Gabe15

There is no rule, its all about preference. I don't try to keep a set time gap between any of my shoots (that would also be somewhat difficult to measure and execute), but when I plant, I let the first sucker grow, and then just try to keep them at different sizes by then removing suckers such that if multiple young ones come up at the same time, I only keep one. This is so that the fruiting is always staggered, and usually it comes out to between 3-4 months between bunches, but it depends also on the variety and how they are cared for. Some varieties have an inhibited suckering habit, where no suckers really grow until after the first shoot flowers, and other have a free suckering habit, where they come up very quickly and all grow fast. Most varieties are somewhere in between. The habit of sucker formation greatly affects how you will manage them. Some are difficult to keep on top of, others nearly manage themselves perfectly with little need of sucker removal.

However there are some plants which I did not do this with when they were young (I was gone for a few months), and they have multiple bunches now. Its not a bad thing though, the size of each bunch may be reduced some, but I do it mainly because its a teaching farm so I show people how to maintain them as if you had a farm, and also because we don't want the mats to get huge.

Additionally, usually I do not separate them well enough to be transplanted, they are usually very small and just poking out of the soil so they are easy to shave off with a shovel. If a new plant is needed, then of course I let it grow some and separate it properly. This is a big time and energy saver when you are managing many plants.

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