I have a banana plant which has been in the garden for about two years
but does not grow any flowers or banana fruits. Its offshoots,
however, multiply profusely. What kind of plant is this? Should I
uproot it? Or can I ever expect any fruits from it. The plant looks
like a dwarf variety. Thanks.

Hi guna-ga!

I live in tropical North Australia, and have a bit of experience with
'reluctant bananas!'

It's quite probably your banana is a dwarf banana (I have a few nice
dwarf trees, which fruit well) but whatever the variety, you ought to
be able to get some fruit off it, if your climate is warm enough.

The offshoots you refer to are technically called "suckers."  You can
easily divide your plants by digging up a sucker, severing it from the
parent plant, and replanting it elsewhere in your garden.  As you have
lots of suckers, I suggest replanting one or two (the biggest and
healthiest-looking) and removing the rest.  Your parent plant is
expending its energy growing suckers instead of fruiting.  As any new
suckers appear, cut them off.  This may encourage your parent to
produce fruit.

The most important thing to remember about bananas is they only fruit
ONCE in their lifetime.  When a banana has produced its first 'hand,'
it should be cut down, and replaced by a new sucker.

If, by some chance, your banana just isn't going to fruit, and there
are some that really won't, no matter what... chop it out.  Maybe
allow some suckers to mature, and see if they'll 'perform.'  If not,
your local nursery should have varieties proven to do well in your
area.

This site has some good advice re: feeding, irrigating, etc.

http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/banana.html

Good luck with it!

Araminty

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Request for Answer Clarification by guna-ga on 12 Nov 2002 08:50 PST

Dear Araminty-ga,
Many thanks for your answer. I will try the advice you have kindly
provided and hope for the best. meanwhile could you please comment on
the view that one my friends from India has given in regard to the
same problem. My friend seems to think that this is is MALE plant. Can
that be true? I have heard of a male variety in the case of many other
plants including papaya, dooriyan etc BUT NOT IN THE CASE OF BANANAS.
Appreciate your views. Thanks. Guna-ga

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Clarification of Answer by araminty-ga on 12 Nov 2002 14:51 PST

No, it's not something I've ever heard of!
If you refer to the page linked in my answer, and read about the
flowers, you will discover that a bananna's flower spike produces both
male and female flowers... self pollinating!
Thanks for the rating!
Araminty.

A well thought out and pratically useful answer.