Surprise, Surprise Bud!
 

Tonight while watering the small Nana patch, I found this!



I didn't see the flag leaf yesterday so this was a surprise tonight. The pstem is about 7 1/2 to 8 ft. This was one of the Orinoco(s) that I planted last September. It was a pup about 4 ft tall when dug. ... I think there may still be a chance for one more of the Orinoco(s) to flower in a few days.

The bud is long and slender vs the short fat buds on my old Orinoco nanas that flower at about 10 to 12 ft.

I'm back in the NANA business after the Power Company killed the old patch of 38 + plants last year!

....:birthdaynana: ...:woohoonaner:

Re: Surprise, Surprise Bud!
 

:08: careful youll have nanas coming out your ears. that hurts I guess.

Re: Surprise, Surprise Bud!
 

I replanted with 64 nanna plants in two separate patches. With all the new pups, I now have 200 to 250 plants. ... They're not coming out my ears ...yet.

MY banana inventory includes: Dwarf Brazilian; Pisang Ceylon; Dwarf Namwah; Raja Puri; Blue Java; FHIA-1 (aka: Goldfinger); FHIA-18; Williams; Hua Moa; Dwarf Red;
Orinoco; Dwarf Orinoco; Dwarf Red; Blue Java; Calli Gold; 1000 Finger; Gross Mich; Williams; Gran Nain; Truly Tiny; Dwarf Cavendish; Gross Mich.

Re: Surprise, Surprise Bud!
 

Congrats Ed!......

Re: Surprise, Surprise Bud!
 

200-250 plants? Wow, and I thought I was going crazy on bananas....
Congratulations, nice inflorescence.

Re: Surprise, Surprise Bud!
 

Yea ... there are 4 to 6 pups with each plant (64). ... I'm not cutting a single one until next year and then I'll likely replant those into new rows or another patch. ... My NEW Banana Plantation is off to a good start. I just need to convince everyone that I haven't really 'gone bananas'.

I think, I'll be able to see the first hand tomorrow. The first petal was starting to open tonight. Pics coming ...

Re: Surprise, Surprise Bud!
 

I must have missed something, the power company tore out your bananas?

Re: Surprise, Surprise Bud!
 

yep ... where have you been? In OZ?? (haha)... on or about July 19th last year the Power Company crew sprayed my Nana patch with herbicide without my knowledge. It took me 3 weeks to realize what had happened. They claimed; they thought the plants were wild. ... I told them there IS NOT a damn Banana plant in Georgia that is wild; if it is growing, someone planted it! I did collect a few $$ from their insurance Company to replant. I gave them a price and the Insurance Company cut me a check within 3 days. Damn, I could have gotten a lot more! ... Anyway you can read about it in my first posts & pics to the forum last year.

Re: Surprise, Surprise Bud!
 

A peak at the first hand. The petal is not fully open, but ...



Close up:



May be I can get these filled out enough before the first frost. .... :drum:

Re: Surprise, Surprise Bud!
 

Congratulations.

Re: Surprise, Surprise Bud!
 

On my late Orinoco bunches I feed pure murate of potash every 2 week and most importantly I prune the bunch. Orinoco usually take 4-5 months to totally fill. If you prune the bunch the remaining ones will fill much faster and make it!! I do this every single year! I fill them in 2 months or less. PM me and I can show you exactly what I do.

Re: Surprise, Surprise Bud!
 

Thanks, I have about 90 days to first frost. So in about 3 weeks I'll need to trim the bunch.

Re: Surprise, Surprise Bud!
 

This morning 4 hands are open.

Re: Surprise, Surprise Bud!
 

This morning 5 hands are open & I can see the impression of the 6th hand under its petal. The fingers have separated showing a double row in each hand with 12 fingers to a hand.





Another thing that I notice is the color of the flower at the finger tip. Mine are a very light lavender with more visible yellow. While comparing to ygator's pics (below) in the thread http://www.bananas.org/f12/please-he...ana-47530.html, the flower are darker lavender.

Re: Surprise, Surprise Bud!
 

Monday, I'll get some potassium sulfate soak a pound or two in water and pour around the base of the nana plant. Then rig the hand sprayer to folar feed the plant with potassium sulfate, Epson salt, and some fertilizer until I can get these nanas fatten up.

6 hands (or more ??) is 72 fingers.

Re: Surprise, Surprise Bud!
 

Update: It has been 8 days seen the Bud appeared and 9 hands are open. But hand 8 & 9 are very small fingers (about 1" long & thin) which opened yesterday. I expect these to fall off, but haven't yet. ... Hand 7 had thinner, full length fingers, but these started growing after 2 days. ... So after I get a little more length on the Rachis, I will cut the bud off and 7 hand off (if it is still slow growing). ... I have about 75 or 80 days to fatten the bunch, may be more hopefully.

Re: Surprise, Surprise Bud!
 

The first hand is fattening nicely. I believe it is about 1/2 way to mature size. The other hands appear to be coming along equally well as the first. ... Another picture in about a week for comparison will confirm this.

I did apply about 1 1/2 to 2 lb of potassium sulfate liquid around the base of the mother plant and her big pups this past Monday. I put 3 lbs in 1 1/2 gal of water, about 1/2 of that dissolved. (potassium sulfate will dissolve to a saturated concentration of 111g/L of cold ambient temp. water, ??) I will apply more in about 12 days. ... The Nana leaves are all nice & dark green and no signs of stress or lack of nutrients. I believe the fast growing fingers are due to the plants being well watered.


hummm .... well as in 'good'; not well as in water 'well' (a deep hole) ...

Max

Re: Surprise, Surprise Bud!
 

Congrats!

Re: Surprise, Surprise Bud!
 

oops ... I think there is another FLAG leaf on an adjacent Orinoco. I'll check it more tomorrow. May be the Bud will be showing a little. ... Darn this one is too late in the year. I was hoping everything would hold off until next spring.

Re: Surprise, Surprise Bud!
 

The second Bud finally showed its self this morning. ... The winds & rain of Hurricane Irma are picking up this morning too. The eye is over Key West now. So may be after Irma passes late Monday evening I'll still have some banana plants left.

pic of 2nd bud: