November 13, 1999

Question: After three years of growth, I’m now getting bananas from one of my mature plant. Should I remove the fleshy, purple, enlarged terminal bud? When should the fruits be harvested and will the old plant refruit?
- A. Schwnell, Bonita Springs

Answer: The banana, native to Southeast Asia, is cultivated in tropical countries throughout the world. A strong sucker will bear fruit in 12 to 15 months. To produce fruits within a 15-month period, bananas demand a rich organic soil with constant moisture, equivalent to 100 inches of water annually. Frequent, light fertilizations of an 8-8-8 fertilizer with micronutrinets are to be preferred to fewer, heavier fertilizations. A banana plant produces fruit only once. After harvest, the plant is cut to the ground, chopped into small pieces, and left on the ground as mulch around the existing clump. 

The fleshy terminal bud is the female inflorescence. You may remove it once you’ve determined that the fruits are sufficiently formed. Bananas should be harvested seven to 14 days prior to ripening. Once the upper fruits begin to turn yellow, cut off the entire fruiting stem. You can hang the stem, with its attached fruits, in a cool, dry place to ripen. The fruits seem to develop their flavor better when removed from the plant before ripening.