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View Full Version : Deflowering bananas.


Nicolas Naranja
09-11-2018, 08:12 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_Gw8oVVrTA

Before
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1891/29559360057_cdda94e3d7_z.jpg

After
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1869/29559358137_a7bc1ae200_z.jpg

Deflowering is done to increase fruit size and quality.

Akula
09-11-2018, 09:06 PM
Thanks Nick!

Great to see a video of these techniques in practice. I didn't know about cleaning the little flowers off the individual bananas. Thought they just fell off.

Botanical_Bryce
09-11-2018, 09:17 PM
Thanks Nick!

Great to see a video of these techniques in practice. I didn't know about cleaning the little flowers off the individual bananas. Thought they just fell off.
Some do and some don't.

Nicolas Naranja
09-11-2018, 09:34 PM
The literature suggest that the floral remnants act as a place for fungus to hang out. On Cavendish varieties and plantains deflowering can help control cigar-end rot. The flowers also serve as a hideout for thrips, which can be a big problem in the spring leaving little raised black dots all over the fruit.

Thanks Nick!

Great to see a video of these techniques in practice. I didn't know about cleaning the little flowers off the individual bananas. Thought they just fell off.

sddarkman619
09-11-2018, 11:39 PM
why take off the last couple bunches on the bottom too?

HMelendez
09-12-2018, 07:07 AM
Nick,


Awesome video!.....Thanks for sharing it!.....





Larry,


As Nick mentioned, de-flowering and bunch pruning of last Nana hand/s it's done to increase fruit size and quality of the remaining Nana fruits.......Bunch pruning most of the time, speeds up the fill-in process!.... This practice has been used commercially long time ago!......




:2723::bananarow::2723:

Nicolas Naranja
09-12-2018, 09:00 PM
why take off the last couple bunches on the bottom too?

As Hector said, The bunch fills out a little quicker and the fruits are a little bigger. If it was just for me, I might not do it. But...fruit buyers want big fruit. For dwarf superplantain, I always prune to 5 hands. I try to keep Hua Moa to five hands as well. On Dwarf Puerto Rican Plantain I leave the 3 fingered hand as the final hand. My goal this season is to document a lot of what I do on the farm.

sddarkman619
09-12-2018, 11:03 PM
So pulling the little flowers off the ends really does something huh?

Nicolas Naranja
09-14-2018, 08:11 PM
So pulling the little flowers off the ends really does something huh?

Yes, at least in terms of thrips damage and decrease in cigar end rot. I actually left one one row over with all the flowers on it similar size, similar age. I will document the differences between the two.

Nicolas Naranja
09-19-2018, 08:22 PM
Deflowering a dwarf superplantain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iotkhgphzI

Akula
09-19-2018, 09:37 PM
Thanks Nick!

Can you expand a little bit or define what you mean by "leaves that will cause you any problems" that should be removed. Thanks!

Nicolas Naranja
09-20-2018, 07:58 AM
Leaves that are touching the fruits tend to cause scarring on the skin.

Akula
09-27-2018, 11:20 PM
I found this paper on bunch pruning that might be useful:

http://www.m.elewa.org/JABS/2010/33/11.pdf

How are the immature bananas pruned? Are they broken off or cut from the little pad/platform or are they cut off altogether with the pad like how a hand is separated from the bunch? Thanks!

Update: Just viewed Nick's video and see that he just breaks off the whole banana by hand.

Nicolas Naranja
09-29-2018, 10:54 PM
It's easier to break them off cleanly when they are young and newly emerged from the bracts. When they get a little older you are better off using a pruner or a knife.

I found this paper on bunch pruning that might be useful:

http://www.m.elewa.org/JABS/2010/33/11.pdf

How are the immature bananas pruned? Are they broken off or cut from the little pad/platform or are they cut off altogether with the pad like how a hand is separated from the bunch? Thanks!

Update: Just viewed Nick's video and see that he just breaks off the whole banana by hand.