Backyard Basics

Yes, you may have some bananas

By SYDNEY PARK BROWN

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 15, 2000

Question: I am new to the area and have a banana tree in the yard. It was full of fruit, but the bunch of bananas fell to the ground during a windstorm. There are close to 60 large, unripe bananas in the bunch. Is there anything I can do to ripen this fruit? -- K. Stultz, e-mail.

Answer: Bananas are usually harvested when they are plump, but before they begin to turn yellow, so you may be in luck. Hang the bunch in a cool, shaded area. Commercial producers ripen them at temperatures between 62 and 68 degrees and 95 percent to 98 percent humidity. Ripening can be hastened by covering the bunch with a plastic bag.

Help for ailing Sago palms

Question: I need information about what is happening to some of the sago palms in our area. I noticed round yellow spots on them, and the fronds turn a rust color and dry up. Is something killing them, or do they need some sort of treatment to bring them back? -- E. Weisman, e-mail.

Answer: If the yellow spots and browning leaves are occurring on the newest (upper) fronds of your sago, the problem is a manganese deficiency. This is easily corrected by applying manganese sulfate to the soil, to the fronds, or both. Apply one-half to 3 pounds of manganese sulfate (depending on the size of your plant) to the soil and water it in. The problem should correct itself within the next six months. If this deficiency reoccurs, you can also spray the foliage with a solution of manganese sulfate (1 teaspoon of manganese sulfate in a gallon of water). Spray once a month for three months. A caution: Be sure to purchase manganese sulfate -- not to be confused with magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts).

Don't expect much from citrus tree

Question: In my yard I have a grapefruit tree that we started from a seedling about seven or eight years ago. The tree is about 10 feet tall now, but we have never had any fruit from it. It is very thorny. Are there any trees that just don't produce fruit? If we planted another kind of citrus tree right next to it, would that help pollinate it? -- A. Clark, Dunedin.

Answer: No, planting another tree will not help your current tree. Seed-grown citrus trees are a big "if." You never know what the genetic mix is (for example, what the fruit will taste like), and they take 10 years or longer to produce. That is why citrus trees are budded or grafted. You then know exactly which kind of citrus you have, and budded trees begin producing when they are 3 to 4 years old. Yes, plant another tree (a store-bought, budded tree), and cut down the other one, unless you have lots of room and patience.

Rid your compost of critters

Question: I have been composting grass clippings, leaves and other yard materials for several years. I put the materials in a round chicken wire container. One of the problems I have been having is keeping grubs and ants out of the pile. Is there any non-toxic way of discouraging these little beasts from living there? -- J. Endrizzi, e-mail.

Answer: The only way to keep the "little beasts" out of your compost pile is to "actively" compost. Routinely turning and watering the pile will discourage them . . . and it will accelerate the composting process. Of course, it's a lot of work. So if you prefer to compost "passively," you will need to tolerate the critters, but remember they actually help the composting process by aerating and decomposing the pile.

-- Sydney Park Brown is an urban horticulturist with the Hillsborough County Cooperative Extension Service. Send questions to her at 5339 S County Road 579, Seffner, FL 33584-3334 or by e-mail at spb@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu.

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