When is a good time to harvest bananas?

Dear Mr. Garden Guy, I have a couple of questions regarding bananas. First, when is the right time to harvest them. And second, why is the flesh hard and tough, even when they are fully ripe?

Banana bunches are harvested when the fruits on the upper hands are changing from dark green to light green/yellow, and the fruit is round and plump with no obvious ribs, i.e., the angular shape becomes less prominent. Once harvested, the fruit slowly yellows and becomes fully mature. This last process may be accelerated by placing the partially ripe bananas into a paper bag with an apple or a fully ripe banana. Place the bag in a cool, dark location, not in the refrigerator. The apple or ripe banana gives off ethylene gas which is a natural plant growth regulator and causes the green bananas to quickly ripen.

Some varieties of bananas have peels that are harder or thicker than others and may seem harder to peel. However, when truly ripe, even they should be easy to peel.

I have three kinds of citrus trees in my garden: a Tahitian lime, a dwarf Myers lemon and another one which I call “Calamansi.” Others call it Mexican lime. Most people don’t know what calamansi is. What is the right name of this tree?

The calamansi or calamondin and the Mexican lime are two different trees. The Mexican lime is Citrus aurantifolia, also known as West Indian Lime and Key Lime. Other common limes have a different species, C. latifolia, and are known as the Persian, Tahiti or Bearss lime. Of interest, there are also sweet limes, Citrus limettioides, commonly referred to as Indian or Palestine sweet lime; they can be syrupy sweet.

For many years the, calamondin was grouped in the Citrus genus. It is now actually thought to be a hybrid, a cross between a tangerine (Citrus) and a kumquat (genus Fortunella) and is known as Citrofortunella. They originated from China and have been described in Chinese literature as early as 1178. The Calamondin is a small tree, 7 to 25 feet in height. The orange-colored fruit are round to oblate and up to 1 1/2 inches wide. The peel of the fruit is sweet and edible while the juice is quite acidic. Calamondins can be used to flavor anything where lemons and limes would be used. It is often served with iced tea and seafoods. They were common in Florida before limes became plentiful. Calamondins can also be preserved whole in sugar syrup, or made into sweet pickles or marmalade; a favorite here is a calamondin-papaya marmalade. It has been reported to promote hair growth when the juice is applied to the scalp after shampooing. Rubbing calamondin juice on insect bites removes the itching and irritation.

How often should my citrus trees be fertilized?

The frequency of fertilizer applications is not absolute and can vary from property to property. The general recommendation is one application a couple of weeks prior to the major bloom which usually occurs in January or February. A second application can be made in the spring, April or May; a third is applied around August/September. The first application is the most important. Adequate nitrogen needs to be in the tree during the time of its greatest demand which is during bloom. Depending upon how much nutrition exists in the soil and how much rainfall occurs, it is possible to skip the second or third application. A soil analysis is highly advised.

Hilo resident Nick Sakovich is a professor emeritus of the University of California. He has worked in the field of agriculture for 30 years. Email your questions to Sakovich at askthegardenguy@earthlink.net.