How to Cut Banana Tree Stalks

Although often called trees, bananas are large herbaceous perennials with trunk-like stems. Bananas aren't trees because they lack bark, an underlying cambium layer and there's no soft- or heartwood. Cutting off banana leaves, clusters of fruits or the large stem-stalks is easiest if you have a large, sturdy, sharp cutting blade. Hand pruners and saws may work, but the slimy sap and fibers make the job much more labor-intensive and treacherous. Always exercise extreme caution when cutting with any sharp blade. A kitchen knife that is large and strong enough to cut through a watermelon is generally also appropriate for cutting into banana stalks. If the handle is flimsy or doesn't feel snug or comfortable in your grasp, however, don't use it when cutting a banana stalk.

Thick fabric or leather gloves
Bypass or hand pruners
Large, long-bladed kitchen knife (pruning saw optional alternative)

Instructions

- 1
  Clip off any lingering low-hanging leaves on the stalk so you have an unimpeded view of it. Remove the leaves by cutting their stems with a bypass pruners. Move the leaves out of the way so you do not trip or lose your footing as you tackle removing the plant stalk.
- 2
  Put on thick leather or fabric gloves. The gloves help prevent any minor hand scrapes or prickling that may distract you while you are wielding a large knife. The gloves also ensure excellent grip, traction and control of the knife once sap wets the cutting blade and potentially smears onto the grip handle.
- 3
  Kneel down and forcefully push and/or saw the knife blade into the base of the stalk to fully sever the stalk and interior fibers. Make the cut as low on the stalk as possible and that you are comfortably with from a safety standpoint. You may use a pruning saw instead, but the blade must be frequently removed and cleaned of slimy fibers that clog the teeth. Make sure you aren't cutting into nearby healthy stalks with the toothed blade that juts out as you saw.
- 4
  Exert more pressure onto the banana stalk with your free arm to begin to snap and open up the wound slit. Once the knife or saw cuts through at least 50 percent of the stalk, it becomes much easier to saw and cut the rest of the attached tissues from either side of the cutting wound slit.

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