View Full Version : Bagging Bunches
Nicolas Naranja
07-28-2013, 01:44 PM
After the plant flowers and all the hands are exposed, I cut the male bud off and deflower the fingers. I make the bags out of lightweight frost cloth. The fabric is 8' wide and it comes doubled over on a 4' bolt. I sew a seam down the open side and roll the fabric onto a broom stick. My ladder has a hole on the top rung and I feed the fabric through the hole. I bull the bag over the bunch and tie to top at least 6" above the top hand. I then cut the bag about 18" below the bottom hand and tie it with another piece of flagging tape. Blue is the color for this week, I change colors based on the week.
Why all this effort? It protects against wind scarring, sun burn, and thrips. The fruit I have harvested that was bagged better looking and heavier.
Hua Moa
http://i1182.photobucket.com/albums/x455/NicolasNaranja/2013-07-28123309_zps0dae9c50.jpg (http://s1182.photobucket.com/user/NicolasNaranja/media/2013-07-28123309_zps0dae9c50.jpg.html)
FHIA-17
http://i1182.photobucket.com/albums/x455/NicolasNaranja/2013-07-28123418_zps11fcd452.jpg (http://s1182.photobucket.com/user/NicolasNaranja/media/2013-07-28123418_zps11fcd452.jpg.html)
Dwarf Nam Wah
http://i1182.photobucket.com/albums/x455/NicolasNaranja/2013-07-28123431_zpsa99ccc3a.jpg (http://s1182.photobucket.com/user/NicolasNaranja/media/2013-07-28123431_zpsa99ccc3a.jpg.html)
Darkman
07-28-2013, 04:37 PM
Is the double row for next years crop?
What do you do with all the Suckers you cull? You must have four or five for every main P-stem and you can only use so many of them.
Nicolas Naranja
07-28-2013, 05:03 PM
Is the double row for next years crop?
What do you do with all the Suckers you cull? You must have four or five for every main P-stem and you can only use so many of them.
I kill the suckers that I don't sell. As far as the double row goes, that's my planting system behind the house. I've got 106 mats in a 100x72 space. The little plants are resets. %had dwarf super plantain there and I dug them out. It is a high input system. I have to irrigate a lot in the dry season, and I have to fertilize a bit more than I do at the larger farm. I also have to desucker aggresively.
In contrast, the other farm has a 15x15 spacing. I dont have to do much up there, just kill weeds and select a follower at harvest.
GreenFin
07-28-2013, 05:58 PM
I've got 106 mats in a 100x72 space.:08:
That's awesome! How many bunches/yr is that arrangement good for, 200+?
Nicolas Naranja
07-28-2013, 11:33 PM
:08:
That's awesome! How many bunches/yr is that arrangement good for, 200+?
Thus far I would say 6-9 months between bunches. Good god w here do all the bunches go. I calculated that one year I sold something like 60-70 thousand bananas.
Nicolas Naranja
07-29-2013, 08:41 AM
So this gives some perspective on the double-row. They are 18' center to center and with 6' between rows in the double row and the plants are 7' apart offset with in the rows.
http://i1182.photobucket.com/albums/x455/NicolasNaranja/2013-07-28124233_zpsa7bbbd3a.jpg (http://s1182.photobucket.com/user/NicolasNaranja/media/2013-07-28124233_zpsa7bbbd3a.jpg.html)
http://i1182.photobucket.com/albums/x455/NicolasNaranja/2013-07-28124120_zps12ce0942.jpg (http://s1182.photobucket.com/user/NicolasNaranja/media/2013-07-28124120_zps12ce0942.jpg.html)
This is how it looks when it is being planted.
http://i1182.photobucket.com/albums/x455/NicolasNaranja/2013-07-28123237_zps4443753a.jpg (http://s1182.photobucket.com/user/NicolasNaranja/media/2013-07-28123237_zps4443753a.jpg.html)
Darkman
07-29-2013, 04:48 PM
What herbicide are you using?
Nicolas Naranja
07-29-2013, 05:29 PM
glyphosate + pelargonic acid
Darkman
07-29-2013, 05:42 PM
Ah yes Scythe. Is it sold under a generic name? What is available here is about $150.00 and is a large quantity. Much more than what I would ever use. What mix ratio are you using? I assuming you mix the two and then spray.
Before it is brought up, it is a very safe herbicide!
http://www.co.thurston.wa.us/health/ehipm/pdf_terr/terrestrial%20actives/Pelargonic%20acid.pdf
Nicolas Naranja
07-29-2013, 08:00 PM
I actually use scythe. I discovered that I could kill parthenium and commelina by mixing 8 oz gly and 8 oz PA. Of course the PA smokes a lot of weeds on its own.
PR-Giants
08-01-2013, 03:23 PM
The fruit I have harvested that was bagged better looking and heavier.
How do the bags increase the bunch weight?
Nicolas Naranja
08-02-2013, 04:49 PM
How do the bags increase the bunch weight? I am guessing that it stays warmer in the bag at night. By bigger, I mean thicker.
Nicolas Naranja
08-26-2013, 12:39 PM
So Here is an unclipped bunch of Goldfinger
http://i1182.photobucket.com/albums/x455/NicolasNaranja/HPIM1230_zps90026d48.jpg (http://s1182.photobucket.com/user/NicolasNaranja/media/HPIM1230_zps90026d48.jpg.html)
First step is clipping the bell off
http://i1182.photobucket.com/albums/x455/NicolasNaranja/HPIM1231_zpsfd759377.jpg (http://s1182.photobucket.com/user/NicolasNaranja/media/HPIM1231_zpsfd759377.jpg.html)
Then I cut the last hand off
http://i1182.photobucket.com/albums/x455/NicolasNaranja/HPIM1232_zpscbdaf8a9.jpg (http://s1182.photobucket.com/user/NicolasNaranja/media/HPIM1232_zpscbdaf8a9.jpg.html)
I deflower the fingers
http://i1182.photobucket.com/albums/x455/NicolasNaranja/HPIM1233_zps5cffd7c5.jpg (http://s1182.photobucket.com/user/NicolasNaranja/media/HPIM1233_zps5cffd7c5.jpg.html)
Then I slide the bag over the bunch and tie with flagging tape
http://i1182.photobucket.com/albums/x455/NicolasNaranja/HPIM1234_zps561003c4.jpg (http://s1182.photobucket.com/user/NicolasNaranja/media/HPIM1234_zps561003c4.jpg.html)
PR-Giants
08-26-2013, 01:28 PM
The peduncle on that FHIA-01 looks very thick, nice growing. :woohoonaner:
. Good god where do all the bunches go.
This ^^
Those bags look much nicer than the trash bag I ruined a bunch with when I first started this.
Discussion of density is always interesting. Am trying some double rows for next year.
aflowers
01-24-2019, 12:04 PM
Your post is exactly what I needed.
Do you have a source for the material you mention? I need to get some.
Thank you,
Alan
Nicolas Naranja
01-27-2019, 07:47 PM
Your post is exactly what I needed.
Do you have a source for the material you mention? I need to get some.
Thank you,
Alan
Check out the Thrips control thread. It’s agribon 19. You can get it from Amazon
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