Ae Ae bananas

Ae Ae bananas

I saw the Ae Ae banana for the first time in the early 50's in the back yard of a University of Miami biology professor. It was about 5 feet tall and absolutely the most beautiful banana plant that I had ever seen. A tropical fruit grower had imported the plant, and the professors plant was probably the first one that the grower had given away. After I finished my education and started my practice, I joined the Rare Fruit Society and came across the grower of the Ae Ae. We became friends and in 1964 he gave me an Ae Ae. For 25 years I gave pups away(like in free). But then I realized that people that were given the banana turned around and sold them. Thus there are no longer any free bananas. One year two nursery men bought about 25 small pups at the end of summer, and lost all of them to a cold winter. Now if I sell them it is only in June through August, and only to nursery owners. One of the professional growers said that 50% of the ones that he sells die the first year. The plants that I have now are from the original plant. I have seen them for sale from $100 to $1.000 and that's with a 50% chance of failure. Last year (05) we had 3 hurricanes damage are yard and I came close to losing my Ae Aes. Enjoy the pictures.

The bud is pointing upward. Grown in full sun an high ph.

The flower is just opening

A ripening stalk, harvested hand by hand.

This is about as good as they get in the garden. summer 04

note how tall Nov. 11 07 it's better (same ladder)

Katrina damage

Fruit lost during hurricane Katrina. The lower stalk did ripen nicely.

The tall pups will grow faster but the leafy pup will be at risk in December

Cold weather did this at the end of November.

Dec 31 and the little pup is going down hill. The spear like pup is the size of the parent of 4 months ago.

trying to save from the winds of Earnesto - now a tropical storm

it's better than a freeze

Hands of Ae Ae from 1 stalk.

Recovering after a pre hurricane trim.

Jan. 17 07

Jan. 26, 07 now all of the new flowers will be male

Feb. 14, 07

April 2 07 starting to fill out

April 12 07 One of the top ones look a little yellow

May 12 07 Maybe another 2 weeks

June 5 07 the top fruit is almost ripe, maybe 3 more days

June 6 07 (in the morning) one is a little soft

July 12 07 20 feet tall, half trunk half leaves

Aug. 22 07 Look back at March 10 07 when this plant was a pup and the mother had fruit

Aug. 25 07 #1

Aug. 26 07 #2

Aug. 29 07 #2

Sept. 3 07 both stems are now showing male flowers

Dec. 2 07 six colors

Dec. 1 07 a total of 11 hands from one plant

Dec. 5 07 the last four hands were cut down

Jan. 1 08 Fruiting plants removed

April 23 May 3 08 Last summers pups growing fast

July 25 08

March 27 09

March 27 09

May 1 09

June 7 09

Aug 30 09

Aug 30 09

Sept 6 09

Sept 13 09

Sept 27 09

Oct. 4 09

Aug 30 09 This alba has some green

Aug 30 09

Sept 27 09 The best growth in 50 years

Dec. 27 09

Jan 4 10

Jan 4 10

Jan 13 09 with a week of cold weather

Jan 13 10

Home

You can see that they grow above the roof line.

Growing fast with a high % of green.

All of the female flowers have opened.

Sometime the entire stalk is harvested.

Ripe but still used as a plantain. In two days it's a sweet table banana.

Another view of Katrina damage.

The Ae Ae are recovering from Katrina, but Wilma took out the two biggest.

potassium nitrate produced more geen in the leaves

the two new leaves have the normal % of white

Oct. 8, All of the growth was lost Dec. 15

Jan.14 07 four or five months after the hurricane scare

Jan. 22 07 the last of the female flowers

Feb. 26, 07

Feb. 23 07 three cold nights 41, 51 and 41 last two days above 80

March 10 07 starting to grow faster now.

April 2 07 starting to pup (I count 6)

April 22 07 They are rounder - it's not yellow yet

May 24 07 not much change

June 5 07 we are eating from the bottom

June 6 07 5pm one is soft the other will be eaten June 7 07

June 7 07 This pup will go to 'My Ae Ae Keepers'

July 12 07 The first 2 weeks no growth then two full leaves

Aug. 24 07 #1

Aug. 26 07 #1

Aug. 29 07 #1 in the background #2

Tropical storm Noel hurt the Ae Aes but they are still up Nov. 4 07

Nov. 17 07

Dec. 1 07 ripe in a little more then three months.

Dec. 1 07 The Jan. 07 bunch took over 5 months to ripen

Dec. 5 07 it's also a big foot

Dec. 5 07 the biggest crop in 40+ years

Oct. 5 08 The 2 larger pups grew faster then the other one because

the parent had the flower stem removed.

Oct. 10 08 the alba is very large

Oct. 10 08 The alba has some green

With potassium it might get more green

March 27 09

May 1 09

June 7 09

June 12 09

June 17 09

June 19 09 fruit removed to alow the pups to grow faster

July 1 09 the pups are growing faster

Aug 2 09 There are 8 pups in two weeks after taking off 10 pups

Aug 9 09 There are 10 pups in 3 weeks after taking off 10 pups

Aug 16 09 There are 12 pups in 4 weeks

Aug 23 09 5 weeks

Aug 30 09 6 weeks

Sept 6 09 7 weeks

Sept 13 09 8 weeks

Sept 27 09 10 weeks

Oct. 4 09 11 weeks

Dec. 27 09

Jan 13 10

Jan 24 10 starting to produce new leaves

Jan 24 10

March 2 10