Lawler

Question: Got an Orinoco. One of the bananas is 1/2 yellow, so I haven't picked it yet (cause 1/2 green). A week+ ago, had another just like this- didn't pick it, then came out one day and the blasted thing was black and beyond good.

Is this normal? Thought they all kind of go/ripen around the same time? ...and then ripen evenly w/ color homogeneously throughout the same banana?

Should I pick this one and wait until (assuming) color will even out?

Thanks for any help!
p.s. Also, one pick shows the purple corm? (is it called) on another bunch... when the banana hand stay small and wont' mature further, is it advisable to cut the corm off just below the first/last small stunted hand?

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andy17

Hello Lawler,
It looks like your plants are very healthy, so that's certainly very good. I'm by no means an expert, but there are several things that can cause this. One of the major causes of uneven ripening can be a micro-nutrient deficiency/imbalance, which can cause "mixed ripe" in developing fruit. One way to know for sure would be to take a soil sample near your plants and send it to your local extension service office. This will certainly rule out or indicate any nutritional issues. Another major cause of this are cold snaps or sudden temperature shock to the plant. Trauma to the plant in general can cause the fruit to drop or abort. Orinocos can ripen differently than the familiar Cavendish, it seems there are several threads on bananas.org that talks about this.

http://www.haifa-group.com/files/Guides/Banana.pdf the top part of page 29 talks about nutrient issues causing mixed ripeness in fruit.

Also, there is a disease called "Cigar End Rot", that has become an issue in south Florida. It causes yellow fruit to turn black and rotted, and eventually gray/black and shriveled. This progresses from the end of the fruit towards the point of attachment on the stalk. I believe the purple corm in your pictures is actually the flower and bracts, which are very showy and colorful in bananas. The "corm" is a large root structure just under the soil that sends off new shoots called "pups." haha it reminds me of a giant potato.

Some forums on ripening Orinoco:

'Orinoco' ripening issues for late bloomers

First yellow nana on Orinoco Bunch

First yellow nana on Orinoco Bunch

Congratulations on getting a flower and fruit! Hope this helps best wishes!

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Lawler

Thank you so for the reply. I peeled the banana in ? as it was all yellow w/ some major brown spots here N there. Darn thing was great at one end and HARD at the other.
The links were fantastic -esp. the study... I will be adding some k for sure.
Thanks!

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andy17

No problem! A picture of the fruit cut down the middle would be very helpful as it can help indicate the source of the problem. As long as there was no black, brown or discolored spots in the fruit itself, it sounds as though the fruit isn't ripening correctly. Were the black sections like an overripe banana peal, and the fruit inside yellow-white and overly soft? Or was the peal AND the fruit black and shriveled? Best wishes

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Lawler

When I peeled the banana, it did have a couple of small places that had brown spots on the exterior of the fruit ... I could slice them away. But, interestingly (or not?), I skin wanted to stick to the fruit- difficult to separate skin from fruit. Had to use knife.
Also, seems to be the case that we DEFINITELY need to wait until the banana itself is incredibly black ugly and soft for the banana to be any good to eat. Don't know if that's normal or not. :-~
Also, I should have waited to peel this banana (in pic) as it was not ugly black enough yet) ...but it was BIG in width.

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andy17

The spots almost sound like normal bruising, so that's good, but perhaps someone with more expertise can comment in on this thread. Some nutritional deficiencies and diseases cause discoloration of the fruit, but this is found throughout the fruit or at least in sections and is not generally found just on the outside near the peal. Different varieties can have varying degrees of peal thickness and separation, but needing a knife does sound a bit much. Although, it seems I've had to do this before with some overripe supermarket bananas for banana bread. So it might just be the stage of ripeness they are at. Unfortunately, I'm not very familiar with Orinocos :/ Climate, temperatures, light, and nutrition can certainly affect taste in all varieties. But since your plants look so healthy, it might be the variety itself. Orinocos are considered a cooking banana because of their higher starch and lower sugar content. Some members love this variety for eating out of hand, and others not so much. I've heard that growers must let them get very, very ripe to eat out of hand. Although, some say normal ripeness is fine. Where they are grown seems to be one cause of this and personal taste preferences seem to be a factor as well. It's difficult to say for sure what's behind the issues with the fruit, but that would be my guess. Certainly, if you have any doubts about the edibility of the fruit, use caution, particularly if disease is involved Hope this helps!

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2woodensticks

the next time don't cut off flower so close..and I cover the cut end with tinfoil myself..

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Lawler

Appreciate the tips!
Thanks!

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