Fruit Tree

Stage 1: Root Growth

Banana plants grow from rhizomes -- fleshy roots under the soil. From the bottom of the rhizomes, long feeder roots extend as deep and as wide as 5 feet. New shoots grow from the top of the rhizomes and grow into banana plants. A single rhizome will grow into a full banana plant. As the plant develops, new rhizomes and shoots form around the base. Unless rhizomes are removed manually, multiple banana plants grow from the root area.

Stage 2: Early Development

New plants can be grown from rhizomes or from shoots. Shoots are new plants between 5 and 12 inches tall while the rhizome is just the fleshy root part. During the first part of the growth stage, banana plants produce multiple leaves that grow out of the center of the plant. The leaves emerge tightly wrapped in long sheaths 36 inches or longer before unfurling. A banana plant produces 26 to 32 leaves before flowering.

Stage 3: Fruit Production

Ten to 17 months after planting, a banana will produce a single flower stalk. The flower stalk grows from the center of the leaves and is 1 to 2 inches in diameter. The flower is an inflorescence consisting of multiple small flowers covered by a set of large, leathery purple petals. As the inflorescence matures, the petals curl back exposing multiple white flowers followed by clusters of green developing bananas. As the bananas develop, the petals and flowers fall.

Stage 4: Fruit Harvest and Plant Removal

Once a banana plant produces the single flower and cluster of fruit, the plant dies back. Bananas are removed from the plant while still green for ripening. At this point, the banana plant can be cut at the soil line and removed or allowed to die naturally. If you want new plants to spring up where the old plant was, be careful not to damage the shoots developing around the base. To remove the banana plants from the area, dig up all the rhizomes or they will keep coming back.

Stage 1: Maturation

Once root growth commences, plant growth begins in earnest for both seedlings and runner plants. This allows all parts of the strawberry plant to grow and mature. The runner plants have a distinct advantage over seedlings. They start out larger and have a more fully formed support system providing the energy needed for development. In the process of growing, the plants will have sent forth roots and produced a canopy of photosynthesizing tri-lobed leaflets .Both roots and leaves extend from the hub of the strawberry plant, the crown.

Stage 2: Multiplication & Expansion

Once the plants have matured, they are ready to multiply and expand. They do this by means of the runner plants that have already been mentioned. The runners (stolons) are usually between 8 and 18 inches long, depending on the strawberry variety.

Life Cycle of Strawberry Plants: Seeds

During the late summer and early fall, strawberry plants begin forming flower buds within their crowns. During this period, adequate water, light, and nutrients are critical. The flower buds form prior to winter and then move into dormancy as the temperature drops. When temperatures again warm in late winter or early spring, the plants revive and immediately begin the transformation of the flower buds into flowers sitting atop stalks. These flowers, like most flowers, are then pollinated by insects and other pollinators. The result of pollination is a large mass of (usually red) accessory tissue studded with individual seed-containing fruits.

Life Span

The life arc of strawberries begins with the establishment of a new plant, peaks two to three years later, and then proceeds toward senescence and death two to three years following its peak. Under ideal conditions, a strawberry plant can live up to 5-6 years. After 3 productive years, however, they usually begin to loss of vigor, and the production of strawberries begins to decline rapidly.

Stage 1: Germination

The first stage of watermelon growth occurs when seeds are placed in the soil. When soil temperatures exceed 65 degrees Fahrenheit, bury the seed a depth of four times its width. Once planted you can see the growth of the stems and roots. In three to twelve days, the hypocotyl pushes the first two leaves, or embryonic leaves, above the surface of the soil.

Stage 2: Vining

Five to ten days after germination, the first set of true leaves emerge from the stem. These leaves are capable of photosynthesis. A vine of about 1 foot long grows out and large lobed leaves begin to form. This runner will continue to grow until it reaches about 12 feet in length. About one month after a watermelon plant sends out its first vine, several more vines will begin to grow. Leaves form on all the vines and begin to grow larger. Provide watermelon seedlings with one to two inches of water per week.

Stage 3:Flowering

About two weeks after a plant sends out most of its runners, watermelon produces male and female flowers. The male flowers develop first. They provide pollen, but do not produce fruit. The female flowers form shortly after the male flowers. Watermelon flowers only last for one day so there must be an adequate number of bees and other pollinators in the area when the flowers are viable.

Stage 4:Fruiting

Once pollinated, female watermelon flowers begin to produce fruit. Tiny green balls begin to swell beneath the blossoms. Once the watermelon plants begin to fruit, provide at least one inch of water per week until harvest.

Depending on the watermelon variety, the fruit takes up to one month to fully mature. It can be difficult to know when the melons are fully ripe, especially at the beginning of the season. Some signs are the tendrils on the vine changing from green to brown, the spot on the ground where the melon lay changes from white to yellow and the sound made when you thump the watermelon changes to a hollow sound.

The fruits are large in size, round in shape, smooth skinned and yellowish white. The flesh is white, firm, soft having pleasant flavor, high soluble solids and vitamin C content. It can withstand drought conditions. Its fruits are large, roundish, ovate in shape, yellow and white pulp, very sweet and tasty. The total soluble solids and vitamin C are high. Plant is vigorous.

Guava Planting

The guava planting should be done in pits of 1m x 1m x 1m size and soil during rainy season (July-August) or in spring (February-March) at a distance of 6m x 6m.

Propagation and Rootstock of Guava

Guava plants grown directly from seed give poor fruit yield and quality, and come into bearing late. Seeds should be used for rootstock rising. Subsequently, inarching or budding (patch or shield) can be done for propagation. In recent times, stooling has been found cheapest and easiest method of propagation. As seeds loose viability after extraction, they should be sown immediately. Soaking of seeds in water for 12 hours gives about 90 per cent germination. Time of guava propagation is Feb-March and July-August.

Training and Pruning

The plant should be trained to a low-headed system of open center or delayed open center keeping scaffold limbs having wide crotch angles. Pruning is not generally required every year; however, terminal shoots may be headed back to stop overcrowding of trees.