Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

Been a little slower and his younguns have been trying to pass him up but the other day this leaf emerged

20210716_133142 by William Strickland, on Flickr


Looking a bit small and then another cigar was popping out before this small leaf pushed all the way out. Today I see this:

20210716_133125 by William Strickland, on Flickr

20210716_133045 by William Strickland, on Flickr

Re: Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

OOOOHH! Keep us updated

Re: Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

definitely

Re: Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

Congratulations! Your first banana bunch! :woohoonaner:

Re: Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

Well not yet but I'm well on my way. My luck some freak ice storm will blow through in August......

Hopefully we'll get to see what this FHN Blue Java really is. It would be a bit comical if it were indeed a BJ

Re: Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

Alright! Congratulations! Make sure to get out there each day to count how many fingers you get as each hand opens. Haha.

Re: Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

Well you know there will be pictures forthcoming. Like a proud parent. I feel like the "pup" is going to flower too, hopefully in the next couple of weeks.

So assuming this is a namwah (maybe even a dwarf), what are we looking at time-wise from flag to harvest? 3 months?

Re: Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

Three months and you will have something harvestable for sure. Four months for full development in good temperatures has been my experience in my area. I usually havest the July flowers around Thanksgiving but I let them run till either one finger begins to turn yellow or the first freeze. I cover the bunch with a clear plastic bag once the temp turns down in October. I leave the bag open on the bottom.

Re: Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

Thanks we'll see how it all unfolds. Last year we had 80 degree days all the way to Thanksgiving, but that Monday....FREEZE

I think I'll get some.

Re: Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

Im betting its a namwah.. how tall is the pstem? That plant looked to be too stout to be a BJ.. As far as the pup, when did that one pop up? My TC namwahs took 16 months from TC to flower. My 2nd gen pups are larger than the TC stems now, and right about 16 months old but no flowers on those yet. I think pup development slows when the mother plant had fruit, plus you stop fertilizing the stand once it fruits, with the exception of potassium so that slows the growth down as well. Congrats on the flower!

Re: Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

I received the TC package on June 10 2020 and planted it in the ground (current location) immediately, so 13 months to get this flag leaf. That other big pup was about 2 1/2 feet when winter hit. I've also cut off 4 others since, some are in pots, 1 in the ground and that one has been a rocket, putting out 7 or 8 leaves and pups too

The exit point of the flag leaf is at about 7 1/2 feet

Re: Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

I just looked at the pup I cut on April 28. It's actually pushing leaf #10.

20210717_080300 by William Strickland, on Flickr

20210717_080250 by William Strickland, on Flickr

Re: Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

That's perfect growth. They will grow bigger per leaf cycle and faster when grown off a mother plant with an established corm. Its like night and day. Especially for Namwa. Nothing grows faster than Namwa for me. I have pups less than two months old that are greater than 5' tall this year with all the rain we have gotten over the past month.

Re: Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

So do you think Lou is a Dwarf given the fact that it's flowering at less than 8' of pstem?

Re: Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

Height is not the best indicator of whether a plant is a dwarf or not. A pup from a plant that achieved 13’-14’ of pstem in my patch flowered at only about 6’ at my Mother’s house. The difference is a highly maintained plant vs. a plant with no maintenance.

Your plant looks like a tall namwa to me but let the male flowers run for a bit and you will be able to tell. My understanding is that male flowers do not fall off dwarf plants as a general rule. Also first generation plants are shorter than subsequent generations.

Re: Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

Thanks for the info. Hopefully next year the blue java I got from you will be in this position. Hoping for another mild winter.

Re: Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

Measure what appears to be the average leaf blade, a ratio under 2.5 is normally a dwarf.

Re: Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

My Dwarf Namwa has a clean rachis. When it first started, it had a dozen male flowers dry up and stay, but the flower is a couple feet below the bunch and it's clean. Dwarf Namwa is around 5'-6' pstem. It is also very thick. I would say that isn't a dwarf. :nanadrink:

Re: Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

That's true more times than not, but environmental conditions also play a role. Many of our dwarf Brazilian that lean east have a clean rachis while almost none that lean west will have a clean rachis. Our dwarf, super dwarf, and non dwarf namwah all have clean rachis.

Re: Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

2021-07-23_03-31-25 by William Strickland, on Flickr


20210723_145126 by William Strickland, on Flickr

Re: Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

Awesome......:08:

Re: Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

Thanks. That Lou is a good kid.

Re: Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

Boy has some nuts.......son:)

Re: Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

He already has younguns all over town, probably some he doesn't know about....

Re: Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

Re: Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

About 40 fingers showing so far. You guys do know that I can't believe this right?

20210803_163345 by William Strickland, on Flickr

Re: Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

Well you did a good job man. Many more future nanners to come. Just takes some time, timing, and patience. Lol

Re: Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

Thank you sir. So yeah now I know that it can be done, sorta like Roger Bannister breaking the 4 minute mile...

Re: Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

If this is your first banana bunch you need to dance in a circle under the flower. It’s really the only way to ensure that you will have future harvests. This is known.

Re: Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

Well it is and I shall :)

I did flower a couple of bordelons back in 2019 but that was no claim to fame.

By the way the Blue Java is coming along nicely you may be able to see it back there.

Re: Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

This is a great place to share pics and information. Great people too. Akula helped me last year on my first Dwarf Namwa bloom. There are plenty of others as well. It was a late August bloom and he gave me some pointers on dehanding the bottom hands to help fill the top bunches quicker. I was able to harvest the bunch and share over 50 fingers with friends and family in November.

Re: Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

Definitely some fine folks here. I don't follow all the rules but just enough I suppose....

Re: Lou Ferrigno: Is this What I think it is"
 

:ha::ha::ha::ha: