I have a Dwaf Cavandish banana that I planted in the ground in June of 2005. It's about 8' high and has bananas on it. How long until the banans ripen? Should I cover the Bananas to protect them from the cold. It is getting down to low 40's at night. How big will the bananas get? Also it has several pups. Do I wait until I pick the bananas and the plant goes dorment to separate the pups? Is it better to grown a Dwarf Banana in a container? Thanks. LindaS

If your pups are at least 12" above the soil level then you should remove them from the mother. The reason for this is because if you allow the pups to stay you will not get a healthy high yield of fruit because half of the mothers energy will go towards the pups. Also depending on the zone you are in, you do not want the mother to be exposed to temperatures of 32 degrees and lower as this will kill off the mother. I am currently growing three dwarf cavendish in a container indoors so I do not have the temperature issue. As far as when you should pick the fruit there really is no specific time frame to wait due to the fact that banana plants grow differently depending on the conditions they are exposed too. Best of luck to you, and congratulations on the pups and fruit. :-)