Pup Removal Question
 

I have seen some videos of harvesting bananas and noticed they were still in a bunch, the pups were never removed. I am in Zone 10, Central Florida, sandy soil. Should I remove my pups or not and if yes, when? After flowering? I have a few banana trees that are a year old (apple, ice cream, standard). I am a new banana grower, any help would be great. I just want to get some good bananas.
Thanks, Mike

Re: Pup Removal Question
 

Personal preference really. When I manage my mats I only leave three plants per mat. One large one medium and one small pup. I avoid removing pups after flowering as not to disturb the process. I have some mats that got out of control and still made nice fruit but now I'm dealing with a big mess trying to get them back under control or removed completely to make room for different bananas or other food crops. If you can wait until after you harvest that is a good time for pup removal, if not do it before flowering.

Re: Pup Removal Question
 

A lot of people in windy areas leave pups to ensure the mother plant has a stable root system so it doesnt topple over.