I finally figured out how to produce big fruit on Nam Wah

Nicolas Naranja · 04-29-2012, 04:45 PM

It figures that once I had decided to stop growing a variety commercially, I would figure out how to make nice fruit with it.

Over the past month I have been harvesting 8 hand, 45 lbs bunches that have fruit in the 35-40mm caliper range.

Here are my tips:
Keep the mat desuckered to 2 plants
No more than 8 hands to bunch.
Cut everything off after the 8th hand as soon as you can
Deflower the fruit

I had really consistent results with this, the ones I left as untreated checks weren't even worth harvesting. 12 hands of skinny and unfilled fruit.

I've also been harvesting some really heavy Hua Moa managed the same way this month. I had a 45 lbs bunch hit me in the face when I cut it the other day and it hurt.

Richard · 04-29-2012, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nicolas Naranja

Over the past month I have been harvesting 8 hand, 45 lbs bunches that have fruit in the 35-40mm caliper range.

Here are my tips:
Keep the mat desuckered to 2 plants
No more than 8 hands to bunch.
Cut everything off after the 8th hand as soon as you can
Deflower the fruit.

I think those are good tips. My approach has been to keep the mat desuckered and cut the male flower off about 2 inches past the last female. My fruits are definitely that size and in the 1/3 to 1/2 pound weight range.

bananimal · 04-29-2012, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nicolas Naranja

I've also been harvesting some really heavy Hua Moa managed the same way this month. I had a 45 lbs bunch hit me in the face when I cut it the other day and it hurt.

Now HM can also be called ROMPECABEZA!!!

I'm definitely going to do hand pruning this year on the Goldfinger, DB, SH 3640, Dwf super plantain, Pisang Klotek and the larger Ae Ae.

Nicolas Naranja · 04-29-2012, 11:12 PM

If I would have known several years ago that Nam Wah needs to be spaced fairly wide, I don't think I would have ever had so much trouble with fruit size. I planted on a 7x12 spacing, which apparently is about double what I should have planted. I really hadn't considered the different leaf angles. Gran Nain, Hua Moa, and the plantains can be spaced closer because their leaves are more erect.

harveyc · 04-30-2012, 01:47 AM

Nick, are you growing the tall Namwah or dwarf? Do you think it matters which when it comes to using this technique?

Nicolas Naranja · 04-30-2012, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by harveyc

Nick, are you growing the tall Namwah or dwarf? Do you think it matters which when it comes to using this technique?

I'm using the dwarf, I have noticed that the tall ones that I have that are sports in the dwarf plantings seem to care less about the pruning. I suspect that this is because they are above the canopy.

Nicolas Naranja · 05-21-2012, 10:34 PM

Today is a sad day for me. It was my final harvest at my 5 acre Hole-in-the-Wall farm. This is the last bunch of Dwarf Nam Wah

caliboy1994 · 05-21-2012, 10:38 PM

digdeep · 05-22-2012, 12:37 PM

Wait, what does the male and female flowers look like? And what Is their main purpose? Shouldn't you leave them on and eventually they will fall off?

harveyc · 05-22-2012, 01:21 PM

The male flowers just stay small and will eventually drop off but the plant is still using resources for their development. They serve no useful purpose for our edible seedless bananas.

Bananaman88 · 05-22-2012, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nicolas Naranja

Today is a sad day for me. It was my final harvest at my 5 acre Hole-in-the-Wall farm. This is the last bunch of Dwarf Nam Wah

That is an awesome looking bunch! Nice job!

Nicolas Naranja · 05-22-2012, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by digdeep

Wait, what does the male and female flowers look like? And what Is their main purpose? Shouldn't you leave them on and eventually they will fall off?

You will produce fruit even if you leave the bud and male flowers on and just let nature take its course. However, you are dealing with a source-sink relationship and you have to decide whether or not you want your plant putting resources into something that you are not going to eat. I trimmed this bunch as soon as possible.

momoese · 05-22-2012, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by digdeep

Wait, what does the male and female flowers look like? And what Is their main purpose? Shouldn't you leave them on and eventually they will fall off?

They look totally different and the male flowers are less than half the size of the females. You'll know as soon as you see them.

nph · 10-16-2012, 07:38 AM

What about the flower stalk shriveling up where you cut it off? I cut mine off and it shriveled about 4-5 inches so if I had cut it off right below the last hand it would have gone bad...

sunfish · 10-16-2012, 08:04 AM

When to Cut the Flower?

Nicolas Naranja · 10-16-2012, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nph

What about the flower stalk shriveling up where you cut it off? I cut mine off and it shriveled about 4-5 inches so if I had cut it off right below the last hand it would have gone bad...

I haven't had that problem, but on the large plantations they leave a finger or two on the last hand. But I actually cut to a certain number of hands, that from experience, I know will produce the size fruit I desire. I have often produced 12 hand bunches of Nam Wah, but I will have unfilled fingers if I don't prune the bunch. For my location and my conditions, 8 hands seems to be optimum.

Going Bananas · 08-21-2015, 12:09 PM

!!!BUMP!!!
Worthy thread to read for those who have namwahs.
I wonder if this will work
for the other dwarf varieties?

Akula · 09-16-2018, 09:05 AM

Thanks for this one Nick!

edwmax · 09-17-2018, 04:27 PM

Thanks Nick, This was good info since I had never read it... This thread pre dates my joining the forum.

Nicolas Naranja · 09-19-2018, 08:21 PM

Wow, digging up the past on this thread.

04-29-2012, 04:45 PM	#1 (permalink)
Nicolas Naranja Muck bananas Nicolas Naranja 's Photo Gallery Location: Pahokee, FL Find me on the map! Zone: 10 Name: Nick Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 2,217 BananaBucks : 504,552 Feedback: 7 / 100% Said "Thanks" 66 Times Was Thanked 5,665 Times in 1,563 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 7 Times	I finally figured out how to produce big fruit on Nam Wah It figures that once I had decided to stop growing a variety commercially, I would figure out how to make nice fruit with it. Over the past month I have been harvesting 8 hand, 45 lbs bunches that have fruit in the 35-40mm caliper range. Here are my tips: Keep the mat desuckered to 2 plants No more than 8 hands to bunch. Cut everything off after the 8th hand as soon as you can Deflower the fruit I had really consistent results with this, the ones I left as untreated checks weren't even worth harvesting. 12 hands of skinny and unfilled fruit. I've also been harvesting some really heavy Hua Moa managed the same way this month. I had a 45 lbs bunch hit me in the face when I cut it the other day and it hurt. __________________ Some people go bananas, I went plantains.

04-29-2012, 11:12 PM	#4 (permalink)
Nicolas Naranja Muck bananas Nicolas Naranja 's Photo Gallery Location: Pahokee, FL Find me on the map! Zone: 10 Name: Nick Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 2,217 BananaBucks : 504,552 Feedback: 7 / 100% Said "Thanks" 66 Times Was Thanked 5,665 Times in 1,563 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 7 Times	Re: I finally figured out how to produce big fruit on Nam Wah If I would have known several years ago that Nam Wah needs to be spaced fairly wide, I don't think I would have ever had so much trouble with fruit size. I planted on a 7x12 spacing, which apparently is about double what I should have planted. I really hadn't considered the different leaf angles. Gran Nain, Hua Moa, and the plantains can be spaced closer because their leaves are more erect. __________________ Some people go bananas, I went plantains.

04-30-2012, 01:47 AM	#5 (permalink)
harveyc Been nuts, gone bananas harveyc's Photo Gallery Location: Isleton, Calif Find me on the map! Zone: 9b Name: Harvey Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 5,119 BananaBucks : 320,958 Feedback: 5 / 100% Said "Thanks" 6,025 Times Was Thanked 4,460 Times in 1,896 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1,785 Times	Re: I finally figured out how to produce big fruit on Nam Wah Nick, are you growing the tall Namwah or dwarf? Do you think it matters which when it comes to using this technique? __________________

05-21-2012, 10:34 PM	#7 (permalink)
Nicolas Naranja Muck bananas Nicolas Naranja 's Photo Gallery Location: Pahokee, FL Find me on the map! Zone: 10 Name: Nick Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 2,217 BananaBucks : 504,552 Feedback: 7 / 100% Said "Thanks" 66 Times Was Thanked 5,665 Times in 1,563 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 7 Times	Re: I finally figured out how to produce big fruit on Nam Wah Today is a sad day for me. It was my final harvest at my 5 acre Hole-in-the-Wall farm. This is the last bunch of Dwarf Nam Wah __________________ Some people go bananas, I went plantains.

05-21-2012, 10:38 PM	#8 (permalink)
caliboy1994 <div style="font-style: italic;"><div style="font-style: italic;"></div></div> caliboy1994's Photo Gallery Location: SFV, California Find me on the map! Zone: USDA zone 10a; Sunset zone 18/19 Name: Andreas Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 2,301 BananaBucks : 275,963 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 1,474 Times Was Thanked 2,196 Times in 1,148 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 236 Times	Re: I finally figured out how to produce big fruit on Nam Wah __________________ "The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings." ~ Masanobu Fukuoka Find me on linktree here as Solarpunk Farmer: https://linktr.ee/solarpunkfarmer

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05-22-2012, 12:37 PM	#9 (permalink)
digdeep digdeep's Photo Gallery Location: San Diego California Zone: 11a Name: Mike Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 105 BananaBucks : 44,068 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 21 Times Was Thanked 46 Times in 21 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1 Times	Re: I finally figured out how to produce big fruit on Nam Wah Wait, what does the male and female flowers look like? And what Is their main purpose? Shouldn't you leave them on and eventually they will fall off?

05-22-2012, 01:21 PM	#10 (permalink)
harveyc Been nuts, gone bananas harveyc's Photo Gallery Location: Isleton, Calif Find me on the map! Zone: 9b Name: Harvey Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 5,119 BananaBucks : 320,958 Feedback: 5 / 100% Said "Thanks" 6,025 Times Was Thanked 4,460 Times in 1,896 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1,785 Times	Re: I finally figured out how to produce big fruit on Nam Wah The male flowers just stay small and will eventually drop off but the plant is still using resources for their development. They serve no useful purpose for our edible seedless bananas. __________________

10-16-2012, 07:38 AM	#14 (permalink)
nph nph's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Zone: 8 Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 364 BananaBucks : 242,760 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 22 Times Was Thanked 365 Times in 173 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 3 Times	Re: I finally figured out how to produce big fruit on Nam Wah What about the flower stalk shriveling up where you cut it off? I cut mine off and it shriveled about 4-5 inches so if I had cut it off right below the last hand it would have gone bad...

10-16-2012, 08:04 AM	#15 (permalink)
sunfish Banned sunfish's Photo Gallery Location: San Diego Find me on the map! Zone: 9-11 Name: Tony Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 18,429 BananaBucks : 1,154,192 Feedback: 8 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,210 Times Was Thanked 20,592 Times in 7,760 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 2,716 Times	Re: I finally figured out how to produce big fruit on Nam Wah When to Cut the Flower?

08-21-2015, 12:09 PM	#17 (permalink)
Going Bananas GoinBananas Location: Frwy 210&57 SoCal Zone: 10 Join Date: May 2015 Posts: 290 BananaBucks : 18,113 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 227 Times Was Thanked 264 Times in 155 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 4 Times	Re: I finally figured out how to produce big fruit on Nam Wah !!!BUMP!!! Worthy thread to read for those who have namwahs. I wonder if this will work for the other dwarf varieties?

09-16-2018, 09:05 AM	#18 (permalink)
Akula Location: Pensacola, Florida Find me on the map! Zone: Zone 9a Join Date: Jul 2017 Posts: 1,236 BananaBucks : 79,193 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,539 Times Was Thanked 2,381 Times in 809 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 128 Times	Re: I finally figured out how to produce big fruit on Nam Wah Thanks for this one Nick!

09-17-2018, 04:27 PM	#19 (permalink)
edwmax Location: Cairo, Ga Find me on the map! Zone: 8b Join Date: Aug 2016 Posts: 2,891 BananaBucks : 97,045 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 1,740 Times Was Thanked 4,437 Times in 2,093 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 414 Times	Re: I finally figured out how to produce big fruit on Nam Wah Thanks Nick, This was good info since I had never read it... This thread pre dates my joining the forum. __________________

09-19-2018, 08:21 PM	#20 (permalink)
Nicolas Naranja Muck bananas Nicolas Naranja 's Photo Gallery Location: Pahokee, FL Find me on the map! Zone: 10 Name: Nick Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 2,217 BananaBucks : 504,552 Feedback: 7 / 100% Said "Thanks" 66 Times Was Thanked 5,665 Times in 1,563 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 7 Times	Re: I finally figured out how to produce big fruit on Nam Wah Wow, digging up the past on this thread. __________________ Some people go bananas, I went plantains.

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