I just moved to Panama City, Florida. I visited a nursery, bought a Cavendish banana plant, and was told that if the fruit doesn't ripen before it gets hit by frost, I should cut the whole stalk off, then cut the stock off, up near the bananas. and stick them in a paper grocery bag, then harvest them as they ripen.

Your banana looks like Orinoco. One of the distinguishing characteristics of Orinoco is angular fruit which your picture shows. It would be better to leave them until they start to turn yellow. They taste better if ripened on the plant. The easiest way to harvest is to make a cut half way up the pseudostem so that the top half lays over at about chest height, them remove the bunch. Cut the pseudostem down to right above ground level. That particular plant has done its thing, it's time for the pups to do their thing.

Steve

Great info steve. Quick follow up question. There is already another bunch of bananas on the tree on the other side that I have been watching as well. Instead of turning yellow these other bananas on the outside kinda formed a brown scab on them. They don't look good at all. Do you know what causes this scabbing? Too much direct light? Is it natural? What should I do if I see this new bunch start to scab up?

Thanks for the knowledge
-David

Can you take another picture of the fruit of which you are speaking? Blemishes occur all the time on the fruit. Scabbing is not the way I would describe most blemishes so something might be going on. I doubt if it's too much sun since bananas love sun and almost can't get too much.

Steve

Steve or anyone else with some feedback, below is a picture of another one of my bunches that has the brown scabbing I was talking about. The bananas never turned yellow, instead they just started turning brown and not just blemishes. Let me know what your expert opinion thinks and what I may be able todo to prevent this from happening from my next bunch.

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I have never seen this before. I agree with you, it doesn't look good. Try posting that picture on www.bananas.org. It's a very active forum with some of the foremost experts on bananas in the world as members.

Steve

The way we harvest bananas in El Salvador, and personally here in California, is we cut the whole "arm" of bananas off while still green (but full grown) and hang it from a porch. The bananas begin to ripen within days of cutting. Very ornamental too! Here's a picture of our house in El Salvador and notice the huge bunch of bananas hanging on the right side of the porch close to the near corner! Delicious!

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I have bananas on four different trees. Some have two rows of bananas. When should I cut them off the tree. One of the stalks, has the red bud (which they start from) almost gone, the other 3 still have the bloom hanging on. I live in the Florida Panhandle, and need some help with when to pick the buches, as this is the first banana trees we have ever had to produce fruit. Many new sprigs have come up all around the trees, should they be pruned back, or can they be dug up and replanted? I am new at this so please someone help. I understand after they fruit, that particular tree will die, when should we cut it back?

Leave the bananas on the plant until they start to ripen, or turn yellow. As long as there is no chance of frost, you're in good shape. You can remove the hand that is turning yellow (ripening) or you can cut the whole bunch off and let it ripen on a table. Once you've harvested the bananas, that particular pseudostem has done its deal so you can cut it down. Leave the pups attached; those are your next generation of fruit producing banana plants. A lot of people manage the mat of bananas by keeping about 3 plants growing in the mat of varying heights. The rest of the pups are removed and either thrown away, given away, or planted elsewhere. It takes 4 to 6 months for bananas to ripen once they begin to appear. If yours are not ripe by the first freeze, cut them off and hope they are far enough along in the maturity process to ripen into sweet tasting fruit.

Steve