Quote:
Originally Posted by JoeReal
I hate to disagree with jeffrey, but I still have yet to see the tc plugs grow and bloom as fast as the average pups that I get from exchanges.
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I know this is an older message, but I was reviewing the thread as it has been brought up again and what Jeff P suggests (that TC plants can grow as fast as corms) is backed up by considerable research. In fact, on commercial plantation, TC plant materials fruit faster and more uniformly than traditional propagules. I just keep seeing the opposite reported repeatedly as fact and there is more at work here than a simple TC bananas are not as fast as corm raised bananas issue.
It think the issue is one of how close to ideal a situation one is in in terms of banana climate. Corms tolerate more abuse because they have reserves, but they do not have an intact root system. This is important if the plants are shipped well and cared for properly. When that is the case, TC plants have a slight edge. It think the big thing is not to treat a TC plantlet like a corm, they are a different beast.
TC bananas go through more than they should for proper growth because people have to get them through retailers instead of the source as would any commercial banana nursery. Your mention of Don and Katie's stuff supports this as they likly keep the plantlets in a very stable environment for some time prio to shipping. How many ebay sellers do that? Not to many, most keep the plants crowded and poorly feed, sending lanky light and nitrogen strved plants that are easily damaged in the mail and who don't tolerate being planted out.
The booklet "Post-Flask Management of Tissue-cultured Bananas" is a decent read.
Keith