Help with Bananas

[PaulZone8b]

We bought the 2 main stalks and planted them (as pups) early 2024. These are dwarf and both got 6 ft and healthy...but neither fruited. The winter came and I cut them both down to about 2 ft tall with leaves and cage around both to protect them from the winter. This spring came and the one on left came right back and had babies around its base. The right side didnt really come back but does have several babies too. I have heard/read I need to prune or cut out several of the pups or nothing will fruit. I am attaching the photos so yall can help me with which one(s) to cut off...and HOW to cut them off. What do I do with them once I cut them off too ?

 

[cpp gardener]

Don’t cut anything off. They must be large and very leafy before they will produce fruit and it will be several years before they flower. Give them as much direct sun as you can. Never let them dry out completely, something that shouldn’t be difficult where you are.

 

[Chuck]

Also protect the stalks from freezing temperatures. Even when plants are mature it takes 2 years for a plant to fruit after the stalks have been subjected to, without protection, freezing weather.

 

[roadrunner]

I would not cut the stalk, because it puts the growth of the plant at a disadvantage when the warmer temps return. Most people cover the stalk with heavy mulch, as seen in the below video. Don't worry about protecting the leaves, they are going to die and the plant will sleep over the winter time. I just cut the leaves and mulch them.

I also would recommend expanding that mulch pit out further and make it deeper. Banana plants love a lot of organic matter.

 

[PaulZone8b]

I already protected the 2 only stalks this past winter. They are both returning and with new pups...that I have read will suck too much energy out of the one that "may" try to flower and fruit this year.

 

[cpp gardener]

They don’t suck energy, they MAKE food (sugar) for the whole plant. More stems = more leaves = more food. Keep all the stems you can!

 

[PaulZone8b]

They don’t suck energy, they MAKE food (sugar) for the whole plant. More stems = more leaves = more food. Keep all the stems you can!

Thanks Cpp ! So you grow bananas yourself and harvest them every year ? I would love to see pics of your banana stalks. Also, what do you do about fertilizer ? I am trying to do 100% organic - no synthetic.

 

[roadrunner]

They don’t suck energy, they MAKE food (sugar) for the whole plant. More stems = more leaves = more food. Keep all the stems you can!

I've never heard that before, do you have a link?

I don't know maybe that's correct, but everything I've read says if you have too many suckers it depletes the energy from the largest plant that is near fruiting, because it's robbing nutrients/moisture from the larger plant in order to grow.

However, I'm open to that "conventional wisdom" being wrong. I've never tested it myself on all the various banana pits I have.

 

[roadrunner]

BTW, WRT suckers, there's also a thing called "Water suckers" and "Sword suckers". Water suckers are least desired, but I'll just leave this short video to describe it, so I don't have to type too much.

As for fertilizers, I can't help there, I use absolutely zero inputs, other than lots and lots of organic matter, heavily mulched around all my banana pits.

 

[cpp gardener]

I stand corrected. I checked with University of Florida (UC doesn’t have much on bananas) and they recommend 3 stems per plant. 1 big to fruit, 1 medium for next, and 1 new one to replace the fruiting stem.