sunfish

How long,on average, will a banana plant live after the bunch is harvested.

momoese

I've had some stay green for the better part of a year after cutting the bunch. These were plants that were in tight spots where I didn't feel like battling to remove them.

sbl

The question is, does that photosynthesis help build the corm, or does it take away from the daughter plant?

Scott

No expert here...but...
After the corm has produced its fruit, any absorbtion of nutrients of that corm will rob from others around.

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Abnshrek

I could see it robbing if it didn't have any leaves, but if it had leaves and wasn't growing (cause its maxxed out) any more you'd think it would help the corm & others until it kicked the bucket. :^)

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I'm a Nannerhead :^)

momoese

It just seemed like business as usual for the rest of the stand.

NANAMAN

I found an article about commercial banana production once, which stated that, after harvesting the bunch. They leave 1/2 to 3/4 of the old P-stem intact, and it is supposed to help the next developing pup.

I tried leaving the old P-stems in my yard, but stopped, because I didn't like the way it looked.

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Scott

I chop mine down after I take the fruit.
Bring it down to about a foot so the fluids will go back down instead of absorbing.
After a few months, I take it to the ground and cut some of the corm, if not all of it, out of the ground. Then I normally xplant the corm in the field by my work hehehe or announce free corm on craigslist.com and someone calls then takes them away.

Abns -
I do feel the plant still contributes to the 'energy' of the mat for a while through the sun it absorbs.
My contribution to the mat is to make space, open the air for smaller ones and fill open hole with fresh compost and maybe a few catfish.

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bananimal

In my backyard, after the bunch is harvested, a banana plant will live about 10 minutes. That's the time it takes me to hang the bunch and find the long bread knife.

Dan

Abnshrek

I truely understand you concept no doubt about it. Up here and further north we may keep that one in place (the Mother) to help out the pups, and should a frost arise, hopefully its the mother's leaves that take the hit not the pups, especially if they cover the plants in plastic the mother is your frame for protection. Chop her off in the spring, its all good :^)

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I'm a Nannerhead :^)

Scott

That's a GREAT line of advise!!

Where was this info prior to our Florida freeze hehehehe

That is an idea I will keep in the vault for next winter.

Thanks for the info and idea Absnhred.

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