QuestionHouston:Will bananas ripen on the tree or should I remove them while still green?
AnswerI would leave them on the tree as long as possible depending on the temperature. According to the Texas A&M PlantAnswer web site.
"Unlike most other fruits, the banana will develop a resemblance to normal flavor after being harvested at any time after they are as much as 2 to 3 inches long: separation from the plant causes initiation of all ripening processes. However, the greener the fruit is harvested the slower these processes will be. Few of the ripening changes proceed well in banana fruits left to ripen on the tree: starch remains high and sugar consequently lower than in fruit ripened off the tree. Bananas shipped to this country are harvested "three-fourths full". This means that three fourths of the bananas have filled out and do not have the predominant ribs on the sides of the fruit. (When a banana is green and immature it has several obvious ribs down the length of the fruit. As the banana matures the ribs become less obvious.) Bananas need exposure to a naturally occurring gas called ethylene in order to ripen properly. Homeowners can "gas" their own bananas by placing them in an airtight plastic bag with several apples, which naturally emit the gas. Banana fruit can be left on the tree until temperatures of 50-53 degrees F. or lower are expected. Temperatures of 50-53 degrees F. or lower may seriously reduce the quality of fruit that is ready or nearly ready for harvest, if such temperatures continue for many hours. An ideal banana region would have no temperatures below 60 degrees F. or above 95 degrees F. and a temperature above 75 degrees F. during a considerable part of the time."
