Topic: Is Ethylene a Health Hazard?

[MagpieDi]

Four plants in conservatory, still growing strong, very healthy, over 30 fruits on each, however ...........




.............. only ONE red one despite being surrounded by an ever increasing pile of over-ripe bananas !!!  ::)  


1) Do I carry on with the banana treatment indefinitely ?
2) Will the seed saved from the green fruit be viable ?
3) Can I pickle them ?
4) Will the ethylene have a detrimental effect on my precious orchids ? ( or me even !  ;D )

Many thanks
Di

[john_miller]

1) No, as ambient temperatures decrease the effectiveness of ethylene decreases (you are inducing temperature dependent chemical changes).
2)No
3)Not my forte, I dry all mine from green although many turn red as they dry.
4)It will accelerate flowering, is that detrimental? Unless you are planning on flowering then excessive ethylene is detrimental to you, although a few bananas won't come anywhere near to toxic levels. Is you conservatory very airtight? As temperatures and daylight decrease you may also be running into problems with too many fruits vying for diminishing quantities of manufactured and absorbed nutrients as physiological processes slow down.

[tim]

Yes, as I always understood it, you need heat for the hot things.

Better get one of these??

http://www.catalyticgenerators.com/easgen.html  = Tim

[Mrs Ava]

Following on from Ina's lovely chilli's, here are mine.
 I still have a dozen plants in the conservatory all weighed down with green peppers, so fingers crossed a couple of bright sunny days will help them turn.

[MagpieDi]

Many thanks John.

1) Sorry, forgot to mention con is heated with radiators on household system.
2) Shame, as I love to share seed !!
3) Found a pickling recipe ( from jar of Jalapenos  :) )
4) Decided to compromise, and give 3 plants away, then experiment with t'other. Also have 2 aubergine plants to accommodate over the winter!  ::) Oh, and a huge Musa !!  ;D

Just curious, any idea at what stage the rotting bananas stop producing ethylene? ( i.e when do I replace with fresh ones? )

Tim, great idea, shame about the size!!

EJ , those look scrumptious, and soooo ripe !!  ;D  ;D

[Doris_Pinks]

Di mine are finally on the turn! But have noticed a bigger problem yesterday, aphids!! So to the compost heap they go I fear, as the little darlings are moving onto my orchids :o  (far too many to swish by hand!)

[aquilegia]

I believe that if you orchids are flowering, the ethylene will make them flower for a shorter time.

Re the aphids - I found that if you carefully run the affected leaves under water they wash off most of the little b*****s. I put a plastic bag over the pot to keep the compost in and carefully angle the plant under a slow running tap.

[Doris_Pinks]

Thanks for that Aqui, have been hand squishing so far, much to the disgust of the family! (I dunno whats wrong with them, making pastry gets them out from under your nails! ;)) So will give your way a go if I get time today. DP

[philcooper]

Or try a weak soap solution
Phil

[Doris_Pinks]

Thanks Phil, presume you mean pure soap and not washing up liquid! ;D I am a bit protective about my orchids!

[philcooper]

DP,

Yes, either soap flaoks or soft soap

Phil

[Doris_Pinks]

Thanks Phil!

[MagpieDi]

Getting there !!............only another 20 odd to go !  ::)  





Figured maybe the ethylene is at it's optimum when the bananas are pitch black and totally yucky !!  

[Ceratonia]

Although it works on many other things, I'm pretty sure Ethylene has no effect on ripening of Chilis. I'm sure I read that somewhere. Interested to hear if anyone knows different.

[MagpieDi]

Ah ! Interesting Ceratonia. Maybe John or Hugh could shed some light ?

The ripening has definitely speeded up in the past 2 weeks, but maybe it's just the bit of extra warmth, rather than the pile of black bananas ?  

Over to the experts........please, I'm curious !  ;D

[Hugh_Jones]

I suppose it`s all a matter of whether you`re an optimist or a pessimist. The effects of ethylene in chilli ripening have not yet been fully decided one way or another, but the balance is rather against than for.

Gross & Others in 1986 formed the opinion that some types of chilli (unfortunately non-specified) produced increasing amounts of ethylene as they went through the later colour changes and that ethylene would speed ripening in these types, but Kader in 1992 came down heavily against, concluding that chillis generally are non-climacteric, i.e. that they do not undergo any increase in  metabolism or ethylene production as they ripen.

So if you`re an optimist you go with the Gross report, and if you`re a pessimist you follow Kader.

Certainly ethylene will make no effective difference to ripening post harvest. In fact fruits picked before ripening will never fully attain the red-ripe colour whatever methods are used, although, of course, they are fully kitchen-worthy.

However, Di, before you throw your banana skins away in disgust you may like to consider the proposition that chopped up, and added to the compost, they have been known to induce flowering in some of the more reluctant varieties of orchid.

[MagpieDi]

Thanks for that Hugh. Looking out on the garden today, I've just GOT to be an optimist!!  ;D

Will try the compost additive. Hope it's more effective than the tip I was once given by a member of the Sheffield Orchid Society ! He advised leaving my cymbidium ( which I had treasured and nurtured for several years ) outside in late autumn to get frosted, as that would spur it into flowering! Well, sad to say, it never recovered from the shock!  ::) To be fair, I s'pose there are varying degrees of frost !!  ;D

[Hugh_Jones]

Well, we only brought ours in today after carefully brushing the snow off them.

[MagpieDi]

OK, so there are varying degrees of neglect also!!  ;D  Maybe it did have to endure living outside a bit longer than was advised !  ::)

[Hugh_Jones]

But I forgot about the standard fuchsias, which are still standing ouside in their tubs, covered in snow, waiting for me to rescue them tomorrow - and it`s very much fingers crossed.