How bananas grow continues to intrigue me. I did a search so I could use the correct names for each part of the banana flower but unsuccessful – even though I learned a whole lot. So without correct botanical names, I love how bananas grow from very tiny stamens (?) under the large purple petals (?). What I did find out is that these baby bananas are the female flowers. I have been told that there are bananas ripening outside my kitchen window in Florida – just waiting for us to arrive. We have had a hard time learning how to best get them to ripen, so I would like to get there to try putting an apple with them in a brown paper bag. It seems like apples give off a gas that promotes ripening.
This post is brought to you by Becky’s “SquareUp” photography challenge for January.
Love the photo! I had a banana tree in Tampa once upon a time and could never get the bananas to ripen either but I never took the time to figure out why. I do know now that bananas perform best in moist fertile soil. Florida has such a sandy soil which means they have to be fertilized many times a year. Here is an article put out by the University of Florida that might help. I guess you would need to know the variety of your tree too. 🙂 Hope this helps!
https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/edibles/fruits/bananas.html#:~:text=Bananas%20will%20perform%20best%20when,high%20growth%20and%20production%20rates.
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Thanks, Lisa. I will check it out.
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🙂
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Back in the Philippines we use banana flowers for different sorts of dishes.
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Interesting, Teresa. Thanks for another piece of info.
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Ooh! Fresh bananas sound great! Nice picture. Thanks for sharing the information with us.
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My pleasure. Thanks for visiting.
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The ones we have here in Savannah, stay small and the trees get tall
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Mine stay small, but the trees are short.
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Hmm…you may find this interesting about what’s happening to bananas: https://www.bbc.com/future/bespoke/follow-the-food/the-pandemic-threatening-bananas.html#:~:text=The%20banana%20equivalent%20to%20Covid,even%20how%20it%20could%20taste.&text=Akiller%20disease%20turns%20up,spreading%20before%20symptoms%20even%20show.
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Thanks, I had read about TR4 but this article covered it more thoroughly.
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The flowers are amazing! I thought they ripened naturally? I know the ones I buy locally ripen fast even if they’re very green when I buy them. I believe you have to keep them away from other fruits because they hasten the ripening. Or have I got it all wrong? 😦 😦
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I am finding that the ones growing outside, ripening naturally are different then the ones we buy. I read that the ones we buy have been transported and stored in special environment and treated I believe treated with gases to keep them from ripening too fast. The ones that are growing in Florida are very slow to ripen and once they start getting a little yellow they are getting over-ripe for our tastes. A light green banana is at peak.
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🤣💕
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Who would have guessed this about bananas!
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Until 10 years ago that I couldn’t have guessed. That is why I find them so fascinating.
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Bananas are fascinating plants. I had not realised there were as many different kinds as there are until quite recently.
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How exciting to be able to pick your own bananas. I have never lived anywhere i could, although I have been hiking in Madeira and been able to pick them as we walked
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It is exciting – until a whole, big hand gets ripe on the same day. The only thing you can do the next day is make a boat-load of banana bread. 🙂
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Ahhh!
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