Quote:
Originally Posted by R00ter
Pruning the leaves should be done as the other member stated earlier, after it turns brown. That way you've allowed the banana plant to remove all the mobil nutrients before its hormones signal cell death in the old leaves. Something that was made very clear to me, while taking Plant Physiology and Arboriculture at UF, was the more leaves on a plant, the faster it can grow, and the more caliper will be increased.
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I'm just a farmer and it's real nice to read posts from members with a formal plant education. My main research is focused on growing bananas quickly and maximizing yield.
Most people would agree "the more leaves on a plant, the faster it can grow" but this is an example of something being true and also insignificant.
Here's 2 examples,
Bananas that have 50% of their leaves removed will grow at a similar rate as bananas with no leaves removed.
There are some members that surmise a banana plant with 50/50 variegation will grow at half as fast.
Reality is a banana plant with 50/50 variegation and 50% of it's leaves removed will grow at a similar rate as an all green banana with no leaves removed.
There's probably a certain amount of leaf surface needed and having more than enough is insignificant.
Maximizing root pressure has a direct impact on increasing growth rate and yield.