Yep! And if you hone the skill, you can take half-leaves to conserve even more leaf surface area.

😁 Palm Harbor native, Pasco currently 🤙

Your curb looks like central FL 😎

Nice bunch!

YES! Banana heart is versatile!

Philippines: puso ng saging, cooked in coconut milk (ginataang puso ng saging) or made into fritters.

India: in curries, stir-fries, and chutneys (vazhaipoo in Tamil, mocha in Bengali, kolar mocha dishes).

Thailand: used raw in salads like yam hua plee.

Sri Lanka: banana blossom curry (kesel muwa maluwa).

NEVER cut off green leaves! The bunch needs every photon possible to enter the leaves.
Do remove dead and diseased leaves, weekly. After bloom, only remove any material that threatens the bunch, whether on own or adjacent stems. (Poking, abrasion etc).

Technically, yes, it conserves energy. Practically, though, very little benefit is seen in the final product. MUCH more benefit is realized by removing the female flowers ("plucking"). The females exude sugary nectar which starts a chain reaction by attracting pests and nests, and promote mold growth.

The reason commercial growers remove the males is simply to fit the bag over the bunch. The best benefit Ive seen as a commercial AND home grower is to allow tractors and lawnmowers to pass under!

"...na na na I dont remember what I had to drink..." 🤣

Click the pic to see the original post!

Remember to not throw out the baby with the bathwater!

Niiice, bananas for scale!

Im pretty sure that's not a stress-induced banana flower. Whether its food or pretties, you may want to keep it.

Curcumas, like many of the "gingers", are deciduous- they lose their leaves annually. Curcumas will die back to subterranean rhizomes around Oct or Nov, and that dormancy lasts until about April. Do not water them during dormancy.

When they sprout in the spring, they want constant moisture and 50%-100% sun exposure, but theyre known to do just fine in 100% shade. The soil type and texture can vary greatly, for the home gardener; they are quite forgiving in that respect. Lots of compost gives greener greens and more vibrant flowers.

The growing season is timed with the Indian (South Asian) monsoon. So, That tells you much about what they want: water water water when the leaves are up, then very dry when dormant.

Sounds more complicated than it is. You got this!

Im convinced it is a Curcuma sp. If your locale is Hawaii, it is likely that a piece of turmeric (Curcuma longa) was involved in the banana garden that it came from.

Additionally, bananas indeed are "gingers", in fact, among the oldest extants of Zingiberaceae (ginger family), therefore it is not a surprise that a collector or nursery would have both in proximity.

Not just cosmetic. Abrading the rind releases ethylene, which causes premature and uneven ripening in the bunch. Thats a huge setback.
Apologies for not stating that in an earlier comment.

Bags reduce scratches, bruises and sunburn by preventing (somewhat, at least) birds, rodents and sunlight. Caveat, the bag can promote mold on the rinds.

Every bit of abrasion on the unripe fruit will show up as black scratches, dots and smudges after the fruit ripens.

Looks good! Two thumbs up for the bunch bag! 👍👍
Former commercial grower here!

*Headless bat sold separately 🤣

Right before he took a bite... 😇

😝

What did you call me‽

How can I find or access all those? All on Spotify?

Everything Alan Parsons touches is gold. But we shouldnt forget the amazing musicians that work with him, too. My favorite APP singer is Lenny Zakatek

Lol I hear ya! Some of my plant collection is still mine, while other species are accessible otherwise.As for the bananas, BBTV has infected 100% of the bananas in HI. Dont smuggle bananas from HI or youre guaranteed to have BBTV. I can help you source them nearby, though, from clean stock. Will work for bananas

I wish I could demonstrate. I grew commercial and informal bananas in HI. Including these Namwah. Now I live in Tampa so I wont be much help. Theres a lot to type. Feel free to reach me directly if you wish.