help with identification
 

I was hoping that someone here might be able to help identify our banana trees. I've uploaded photos along with describtions here heartsy.com - ~bananas~

But I also wanted to make note of the fact that I did first get them back in '06. It was basically a root ball that had been dug up, and I planted it in a large pot. That first winter it got very cold, and I bagged the plants, they didn't do very well because of it. In fact the leaves turned soggy and yellow. They did snap out of it once it warmed again, and I got them in the ground that following spring. I'm not sure if that slowed down it's growth or not, but it did take them 3yrs to bloom.

Anyway, I'd really appreciate it if someone could possibly identify them, I'm not sure how to tell when they're ready for harvesting, or if they're even edible.

Re: help with identification
 

I'm running Mozilla but that link don't work unless I right click and choose open in new window. Beautiful bananas by the way. Nice job!

Michael

Re: help with identification
 

I don't know what they are, but they're ready to harvest when the first finger at the top of the bunch starts to turn yellow.

Re: help with identification
 

Welcome!

Kinda looks like 'Namwah' (though the male bud is a little more slender than I have usually seen), but if you can post pictures of the fully mature, ripened fruit it would help. Namwah has very white flesh as well, so when the time comes take a good look at the flesh.

Re: help with identification
 

ok, well they are all still green at the moment... how long does it take, on average for them to mature? Only asking because not knowing what variety they are, I'm not sure that they'll turn yellow. There are green variety's as well too, right?

And Thank you all so much for your help!

Re: help with identification
 

The time to harvest varies by variety and growing conditions. The good thing about bananas is that they can be harvested at almost any time and will still ripen usually. Its best to cut the bunch before it ripens when the fruit looks fat and full, or wait until just a few bananas start turning color (some bananas do indeed ripen green but there is still usually some type of color change), if you try to let them all ripen on the plant critters will usually get to them before you do. When they do start to ripen, it can hard to know when you should eat them without knowing how each variety acts in your area, but you will soon find when they are best to eat after you try a few at various stages. If they peel very easily and are soft, most varieties are usually good to eat at that point regardless of color, since the ripe color can also vary depending on how they are stored (mainly due to temperature).