I have a Cavendish banana plant that finally grew some bananas this year after sprouting lots of pups the last year and a half. After about 30 bananas started forming the rest of the new flowers just wilted and died away. Now the small bananas that started have stopped growing and I'm sure will wilt away as well. Any advice on why/how this happened and ways to avoid it when the rest start to bloom??

You usually only get a few layers of nanners form before the flowers stop producing. It's normal. Now, depending on if you want to look at the flower (the purple thing) everyday as an ornamental or if you prefer to have bigger fuller sweeter nanners to eat, you might lop off the flower just below the last nanner. If you haven't given them rich enough compost soil and lots of water, the bananas may be kind of lame regardless of what you do. Otherwise, just be patient. I usually like to see one turn yellow before I cut the bract. Also, you may know that the stalk will wither during the months after the fruit has been cut. Allow is to return some of the nutrients back to the rhizome, then use it as mulch. If you want bananas in other places in your yard, research how to propagate the sword sucker pups. I usually pot them up until they root out, then plant them.



-------------------------


If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.