Putting the new ranch plans to paper. It's been more than a year since that I let my fields go fallow. Mowing them now and soon to be tilled under. I'll be putting seeds down next week. Also, transplanting lots of lemon, kalamansi, lemon-china along the borders. I'll take pictures of my progress from now on. Have to start keeping pics as part of my paperwork for audits to move into organics.
My banana crops look really good this year. I've counted 10 bunches already and more flowers budding out. This afternoon, I trimmed out a lot of suckers. I only need the mother plant, one daughter, and maybe a granddaughter on the mat, The other suckers are just competing for nutrients from the mother plant. When new sword leaf suckers show up next week. I'll cut those out and plant them in the South-side of the ranch.
My Saba (cooking) Bananas are doing really well. I was able to harvest a bunch today. Looking forward to roasted banana tomorrow. I have to work more on my Macau, Manila, Fiji, and Williams varieties.
It's weird how many names each variety has depending on region. We have Lakatan bananas here. But it is a different Lakatan from the Philippines. The Lakatan variety we have is a cooking banana that looks like horns. The Lakatan banana from the Philippines is the Williams or Chiquita. The Manila banana is also known as Lady Fingers. These are very sweet dessert bananas. I prefer the Fiji variety better than the Manila.
Normally, I check on the banana crop once a week. When the bunches turn dark green to light green. I check them daily. When one hand in the bunch is light green. That's when I harvest it. Some farmer's say you'll need to people to harvest a bunch. Especially, if that bunch is big. I've learned over the years that you can harvest a bunch solo. You just have to know what you're doing.
I noticed that I have a lot of coconut saplings. I'm gonna pull those and replant them along the Eastern and Southern borders. These will make great living fence posts for the new cattle herd I'll acquire next year. That reminds me, I'll be putting up the new goat pen soon.
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