Deflowering bananas.
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_Gw8oVVrTA

Before


After


Deflowering is done to increase fruit size and quality.

Re: Deflowering bananas.
 

Thanks Nick!

Great to see a video of these techniques in practice. I didn't know about cleaning the little flowers off the individual bananas. Thought they just fell off.

Re: Deflowering bananas.
 

Some do and some don't.

Re: Deflowering bananas.
 

The literature suggest that the floral remnants act as a place for fungus to hang out. On Cavendish varieties and plantains deflowering can help control cigar-end rot. The flowers also serve as a hideout for thrips, which can be a big problem in the spring leaving little raised black dots all over the fruit.

Re: Deflowering bananas.
 

why take off the last couple bunches on the bottom too?

Re: Deflowering bananas.
 

Nick,


Awesome video!.....Thanks for sharing it!.....





Larry,


As Nick mentioned, de-flowering and bunch pruning of last Nana hand/s it's done to increase fruit size and quality of the remaining Nana fruits.......Bunch pruning most of the time, speeds up the fill-in process!.... This practice has been used commercially long time ago!......




:2723::bananarow::2723:

Re: Deflowering bananas.
 

As Hector said, The bunch fills out a little quicker and the fruits are a little bigger. If it was just for me, I might not do it. But...fruit buyers want big fruit. For dwarf superplantain, I always prune to 5 hands. I try to keep Hua Moa to five hands as well. On Dwarf Puerto Rican Plantain I leave the 3 fingered hand as the final hand. My goal this season is to document a lot of what I do on the farm.

Re: Deflowering bananas.
 

So pulling the little flowers off the ends really does something huh?

Re: Deflowering bananas.
 

Yes, at least in terms of thrips damage and decrease in cigar end rot. I actually left one one row over with all the flowers on it similar size, similar age. I will document the differences between the two.

Re: Deflowering bananas.
 

Deflowering a dwarf superplantain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iotkhgphzI

Re: Deflowering bananas.
 

Thanks Nick!

Can you expand a little bit or define what you mean by "leaves that will cause you any problems" that should be removed. Thanks!

Re: Deflowering bananas.
 

Leaves that are touching the fruits tend to cause scarring on the skin.

Re: Deflowering bananas.
 

I found this paper on bunch pruning that might be useful:

http://www.m.elewa.org/JABS/2010/33/11.pdf

How are the immature bananas pruned? Are they broken off or cut from the little pad/platform or are they cut off altogether with the pad like how a hand is separated from the bunch? Thanks!

Update: Just viewed Nick's video and see that he just breaks off the whole banana by hand.

Re: Deflowering bananas.
 

It's easier to break them off cleanly when they are young and newly emerged from the bracts. When they get a little older you are better off using a pruner or a knife.