Is it normal for banana flowers to drip?
 

I have my first bunch growing; I haven't cut off the purple thingie yet. (Or am I supposed to do so? If so, when and how do I cook it?) Every time I inspect this wondrously, marvelous and totally new to me growth on what was once just a pretty plant I notice water dripping from the purple cone. Normal?

Re: Is it normal for banana flowers to drip?
 

Nectar. It tastes wonderful. I always wonder if I could make something with our hoya. They drip all day.

Re: Is it normal for banana flowers to drip?
 

Congrats!

Re: Is it normal for banana flowers to drip?
 

Yes, this is pretty normal.
Stick your finger in the goo and give it a taste. I am surprised you dont have lots of bee's flying around it.

Re: Is it normal for banana flowers to drip?
 

Your banana has caught a cold and has post nasal drip.

Now seriously, any time I see a plant excreting sugary substances, I am inclined to add yeast and low heat...

Nanner Shine! :waving:

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No bees. Maybe that's why my eggplants keep blooming but set no fruit (Beans and tomatoes don't need help.) Nobody has gardened here for at least 9 years and probably longer; I'm changing that.

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Lol!

Re: Is it normal for banana flowers to drip?
 

Depending on the brand of insecticide, 38%-44% of bees are killed by the two biggest names. It's becoming a serious problem.

The biggest problem, is that they keep banning the "good stuff." Before long, we'll be down to urine and flyswatters.

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I only use Neem here and not very often. It's not insecticide causing issues. My neighbor across the street has lots of bees and butterflies. I have butterflies that do fly overs. She's offered me what she calls butterfly flower bushes which are nothing like butterfly flower bushes I know but do attract pollinators. Right now I'm in the throes of finally getting my kitchen in so I'm barely keeping up with watering much less planning/planting gardens. (Fingers crossed I have my well operational by Monday so I can set sprinklers and let them run instead of being stingy with very pricey city water.) Thankfully I have another season to look forward to this year.

Re: Is it normal for banana flowers to drip?
 

Actually, I was referring to the worldwide problem on the loss of bees. I should have been more specific.

Re: Is it normal for banana flowers to drip?
 

Divert your clothes washer.

Re: Is it normal for banana flowers to drip?
 

Hmmm...file that under "why didn't I think of that?" Actually it's been quite a process but I do finally have a washer. Yeah! Clothes washed at the laundromat don't get clean. I think I can figure out how to send the water around the corner to where it will do some good; if not, I'll open the window and shoot it out that way. Thanks!

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I never see honey bees around my flowers. And my dad has 2 bee hives about 300 feet away. I think my bees are z8 bees and look at the banana flowers and say what is that?

I do get lots of bumble bees and yellow jackets around it.

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Legally, we're not allowed to use gray water to water plants in Florida, which I think is dumb. Of course, you'd have to get caught first, which I'd guess is unlikely. (Unless your set-up is visible from the street, or you have a nosy neighbor who likes to report people for random things.) But I figured I'd show you the law just so you were aware:

Source

(Please correct me if I'm wrong or if things have changed. I'd love to be wrong on this.)

Re: Is it normal for banana flowers to drip?
 

Not visible from the street. Nosy neighbors who like to report things? Ha! They all have their washers connected to the great outdoors and share my live and let live attitude. I live kinda in the country...

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The whole thing with gray water is dumb, but as a conservation officer, I do see their point. Some idiot at some point, would add black water to the mix. I know of a house in Kentucky, that drains their gray water directly into the cave system under the house. That is the kind of idiot that ruins it for everybody else. Somewhere down the line, someone's well is getting drinking water from this turd's shower.

However, I am of the mindset that the .gov has no business in my business, and there's no business like show business, so my business is nobody else's business. Therefore, I am taking care of business.

Do what works for you. You can easily set up a gray water system that nobody will even know exists. Add it to a rainwater system for perfect camouflage.

My two shiny pennies, FWIW...

Re: Is it normal for banana flowers to drip?
 

My washer is on the back porch. I rigged it so a water hose fits on. I just the water hose that is best suited. Ironic you can't use wash water but dumping atrazine and bifenthrin is just fine and not regulated.

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I've evaluated my footprint and know I'm in the 1% who leave a very slight imprint. I'm one person living here; I don't do that much laundry. Since I pay for trash pickup and I use it very rarely, I recycle what I can for cash. I carefully sort my wood scraps the county picks up to compost and no treated wood or even 2x4s go into the mix. (I've found tile and other stuff in what I pick up so I know others are not so careful.)

I use Neem or dish detergent for pests; I sometimes use herbicides but find pulling weeds in sandy soil to be very easy. I compost what I can. My laundry is set off from the rest of the plumbing; I have no desire to have black water in my yard.

I do have a septic tank so I'm not "pure". But what ticks me off is that the Indian River stinks. Supposedly the familiar stench is dying seaweed. Really? Those lovely and expensive houses along the river have septic tanks also. And there's no agency ensuring they're in good condition and are pumped out regularly. When the government cracks down on them, I'll worry about the little bit of soapy water that goes into my yard located located more than a mile from the river or any body of water. (Nobody here has city sewer and most are on city water.)

Re: Is it normal for banana flowers to drip?
 

Impressive!

Re: Is it normal for banana flowers to drip?
 

How have you been?
Little ones in school now?