sputinc7

I have a Manzano that flowered for the first time last fall around the end of November, and the bananas have been out there on the plant since. I keep waiting for a signaling color change to begin to cut them down. They seem fleshed out, at least as much as store bought manzanos, but not ripening. My question is, how long does it usually take from flower to ripe fruit? I am growing impatient here. (Not to mention I have it's first pup taller than it's momma and, I believe, waiting to fruit itself.)

This pic was taken a couple weeks ago...

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Varieties I supposedly bought: Manzano, Cavendish, Blue Java, Sweetheart, and Gros Michel.
What it seems I actually have: Brazilian, Cavendish, Namwah, Dwarf Red, Gros Michel, Pisang Ceylon, Veinte Cohol and SH 3640, and American Goldfinger. FHIA 1, Paggi and FHIA 17... Always room for one more.

sputinc7

Here are a couple pics from just now..April 9 2016





In the second pic you see the first pup who has outgrown it's momma by more than a foot and is much thicker at the base.

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If you lose your head and give up, you neither live nor win.

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Varieties I supposedly bought: Manzano, Cavendish, Blue Java, Sweetheart, and Gros Michel.
What it seems I actually have: Brazilian, Cavendish, Namwah, Dwarf Red, Gros Michel, Pisang Ceylon, Veinte Cohol and SH 3640, and American Goldfinger. FHIA 1, Paggi and FHIA 17... Always room for one more.

JP

I don't think they'll ripe on the plant. Why don't you cut off 1 hand to see if it's ready? They look plump enough to me and I would cut them off but I'm no expert... Why don't you ask Robguz24, PR-Giant or another experienced member... There's a lot of them here!

sputinc7

That is why I posted this thread, to get the wisdom of the elders (of banana growing, anyway)

__________________

If you lose your head and give up, you neither live nor win.

https://sputinc7.wixsite.com/covwc

Varieties I supposedly bought: Manzano, Cavendish, Blue Java, Sweetheart, and Gros Michel.
What it seems I actually have: Brazilian, Cavendish, Namwah, Dwarf Red, Gros Michel, Pisang Ceylon, Veinte Cohol and SH 3640, and American Goldfinger. FHIA 1, Paggi and FHIA 17... Always room for one more.

JP

You can always PM one of them. Or just cut a banana off and see if it ripens.
At that point, loosing 1 banana wouldn't be that bad and you'd know.

Gabe15

There is no reason the fruit needs to ripen on the plant, and normally it is best to harvest when they are full size but not yet ripe, that way you don't risk any bird/rat damage to the fruit and also they can ripen very quickly once they start and it's easy to let some go too far which makes harvesting difficult, they are also prone to cracking while ripening on the plant, some often crack before ripening when they get that mature. You can harvest bananas at almost any point while green and they will ripen fine.

Normally when I am growing new cultivars, I check carefully everyday and wait for one fruit to barely start to ripen, and at that point I note how long it took to develop (and taking into account seasonal variation), and more importantly, what the fruit looks like including subtle changes in green, and when I know what a particular cultivar looks like at maturity before ripening, I harvest future bunches at that stage. In my experience most cultivars will ripen within 5-7 days at warm temperatures if they are harvested at peak maturity before ripening. If they take longer than 2 weeks to begin ripening, they were perhaps harvested earlier than ideal, but I don't find the quality of the fruit is ever dramatically altered, except that they could have been allowed to get a little larger. Say a particular cultivar needs 4 months in a given environment, even if you harvested at 2 months, they will ripen, they'll just be small.

Now for your exact plant in question, to me they look fine to harvest now if you are itching to get them down, I don't think they will get much bigger. If you want to wait until they start to ripen, only wait until 1 finger just barely starts, and check very carefully everyday, also look for cracking. If you see any cracked fruit or any hint of yellow on any fruit, harvest the bunch.

However, your plant also looks to me like 'Brazillian', not 'Manzano'. Do you have any photos of the bunch earlier on, particularly with the male bud intact? 'Brazillian' are normally rather angular with a distinct "bottle nose" like your fruit, whereas 'Manzano' are typically much rounder without a bottle nose.

__________________
Growing bananas in Colorado, Washington, Hawaii since 2004. Commercial banana farmer, 200+ varieties.

JP

Talking of experts! Just in time Gabe! Isn't Manzano supposed to be a much bigger plant?

sputinc7

Thanks to all... Being my first time, I was waiting for that first one to begin ripening so I know they are ready. Been thinking about cutting a few to see, but decided to ask here, first.I was afraid there would be like empty skins or that they would never ripen. (I bought green cooking bananas at the Thrifty down here, and they didn't really ripen.. were awful.) Actually, the photo I use as my avatar is the same bunch with the flower. It is supposed to be Manzano, anyway. What I REALLY wanted was a Hawaiian apple as when there I couldn't stop eating them. Why is it so hard for nurseries, whose job it is, to get the cultivars right? I find that very irritating. If you went to a restaurant and ordered a ribeye and got chicken you would be ticked, same thing. I understand an occasional mistake, but I am not talking about that.
Also, as for the height... This is the original plant from TC. Note how much taller the first pup to the right is, and has not flowered, yet. The pup is around ten feet, whereas the mama was only about 8. The pup has a "lump" in the stem about a foot down, and I am guessing that is the bud waiting for the original to ripen or be harvested. (I read somewhere that they don't flower until the main plant finishes fruiting and ripening) I am going out to cut a couple off the top for testing. Thanks!

__________________

If you lose your head and give up, you neither live nor win.

https://sputinc7.wixsite.com/covwc

Varieties I supposedly bought: Manzano, Cavendish, Blue Java, Sweetheart, and Gros Michel.
What it seems I actually have: Brazilian, Cavendish, Namwah, Dwarf Red, Gros Michel, Pisang Ceylon, Veinte Cohol and SH 3640, and American Goldfinger. FHIA 1, Paggi and FHIA 17... Always room for one more.

Gabe15

Well "Hawaiian Apple" is 'Brazilian' so it seems you got what you wanted anyway.

Store bought bananas that don't ripen properly is usually due to too cold of storage temperature somewhere on the supply chain, not inherently the cultivar.

__________________
Growing bananas in Colorado, Washington, Hawaii since 2004. Commercial banana farmer, 200+ varieties.

Gabe15

All things being equal, most standard size non-dwarf 'Brazilian' type (Pome) cultivars tend to be much larger plants than 'Manzano' type (Silk) cultivars, but plant size is a fairly variable trait which greatly depends on conditions and age of the plant.

__________________
Growing bananas in Colorado, Washington, Hawaii since 2004. Commercial banana farmer, 200+ varieties.

sputinc7

Here is a bigger picture of the bud. Taken 11 17 15..

[img]http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?
file=59647&size=1[/img]

I sure hope you are correct, as those bananas were fantastic.

__________________

If you lose your head and give up, you neither live nor win.

https://sputinc7.wixsite.com/covwc

Varieties I supposedly bought: Manzano, Cavendish, Blue Java, Sweetheart, and Gros Michel.
What it seems I actually have: Brazilian, Cavendish, Namwah, Dwarf Red, Gros Michel, Pisang Ceylon, Veinte Cohol and SH 3640, and American Goldfinger. FHIA 1, Paggi and FHIA 17... Always room for one more.

Gabe15

Yep, looks like 'Brazilian'.

__________________
Growing bananas in Colorado, Washington, Hawaii since 2004. Commercial banana farmer, 200+ varieties.

sputinc7

They were bigger in Hawaii, but maybe that's because they were in Hawaii. I know the pummelos there are the size of soccer balls.

__________________

If you lose your head and give up, you neither live nor win.

https://sputinc7.wixsite.com/covwc

Varieties I supposedly bought: Manzano, Cavendish, Blue Java, Sweetheart, and Gros Michel.
What it seems I actually have: Brazilian, Cavendish, Namwah, Dwarf Red, Gros Michel, Pisang Ceylon, Veinte Cohol and SH 3640, and American Goldfinger. FHIA 1, Paggi and FHIA 17... Always room for one more.

sputinc7

If they are Brazilian, I take back what I said about nurseries. This is more like ordering chicken and getting the ribeye.

__________________

If you lose your head and give up, you neither live nor win.

https://sputinc7.wixsite.com/covwc

Varieties I supposedly bought: Manzano, Cavendish, Blue Java, Sweetheart, and Gros Michel.
What it seems I actually have: Brazilian, Cavendish, Namwah, Dwarf Red, Gros Michel, Pisang Ceylon, Veinte Cohol and SH 3640, and American Goldfinger. FHIA 1, Paggi and FHIA 17... Always room for one more.

sputinc7

My first "baby" was "born" today. I went out today and found yellows. Could it be from me cutting a few fingers 3 days ago? 9.4 pounds total April 14 2016, flowered on Nov 15 2015. Approximately 150 days, but it was winter. We even had a couple decent frosts.
This was sold to me as Manzano, but I was recently told it may be Brazilian. I finally got to taste one a few minutes ago, and they do not taste like Manzano, for sure. Still not all the way ripe but are sweeter and creamier and not as tangy yet still quite firm. Small, though, about the size of my thumb after peeling. I am blaming that on cool nights in Nov / Dec even though days were warm, then central Florida "winter" in January and Feb. (lots of 60's for highs and hi 40's / low 50's for lows.) Now that first pup can bloom and ripen in the sultry, wet Florida summer.

__________________

If you lose your head and give up, you neither live nor win.

https://sputinc7.wixsite.com/covwc

Varieties I supposedly bought: Manzano, Cavendish, Blue Java, Sweetheart, and Gros Michel.
What it seems I actually have: Brazilian, Cavendish, Namwah, Dwarf Red, Gros Michel, Pisang Ceylon, Veinte Cohol and SH 3640, and American Goldfinger. FHIA 1, Paggi and FHIA 17... Always room for one more.

JP

Congrats!

sputinc7

I read somewhere that pups won't bloom until the main plant is harvested. Is that so? Anyone know?

__________________

If you lose your head and give up, you neither live nor win.

https://sputinc7.wixsite.com/covwc

Varieties I supposedly bought: Manzano, Cavendish, Blue Java, Sweetheart, and Gros Michel.
What it seems I actually have: Brazilian, Cavendish, Namwah, Dwarf Red, Gros Michel, Pisang Ceylon, Veinte Cohol and SH 3640, and American Goldfinger. FHIA 1, Paggi and FHIA 17... Always room for one more.

gnappi

Once they plump up I start harvesting hands from the top down. They ripen off the plant faster ( mine are in a shady spot) in my kitchen but eventually they ripen completely on the plant. I do not harvest more than 1 hand at a time as I cant eat that many ripening at once. Storing on the plant is a sort of "timed release" of fruit :-)

Hammocked Banana

That's a myth.

JP

I second that.