Question
I am from Shreveport, La. and I love tropical plants.  I cut my banana plant back to the last leaf (about 5ft) after a heavy frost last year. It came up through the center and now has a bloom/bud. I have seen banana trees with banana stalks in Hawaii.  Will mine have time to make? It hasnt opened totally yet and I can't wait to see it progress.
thanks.

Answer
Hi Debbie, good news and bad news, yes you will get a bunch to develop from that inflorescence; the bad news is that it is developing on a cold stressed plant, let me explain, when it was stung by the frost last winter, that immediately set into place a sub standard bunch (if one even developed); now the bunch that forms will probably be about 5 lbs of finger size bananas, which is cool! just don't expect what you see growing on plants from Brazil, Ecuador or Hawaii, those grew under optimum conditions weather wise. Once the pod  opens and exposes  the finger bananas and as we progress through the summer, you will see all the "hands" open and then you will have the "bud" hang down, when this happens, you cut that red bud off (to alleviate unnecessary weight) and then wait for the fruit to "plump out", meaning the bananas themselves will gradually begin to swell (after they have reached their length), when about 2 months go by, they will have swelled as thick as they are going to, at this point, you cut the bunch off the plant (still green mind you..) and hang them in your shed, garage, laundry room etc. somewhere out of the sun and cool, they will turn yellow and ripen in about 2 weeks after you do this; be certain that you hang them inverted, reverse of how they were growing on the plant, reason being, is if you don't and they ripen before you can use them, gravity will peel them off the bunch and they will fall to the floor. good luck and good for you for getting a bunch to develop, many people can't!...regards Nick