View Full Version : Question on flowers???
JohnnyRotten
12-05-2012, 02:48 PM
My son was just in St. Lucia and was talking to a native about bananas and the fruit and flowers. The native told him that the flower had to be removed from the tree at a certain time( he didn't elaberate on what tha certain time was) or the flower would suck all the nutrients from the fruits and make them less tasteful and more starchy. Any truth to this/ and also said something about removing flowers from the bananas themselves or they will turn to seed??
If this question was already asked and answered , please send me in the right direction to read the answer if not..............maybe someone could let me know if this is fact or fiction.
Thanks!!:0519:
caliboy1994
12-05-2012, 04:06 PM
Some say that removing the flower helps the fruit fill out and develop, but I don't think that keeping the flower on will do any harm. Lots of people leave it on and the results are just fine.
LilRaverBoi
12-05-2012, 05:25 PM
Some people remove the flower for various reasons: weight, nutrient draining, to eat it, pest/disease/mold management, etc. The fact of the matter is that the fruit will develop just fine with the flower on the plant or removed. I doubt you would notice the difference in the taste of the fruit. On many varieties, the level of starchiness just depends on a level of ripening....if it's starchy, just wait till it's more ripe (sometimes fruit need to be pretty black before they're sweet enough to eat as a dessert-type fruit).
As far as seeds go.....varieties are either seeded or non-seeded. This has to do with the viability of the male and/or female flowers on that particular variety. Leaving the bud on does not change this.
Illia
12-05-2012, 07:59 PM
Ditto to the rest. It will in fact slow down fruit maturation and drain a little nutrient from the fruit, but otherwise it isn't a huge burden. It's up to you to remove it or not. I believe most people do though. Only after most of the fruits are well developed though.
If your banana is a wild or seeded species or variety, it will seed through pollination. Otherwise, like most and nearly all common dessert and even plantain type bananas - They will not develop seeds no matter what.
venturabananas
12-06-2012, 12:43 AM
Proper controlled, replicated scientific studies show that removal of the male bud ("the flower") improves the bunch for some varieties in some situations. It's not a huge effect and doesn't always occur.
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