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Banana Plant Health And Maintenance Topics This forum is for discussions of banana plant health topics such as coloration issues, burning, insects, pruning, transplanting, separating pups, viruses, disease, and other general banana plant health and maintenance issues.


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Old 07-19-2009, 07:34 PM   #1 (permalink)
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Default Bloom is dropping fingers!

I have an Orinoco that is blooming, it has about 5 hands so far, but today I noticed it has dropped 4-5 fingers from one of the recent hands--have I done something wrong? The dropped fingers were from the hand that appeared yesterday or the day before.

I did throw a little potash on it yesterday.
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Old 07-19-2009, 07:44 PM   #2 (permalink)
 
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Default Re: Bloom is dropping fingers!

The female flowers are the first to appear and they grow fruit - then the male flowers appear and they just drop off. So I think that you are at that stage - don't worry, it is the normal way of things!
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Old 07-19-2009, 07:58 PM   #3 (permalink)
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Default Re: Bloom is dropping fingers!

No, I know the difference in male and female flowers--these were female and there is still one hand past the one that dropped. Male flowers haven't appeared yet.
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Old 07-20-2009, 01:54 AM   #4 (permalink)
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Default Re: Bloom is dropping fingers!

Quote:
Originally Posted by sbl View Post
No, I know the difference in male and female flowers--these were female and there is still one hand past the one that dropped. Male flowers haven't appeared yet.
What are you using as the basis that they are not male flowers? The male flowers will often have a vestigial pistil and lack pollen on the anthers, so they can look like female flowers. Additionally, sometimes there are some transitional hands that are between male and female, but functionally neither. They can alternate positions such that there is not a smooth transition between female and male flowers, it can go back and forth sometimes. They could appear very female like but still abscise. Female flowers will not form an abscission layer at the pedicel even if they are malnourished.
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Old 07-20-2009, 03:15 AM   #5 (permalink)
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Default Re: Bloom is dropping fingers!

These have a very small naner (ovary) at the base of the flower - about 1 inch.
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Old 07-20-2009, 04:23 AM   #6 (permalink)
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Default Re: Bloom is dropping fingers!

Sounds like male flowers, they have a small vestigial ovary at the bottom and also (in this case) visible vestigial stigma and style. The true ovaries of the female flowers are much larger even before they start to grow and do not abscise.
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Old 07-20-2009, 07:30 AM   #7 (permalink)
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Default Re: Bloom is dropping fingers!

I did not realize that male flowers could have a vestigial ovary--thanks.
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Old 07-20-2009, 06:28 PM   #8 (permalink)
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Default Re: Bloom is dropping fingers!

Just for the record here is a picture of the male flowers with vestigial ovaries (last hand).

Also, Both of the Orinocos I got to bloom only had 3-4 hands with about 18-20 finger total on each--is that normal for zone 8/9 or should I be able to do better with better culture.
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Old 07-20-2009, 08:20 PM   #9 (permalink)
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Default Re: Bloom is dropping fingers!

Cold can reduce the amount of fruit. I have a bunch with 2 hands. I also have a orinoco flower with no fingers at all!
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Old 07-20-2009, 08:34 PM   #10 (permalink)
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Default Re: Bloom is dropping fingers!

It looks perfectly normal in terms of flowers, but if you only have 18-20 fingers it is definitely not up to its potential. Did you fertilize regularly since it was young or has it been growing on its own? Bananas will often appear to grow fine on their own without extra water or fertilizer, but the bunches are dramatically reduced.
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Old 07-21-2009, 07:07 AM   #11 (permalink)
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Default Re: Bloom is dropping fingers!

I have thrown a few handfulls of 16-4-8 plus some muriate of potash, but looking at the wiki on fertilizing bananas, I have not been supplying the quantity that is recommended. I do mulch with grass clippings.
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