So, I'll divulge:

Plants are spaced 8x8 in their plantations
Bunches are pruned so that their are no incomplete hands as soon as possible
In the northern hemisphere on a flat area choose the southernmost largest sucker
You can make an awesome desuckering tool out of a thin shovel if you trim it down to 2-3 inches wide.
Don't cut leaves off as long as they are green and disease free.