First of all, congratulations for the fruiting of your ice cream. I have had mine for 3 years now and it's doing nothing for me. One thing I've learned about bananas--when they want to fruit, they will fruit. Sometimes bananas will fruit when they go through a shock or a stress like sudden change in weather. Maybe your removing the leaves kind of sends forth a message that it's survival is being threatened, so it's going to do it's swan song ... ok that's just my theory :) Whatever it is, I were you, I would leave whatever leaves left intact.

With regards to how soon the bananas will ripe, I'm guessing 3-4 months if not longer. Some people here suggest writing the date on the trunk on the day it blooms. As for me, I usually pull out my camera and snap a picture. That way, I can always go back to my computer to check the date it first bloomed. I also go to check on the bananas regularly to see its development and toward the end of 3-4 months period, I will take a closer look at it to check for signs of riping. If the weather gets down too cold, sometimes I would cut it down even if it's not quite ready to prevent from freeze damage. Bananas will continue to ripe when it's being hung up in a dry and room temperatured place.

As to your concerns whether to throw in some fertilizer to your fruiting banana, I'm having the same question. In the end, I've decided not to because fertilizer is supposed to help the growth of the plant. To me, since the plant isn't producing any more leaves, there's no point in fertilizing, but of course I might be totally wrong here. So, I hope others here might have the correct answer for you.

As with your rats problem, I can understand your plight. I had the same problem when one of my bananas was fruiting. I solved the problem by setting up a rat trap. One fat rat got trapped and end of the story. If there are more rats, then set up multiple traps until they're all gone.

I don't know if this helps and I hope your ice cream will produce some yummy fruit for you soon.

In production fields they put a plastic bag with small holes in it over the fruit to keep insects and varmints from getting to the fruit. just make sure you tie it loosely at the top so it doesn't cut into the stem.

Thanks for the responses! I know comparing bananas to avocados is worse than comparing apples and oranges, but I've found that I get vile tasting, rubbery, cardboard avocados if I don't fertilize the tree while it's producing avocados, so I'm still fertilizing the banana tree, just in case. Plus the lack of leaves has me a bit concerned, but it really does look healthy, if not a bit haphazard.

Cowboyup, is there any issue with the bananas getting too hot in a plastic bag with the direct sun on it?

Sonja

Congrats on your fruit! It is always a thrill to see that bloom. I am always amazed at how quickly the hands develop.

We have rats. They nest in the bananas and only start eating them when they bananas start to ripen up. They only eat a few of the 100's you will get. I don't try to control them since they are not too big of a problem. It is just gross, but we wash the fruit we take in well.

I don't give them any more fertilizer when they are fruiting than at any other time of year. But I don't think it will hurt them, they will make healthy pups.

Ice cream bananas take a long time to ripen (at least they did for me!). They taste best when they look a little over-ripe. But you can't wait for them all to get that way or you will be eating a lot of bananas that week!