North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Claude Sweet <hortventures@cox.net>]

Mike,

Allowing the plant to sucker diverts energy that would otherwise produce 
the flower stalk.

Commercial growers can time the emergence of the flower stalk and fruit 
harvest by removing suckers until a specific date they have established 
for their region.  This method is reported by growers in Israel who aim 
for a marketing window.  They select a single sucker that has reached a 
specific height for flowering and remove all others except for a small 
replacement for the following season.

I can attest to the fact that both container plants and those that are 
planted directly in the ground need to have suckers removed to promote 
flowering.  The larger cultivars have a direct relationship between the 
number of leaves that emerge from the stalk and the emergence of the 
flower stalk which represents the end of the terminal growth.

This should also hold true for the smaller dwarf selections and 
container grown bananas.

Eventually a clumps of banana stalks will flower, but there is a 
considerable delay, especially in plants that do not have a climate or 
horticultural practices that promotes a uniform and constant pattern of 
growth throughout the year.

If my memory is correct, fruit growers do not select suckers that have 
narrow leaves as they do not flower as soon as those with broader 
leaves.  Nurseries are likely to remove all of the suckers that are 
produced because they have different motivations (profit from plant 
sales - not fruit sales).

Claude Sweet
San Diego, CA

Mike Levine wrote:

> However, getting back to bananas I am interested in hearing more about
> varieties that can be used as potted plants.  Thanks everyone for the
> suggestions and advice.  I think I'll be ordering a Raji Puri for next
> season.  I gave a banana to a friend with a greenhouse 2 years ago (variety
> unknown, but maybe some sort of Jamaican red type) and it still hasn't
> flowered.  I don't think he has fertilized it much, but it seems healthy and
> has a bunch of little sports at the base.  What can I tell him to do to
> induce it to flower?  Also, when is the best time to divide them?
>
> Mike Levine
> Ann Arbor, MI
> Zone 5b
>
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