Mahoi - fruit - male flower questions
 

I have several questions.

Background have my first banana in flower, think it is a double mahoi.

I am in zone 8b so our lows are starting to hit 50 degrees but the day is in the 70's and sometimes 80's. I have pictures of the banana and my treatment attempts to keep it warm and still growing. It seems to be working as the pups are putting out new leaves still.

The bananas seem small about 3 inches. I have flowers still coming but I think they may have switched over to male, but I can't tell for sure. Do male flowers still have a green stub on the end?

Let me know what you think about the flowers, the fruit the winter protection any suggestions.





:03: About the size of a finger




:2722: are these male flowers?


:lurk: Is this one beginning to plump?



You can see the tree here with the flower and their christmas light heating system. on the left you can see a pup leaf unfurling.

Re: Mahoi - fruit - male flower questions
 

The little 1 inch or so stubs with flowers are male
The plants produce female as small fruit and are 3 inch long +or- depending of type , and they begin to grow and plump up to make a mature fruit. you only need to step back and look . those short thin wimpy flowered stubs are not going to plump they are male flowers

Re: Mahoi - fruit - male flower questions
 

Ok. so I could use some advice.

The following pictures are of my bananas. Are they plump enough to ripen off tree?

I have a hard freeze coming. As you can see the plant is protected by a cold frame and christmas lights. So if they are plump enough to ripen I might risk the freeze.

Re: Mahoi - fruit - male flower questions
 

I don't see pics on your last post but if you pick bananas too soon, they'll never ripen off the tree. Is there a portable heater or something you can use to get you through the freeze?

Re: Mahoi - fruit - male flower questions
 

yeah. My photobucket is full.

I have uploaded them to my gallery.

Re: Mahoi - fruit - male flower questions
 

from the pic I saw, second from last pic in post, no they are not ready to pick off tree and still ripen. You need to let them stay till they get real fat and plump...they are close but still need time..

Re: Mahoi - fruit - male flower questions
 

that picture you have in your post is from several months ago. How about the ones from the last post? They are now alittle fatter.

It being a double I thought I might split my odds and take one pernucle and leave one.

Re: Mahoi - fruit - male flower questions
 

in the last picture, I still the banana fingers very squarish, not roundish and plump like they should be. Is there anyway, you could keep a little heater and maybe connect a thermostat or timer on it in the greenhouse?

Re: Mahoi - fruit - male flower questions
 

If it hasn't been 6 months since flowering, they are likely not mature.

Re: Mahoi - fruit - male flower questions
 

I don't think I could swing that.

Re: Mahoi - fruit - male flower questions
 

Ok well I own halogen lights which get hot. In fact it might get too hot in there but I've got them plugged in to see if I can save my fruit.