Help! My banana is putting out a flower...
 

I usually store my banans in the garage over winter, some in pots but the large ones I dig up and store bare root on the floor leaning toward the wall (for those considering doing this trust me do not have them horizontal since that is to invite rotm just won't work I have tried numerous time with no success, they need to be standing up).
Anyway one of my best growing bananas, Nam Wah wonderful variety I have a few big ones, four to be exact standing against the wall but to my surprise the second largest one (five feet high p-stem) had put out a leaf and not only that but a flower is also coming up.
What do I do? Don't think I can wait another 4 weeks for replanting outside when last frost is hopefully over. Also with just one leaf can it really sustain a banana stock? Last time a plant bloomed right after putting out a leaf outside it collapsed under its own weight of the stock.

I need advice, take a chance and let it remain bare root and hope for the best or, what I am leaning toward, put in a pot in the garage so I can drag it out with the other pots during warm days and just protect during frost.

But can I realistically expect that it can sustain these bananas with just one leaf?
Please give me some advice so I can plant it in a pot tomorrow if that is the general advice.

I love that it will flower but if only it had done it in April a few weeks after I replanted it and it had grown 2 -3 leaves it would have produced wonderful fruit in August. Usually my plants that flower in July produce by Oct/Nov. Nam Wahs, that is. Despite several years trying my Brazilian never blooms until Sept/Oct so have not been able to get any eatable fruit from them yet.
My Viente Cohol for the second try died in the pot over winter, even inside the house!

Thanks

Re: Help! My banana is putting out a flower...
 

You are experiencing the timing of fruit vs the timing of your winter. It is not a problem in the tropics, but as we move away from there it becomes a conundrum. Experienced growers who want the "winter flower" to produce in colder climates are prepared with appropriate light sources (1200 Watts of 6400-6500 Kelvin fluorescent bulbs). Some people in borderline climates (USDA 9a-10b) try to overwinter the bunch to health. What I've read on this site from growers is that that latter doesn't work and the former is sometimes successful. I'm here in 10b. If one of my plants flowered in November I'd probably whack off the pstem at the base and cultivate a pup. If it flowered in February through July I'd be thrilled. From August to October it would depend a lot on cultivar.
:lurk:

Re: Help! My banana is putting out a flower...
 

Yes I am aware about this and normally most of the stems don't flower while in the garage but if I plant it now would a stock be possible to actually grow if it only bass one leaf?
Or should I just considered this a loss?

Re: Help! My banana is putting out a flower...
 

I'm my humble opinion this is a loss. A single leaf is simply too little to sustain a growing bloom.

Still, I'm very interested in your setup, because i think I'm trying to do exactly what you do; and recently i discovered that my D. Namwah do overwinter nicely in my greenhouse. I pot them up, but barerooting them would save a lot of time, and could prolong the growing season for some of them. I'm unsure if this can work here at northern latitude - when i overwintered my dwarf Namwah in my cellar i discovered that the plant survived fine but did take quite some time before recovering. But maybe the environment I stored it was too hot... i don't know. Do you mind if I ask for some pictures of your setup? Dwarf namwah trunks must be very heavy to move around!

Re: Help! My banana is putting out a flower...
 

so how do you explain someone like rmplmnz? he's in 9a/b and has killer bananas year after year (hawaiians, reds, etc.). there's always people, like my local master gardener friends, that tell me it's impossible to grow mangoes and other tropicals/subtropicals in 9a-b, yet i've seen mango trees growing here and further northeast in orlando, where tampa bay and the gulf of mexico don't moderate the air temps.

imo it's all about what you're willing to do to protect your plants (proper location, mulching, microsprayers, and when needed frost cloth with a good heat source). i won't say that it's not a gamble, but it's definitely worth a shot for the potential reward. just my .02.:nanadrink:

Re: Help! My banana is putting out a flower...
 

Hi

Sure I will post a picture tomorrow. They sure are heavy I have to use a wheelbarrow and use help from my wife to get them on the wheelbarrow. But it is the big ones that has the best chance of producing a flower and stock early enough so it will ripen before the first frost.
Neither my Brazilian nor the Mona Lisa (this one was hopeless I had to dig it up twice before it bloomed and still it was too late in the season so I never got a chance to taste it). Needless to say I don't plant that variety any more. Orinoco does really great and like Nam Wah if the winter is mild it can survive. For the really large ones that I simply can't dig up I wrap in frost cloth and hope for a mild winter and if so they are the first to bloom.
I skipped the Orinoco as well since I didn't like the texture too much on it and the leaves tended to get pest on them.
Still hoping for a Brazilian to bloom and fruit early enough to have time to ripen and I also have a Rajapuri and Gold finger that might produce in 2016. Problem is if they are TC then one season is need to just grow them big enough and then store them. But the majority of my plants are Nam Wah, great banana and great frost tolerance. This year I have a big Sweetheart that has potential to bloom this spring/early summer if I am lucky and I just love the look of that banana due to the beautiful leaves.

Re: Help! My banana is putting out a flower...
 

Yeah no kidding. Back when I was looking to grow my first coconut, many people told me they didn't grow above Fort Myers. I grew mine in Clearwater for 2 years before I dug it up and brought it with me to my new home. There are quit a few around tampa bay but there are so few compared to the palms we are used to seeing so they are easily missed. At least that's my theory.

What I'd like to know is why the Royal palms all disappeared, and with it being such a majestic and indigenous palm, is it not our state tree?

Re: Help! My banana is putting out a flower...
 

I think I did.

Re: Help! My banana is putting out a flower...
 

I was wondering, how long your plants stay off from the ground? Maybe the problem my plant experience are due the fact that they stay outside from the ground for at least 4 months.

I was interested in Sweetheart too, but i fear that it may become too big to handle. I usually do all my gardening works alone.

I skipped orinoco too, it was too big for my likings. I do grow a dwarf orinoco. Overall a nice plant, very tough, but i fear that their fruit requires too much time to mature.

I'm searching for a reliable banana production mainly, so variety isn't an issue. Once i can get regular bananas, I will start planning on variety. :)

Re: Help! My banana is putting out a flower...
 

My plants stay off the ground for 4 months as well. Normally from early December through March so best case 3 months and worst case 4 months,