Quote:
Originally Posted by Caloosamusa
I have two older mats of Kofi, and the one I planted is a pup from my largest mat that is now pushing pups. When the weather get cool and wet in winter, it is effected by Black sigatoka. But when the weather warms up with night time temps in the 70s, the disease become less active. I hope this helps.  |
My experience over-winter was identical. There are virtually no signs that sigatoka was ever present. I did like the banana farmers do, and removed only the infected leaf parts rather than the entire leaves. The Sigatoka spread to a few of the pups but in very minor and isolated areas. Each time I'd notice the lightly rust-colored streaks starting to emerge I'd just cut out that part of the leaf.
I also found that removing 12-24 inches from the tips of vertically arching leaves prolongs their ability to support their own weight, and makes them more resistent to strong winds.