Re: tissue versus corm or pups
There is good and bad ways of doing things. If you torture or kill the pup/corm then it for sure will not compete with the TC. If you do the same to the TC it will not compete with the pup.
All I can go by is the way I have done them. I have had experience with lots of TCs and lots of pups. I can't count how many I have flowered and fruited (turned yellow on the bunch). Maybe my TC way sucks and my pup way is the best who knows. I'm just going by what I do and see.
When you get a pup through the mail is also different than removing a pup on location. Also the way you plant and handle that pup matters a lot. I'm not saying CharlieM is wrong or lieing I am saying he was either sent a bad pup or grew it wrong. The rootball and soil contact with roots I believe is very import and makes a big difference when transplanting bananas from anywhere and to anywhere.
Here is how I do my pups.
Pup is dug or received.
1. Does pup have roots or is corm clean. If rooted with good roots skip to 2. If clean and rootless or rooted with black overwatered roots I cut them all off and it goes into course sand for about 1-2 weeks. After you see 2-3" long white roots anywhere on the corm it goes to potting.
2. Plant pup into a pot only slightly larger than the corm. Not a large pot! Usually a 3 gal shallow is perfect. Mix good potting soil with 50% perlite. Plant the corm.
3. Leaves. If there are leaves I cut all but newest leaf off. (Same before rooting in sand also)
4. Put in full shade and out of the weather (rain). Only water once per week for 2 weeks the. Double to twice per week and start moving into sun as new leaf growth starts.
5. Wait until at lest 3 new leaves push out fully to transplant into the ground. By this time you will have an ok rootball. Nothing major but good enough. Stop watering and let plant completely dry out (week or little more)
6. Transplant only when the plant is totally dry. So dry there is a gap around the top of the pot and soil. Carefully pull out of pot. Be very careful not to disturb the rootball. Sit it into the whole and backfill. Plant an inch shallow so there is plenty room for mulch and topfill the first year.
7. Water in very well and do not pack soil in around the plant. Bananas love loose fluffy soil. After good watering do not water again for 1 week.
If done correctly after the new pup pushes its first leaf (week 3 on average) through the transplant it should keep growing and never pause growth again.
Now everyone has my perfected over the years method. Patent pending haha. And I would also be happy to expand on any part of my method. Just PM me.
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