I have a banana tree that produced fruit for the first time last year. I live in Southern Missouri and always cut the leaves off and bring them in for storage for the winter. Last month, I planted this particular one back outside as usual, but it is not growing any new leaves from the top of the trunk, but it is growing "pups" from the bottom of the trunk. My other banana trees are producing new leaves from the top. My question is, once they produce fruit, do they not grow again when the leaves are cut off? The trunk is about 5 1/2 feet tall. Thanks for your help.

Once a banana flowers and fruits, it's basically bye bye time, thats why they have "pups", to replace themselves. I must admit that when my 1st musa basjoo hit 12' and flowered I was gutted. But its little clump of pups are doing very nicely thankyou so I'm happy again.

Thanks for the reply. That's what I was afraid I was going to hear. So, now all I can do is dig it up and separate the pups to replant? Or do I leave it as it is? Thanks again.

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Debbie

Leave it as it is, as the mature flowered stem dies away, its refuse will be feeding the others that are growing. G'luck !

I am new to Bananas also and I would like to know, how long does it take to get fruit from bananas and how long does it take to get 10'-12' high. My banana is only about 3' high now.

Do you know what variety of banana you have? Different kinds grow taller at different rates. For example, a dwarf banana variety won't get as tall as other varieties would.

I don't know what variety I have. I bought my tree at Lowe's and it just says banana tree, nothing else. Can someone help me???

I know this reply is a little late but I have had my 6 banana trees for 5 years but only one has reached the height of 10' all the other ones are about 6'-7' high. The 10' one is just now producing fruit. I am so excited!

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SANDI

It took me 5 years of setting it out every spring and bringing it in every winter to produce fruit and to reach that height.

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Debbie

So what happens if the banana flowers but never fruits? I live in Northern California (Marin Co.) and we have a 3-4 year old banana tree which has been thriving until it recently grew an enormous flower. It started to flower in the Fall but nothing happened after months of waiting (and some frosty winter night) so we cut the flower back down to the base of its stalk a couple of months ago. the entire tree seemed to go dormant and wasn't growing new leaves so we thought that it was putting its energy into the flower. Now that the flower is gone, nothing is happening and we're wondering if the plant is going to survive? Does this mean we need to cut the trunk down and start over? I haven't seen any pups coming up either.

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Once a stalk begins to produce a flower, that stalk will never produce any more leaves. It doesn't matter whether you cut the flower off or leave it - that stalk simply doesn't have any more 'baby' leaves in it to send up. The plant may send side shoots up from the base, but the main stalk is not going to grow any more.

Thanks for the info. I guess we need to wait to see if any shoots come up or remove the trunk and replant. I a little disappointed because it was a beautiful big tree and was just hoping the tree would have lasted longer than that. But now I know. Thanks! :)

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