SH 3640 bunch just too darn big!!!
 

A bit of wind this afternoon and the weight of the SH 3640 bunch cracked the pstem.

Fingers are mostly filled in and I'm just waiting to see some yellow before harvesting. Will let it hang and it should make it as long as it stays connected.

Re: SH 3640 bunch just too darn big!!!
 

Good morning Dan,

By looking at the pseudostems I would not have thought those are SH 3640s. The diameter of mine are about three times as large. That is a nice bunch of bananas, that I do not wait for "a few" to ripen before harvesting. At the hint of the first fruit color change I harvest them. The reason why is they are like FHIA 18s in that they begin to break and fall off the bunch as they ripen. It is best to harvest these "mature green."

Best wishes, :jalapenonaner:

Re: SH 3640 bunch just too darn big!!!
 

Ken ----- I harvest all the naners the same way. First sign of color change. Especially FHIA 1 which is very thin skinned. Last bunch of 3640 had much thicker skins and tasted better, IMO, than Gfinger. And that's saying something!

I know some locals who leave bunches on till mostly all yellow and the critters catch the smell and do a lot of damage. Especially tree ratz - squirrels. Have you ever seen them attack ripening mangos?

Dan

Re: SH 3640 bunch just too darn big!!!
 

Dan,

That is a nice bunch! Must be nice to get them that big. I think your extra growing time gves you the large bunches. Up here I won't get a large bunch unless it blooms in September which is too late to fill out good much less ripen or turn color.

Re: SH 3640 bunch just too darn big!!!
 

Those look like spectacular fingers.

Re: SH 3640 bunch just too darn big!!!
 

Charles ------ I'm thinking that the heavier yield is due to the chicken litter I started applying last year along with the regular monthly feed of 6-3-16. I put down 2 cups of Purdue chicken mix every 2 weeks along with the monthly chemical fert. And man does that stuff stink up the place for about a week.

Of course the mild winter kept things moving along. Only bunch lost was the tall PK.

Re: SH 3640 bunch just too darn big!!!
 

Good morning Dan,

Have I ever seen "tree ratz" attacking mangos? Bushytaileous treerateous (an appropriate binomial nomenclature) raid everything. They eat a holes in mangos, bananas, and anything available! The more Yellow and Red Ratsnakes around, the better. Especially large Yellow Ratsnakes, they do a good job on these bushy tailed tree rats. Yellow Ratsnakes are more effective than cats.

One thing about them is that they know better than humans when fruit is ripe. Another reason to harvest mangos, bananas, and avocados "mature green." I greatly dislike bushy-tailed tree rats.

:jalapenonaner:

Re: SH 3640 bunch just too darn big!!!
 

I used a chicken poop compost last year in the garden with no complaints other than the smell. Imagine a pile from a eight yard dump truck.

As in "THE" PK. the only one?

Re: SH 3640 bunch just too darn big!!!
 

Charles ----- They grow that big. Longer and much fatter than Gfinger. And they taste as good or better. And disease resistant. FHIA has done some great work.

BTW ---- Death to bushytailious treerateous!!!

Re: SH 3640 bunch just too darn big!!!
 

No bunch prop? Which reminds me, I need to get one under my bunch of Namwah fruit before it's too late!

Re: SH 3640 bunch just too darn big!!!
 

Didn't think I'd need one. Never know when winds will kick up.

Re: SH 3640 bunch just too darn big!!!
 

How tall was the pstem before it bent over? Maybe 10 or 11 feet?

Re: SH 3640 bunch just too darn big!!!
 

Harvested the bunch. Weighed in at 32 lbs. Looks as filled in as it's going to get. With the windgusts whacking everything I cut it down.

Come on yellow!!!

Re: SH 3640 bunch just too darn big!!!
 

Wow, that's awesome!

Re: SH 3640 bunch just too darn big!!!
 

This is the 2nd bunch from the mat. For me, this is one of the heaviest bunches. At NANAMANS place it probably is twice that. I haven't put down mulch yet. That and strictly organic ferts and amendments make a big big difference! And plenty of horse poop in the mulch:2729::2729::2729: (3 horse poop nanaers)

Re: SH 3640 bunch just too darn big!!!
 

Because of limited space I run only one fruiting pstem at a time now. Tried 2 stems at a time 2 years ago and last year had pups out the wazoo. Had several plant sales to get rid of them all. Like 75 extra pups. And that was done on only 3 of my mats - DB, RP and DN. Unbelievable how many pups the Dwarf Namwah alone spewed out.

Will post pics when the D PR super plantain bunch has filled in. It will be harvested green. Tostones time! :bananas_b

Re: SH 3640 bunch just too darn big!!!
 

You're telling me! Last year I planted two Dwarf Namwah within a foot of each other to "fake" a mat. And then I didn't remove pups. There's dozens of them now. It's hard to even get at them to remove them now. I should have listened to Mitchel's warning! :ha:

Re: SH 3640 bunch just too darn big!!!
 

48 hours later--------------

Re: SH 3640 bunch just too darn big!!!
 

Congratulations Dan,

That's a very nice bunch of bananas. I've never had to prop my SH 3640s. Last year and this year I've not taken off many pups and let the mat have multiple pseudostems. As a result I get three bunches of fruit off one mat per year. I've harvested one bunch of each of my SH3640 mats so far this year.

I suggest that you prune pups so that you maintain two or three bearing, three medium, and four small pseudostems on each mat. Water when its dry but not cold. Organics help, but for smell and good growth always maintain mulch on the organics.

Once again, great looking Bunch! :jalapenonaner:

Re: SH 3640 bunch just too darn big!!!
 

Today I cut off all but the bottom 2 hands - still half green. This bunch ripened fast. Began neighborhood dispersal. Will freeze the rest for smoothies and Foster. And the follow on pup looks like it will flower in 1 to 2 months. Amazing what you get when you have a frost free winter.