Bananas.org - Never ripened

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Hi,
I'm new to the site and new to banana growing.
I live in DeLand, FL and converted my swimming pool into a garden. I got some plants from a friend - don't know the variety. They are very healthy! Two plants produced bunches of little bananas last fall, but they never got ripe. I finally cut them off about a month ago, put them in a bag and still nothing. Pics of plants w/bunches have been uploaded to my member gallery.
Anybody recognize the plants or the problem?

John

Re: Never ripened

Bananas in my area need at least 6 month to fill in on the plant and then ripen. In the past I had bunches that were hanging even 10 month over the colder winter month.
Recently we have harvested bunches from July 2014, but none of my fall bunches have filled in yet. My best guess is that you need to be a lot more patient with your next bunch, assuming you were watering and fertilizing right.

Re: Never ripened

Welcome aboard,
pull up a chair and have some fun learning.

Re: Never ripened

Welcome to the Jungle..!!!!:woohoonaner:

Re: Never ripened

Let me temper crazy_bananas response a bit:

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazy banana (Post 255838)

You are in De Land, Florida which has a different environment than where crazy_banana (and I) live -- and is significantly closer to the tropic zones. The winters are similar but the other seasons are warmer and a lot more humid -- which induces more heat to the plants, rather than draining heat as we experience here with lower humidity.

In general I agree with crazy_banana that you removed your fruit too early, but the six to ten month "hang time" is not necessary in your area. Please consult with other members living in the Orlando area for better advice on your cultivar.

Re: Never ripened

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard (Post 255965)

Let me temper crazy_bananas response a bit:

You are in De Land, Florida which has a different environment than where crazy_banana (and I) live -- and is significantly closer to the tropic zones. The winters are similar but the other seasons are warmer and a lot more humid -- which induces more heat to the plants, rather than draining heat as we experience here with lower humidity.

In general I agree with crazy_banana that you removed your fruit too early, but the six to ten month "hang time" is not necessary in your area. Please consult with other members living in the Orlando area for better advice on your cultivar.

Even in a tropical environment most banana bunches will probably take longer to fill in and ripen than just three month.
A banana bunch that has shown its first hand in USDA growing zone 9A in fall with average low temperatures between 63 F in October and 47F in December (I am referring to the US climate data website) will simply take longer.
Some varieties will also take longer to fill in and ripen than others. Saba is known for that and one of my Blue Java bunches has taken 10 month last year (first hand showed in October). Jlprintz photo shows a Raja Puri or Dwarf Brazilian, which I am not aware of taking that long, but bottom line, why cutting a bunch if it is not properly filled in or does not show any signs of ripeness? ;)

Re: Never ripened

Where I'm at it takes 5-6+ months to ripen most kinds and it is usually over 70 deg here. You jumped the gun on cutting the bunch.

Re: Never ripened

Welcome to the board, John! :08: