Question
I have loads of bananas on my tree but when will they be ripe , someone said when they plump up, but mine are sort od triangle shaped , they have not rounded out yet, but the last small hands are probably not going to develop due to the cold evenings , so I cut them off.
how will I know when they are ready to pick and when will they stop growing .
I live in hernando county florida , central fl.
thanks carol

Answer
Unlike most other fruits, the banana will develop a resemblance to normal flavor after being harvested at any time after they are as much as 2 to 3 inches long: separation from the plant causes initiation of all ripening processes. However, the greener the fruit is harvested the slower these processes will be. Few of the ripening changes proceed well in banana fruits left to ripen on the tree: starch remains high and sugar consequently lower than in fruit ripened off the tree. Bananas shipped to this country are harvested "three-fourths full". This means that three fourths of the bananas have filled out and do not have the predominant ribs on the sides of the fruit. (When a banana is green and immature it has several obvious ribs down the length of the fruit. As the banana matures the ribs become less obvious.) Bananas need exposure to a naturally occurring gas called ethylene in order to ripen properly. Homeowners can "gas" their own bananas by placing them in an airtight plastic bag with several sliced apples, which naturally emit the gas. Banana fruit can be left on the tree until temperatures of 50-53 degrees F. or lower are expected. Temperatures of 50-53 degrees F. or lower may seriously reduce the quality of fruit that is ready or nearly ready for harvest, if such temperatures continue for many hours. An ideal banana region would have no temperatures below 60 degrees F. or above 95 degrees F. and a temperature above 75 degrees F. during a considerable part of the time.

For best size and taste quality, the stem of the fruit should be harvested intact when the individual bananas of the last 揾and?(group or ring of bananas) to open have become rounded between the ridges of the fruit. Bananas which are deeply ridged when green become more rounded with less prominent ridges when physiologically mature though still green. Bananas ripen best if removed from the plant after reaching the rounded ridge maturity. Bananas will ripen slowly if left on the plant but often burst and spoil. Few of the ripening changes proceed well in banana fruits left to ripen on the tree: starch remains high while the sugar remains lower than in fruit ripened off the tree.

Separating of the stalk of bananas from the plant causes the initiation of all ripening processes. The stem should be hung in a cool, shaded place to ripen. Bananas shipped to this country are harvested "3/4 full" or when about 3/4 of full size. Bananas need exposure to a naturally occurring gas called ethylene to ripen properly. Removal of the stalk from the plant naturally causes the production of ethylene gas and ripening of the bananas. To hurry the ripening process, homeowners can 揼as?bananas by placing them in a plastic bag with a sliced apple, which naturally emits the gas. The banana ripening process begins slowly, then proceeds at a very fast rate, with most of the fruit ripening at once. Without the addition of the apple to generate ethylene gas, a stalk of bananas hanging in an air-conditioned room will ripen the first cluster within 7 to 10 days. In a little more than 2 weeks, you will need make banana pudding in order to salvage the overripe.