View Full Version : What can you do with a broken banana plant?
CoryS
06-23-2010, 12:40 PM
I ordered a Black Thai banana plant from a nursery in Florida and this is how it looked when it arrived. The box was in perfect shape but the plant was broken almost in half near the bottom and every leaf was almost broken off. Is there any way to save it? Any advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=33121&size=1
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=33122&size=1
mm4birds
06-23-2010, 12:47 PM
Plant up the base (dirt,corm and roots) and hope for the best. In my experience new growth will either come from the point beneath the break/bend or a new pup will show form the corm if it is developed enough. Good luck!
Dalmatiansoap
06-23-2010, 01:08 PM
Pot it and stick it, U never know. I had same situation with one Basjoo last year and it recover without any problems.
Good luck!
:nanadrink:
CValentine
06-23-2010, 01:10 PM
Hi Cory,
I would call the person/company about 'damaged goods'.
Sometimes they ask for a picture(which you have) and will send out a replacement.
If not, do what mm4 says...and hope it comes out of it!
I would pot it up in Well-draining soil & watch it carefully.
Remember to keep it in indirect sun/shaded area until you start seeing good growth again & move it into the sun gradually!
Best Wishes!! :) ~Cheryl
Gabe15
06-23-2010, 01:18 PM
I would cut it below the break. I know it sounds drastic, but this thing will be wanting to grow still, and having the break there can cause the growth to back up and eventually burst out side. There shouldn't be any problems and it will likely do just fine. Also cutting off the leaves it has will encourage it to grow new ones quickly. Just keep it warm and slightly moist with a bit of sun.
CoryS
06-23-2010, 02:35 PM
Thanks tons for all the help! :) I potted it before I got Gabe15's advice and have decided to cut the top off and see what happens. Thanks CValentine! An email has been sent to the company with the two photos I posted here. I hope they will send a healthy one but I don't want to see this one die, anyway.
Since I don't know who/what caused the damage, I didn't use the company's name in the post. I was told that plants can get bumped and move in the box during shipping so that might have been what happened. I just don't know.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=33126&size=1
Scott
06-23-2010, 03:18 PM
After our freak-freeze, my buddy said he ran over his bananas with a lawn mower. So that's down to the ground.
Essentials: warm and not to much water. The roots are not supporting a large plant. So to much water and you'll rot the roots. It'll grow.
Personally, I would pot it then place it into a bush for outside shade...and forget about it. You'll get quite a surprise in a month
CoryS
06-23-2010, 04:15 PM
Hi Cory,
I would call the person/company about 'damaged goods'.
Sometimes they ask for a picture(which you have) and will send out a replacement.
If not, do what mm4 says...and hope it comes out of it!
I would pot it up in Well-draining soil & watch it carefully.
Remember to keep it in indirect sun/shaded area until you start seeing good growth again & move it into the sun gradually!
Best Wishes!! :) ~Cheryl
Thanks for the advice! I just got a reply to the email and they said they would refund my money or replace the plant. I decided to try for a replacement. Since they already messed up once, the next one has a good chance of getting here in better condition. :)
Kostas
06-23-2010, 06:14 PM
I too think it will be fine,just better keep it outdoors in a warm place with morning sun and shade afterwards,this should help with keeping it rot free while indoors it has more chances of getting rot from too much moisture it cannot transpire or guttate.
Cutting of as Gabe said will give a beautyfull plant sooner than waiting it burst its new growth out from somewhere. As the new leaf opens,it can get more sun.
DaveE
06-23-2010, 06:47 PM
Looks like you have plenty of good advise, good luck!
Dave
sandy0225
06-24-2010, 06:46 AM
You should have ordered it from me. My plants get there in good shape.....LOL....
We put bamboo sticks in ours so that they can't move like that in the box.
TommyMacLuckie
06-24-2010, 08:02 AM
Hit is with some Miracle Gro!
hortdoc
06-24-2010, 08:22 AM
Sandy is right. The plants I ordered from her arrived in GREAT shape!
CoryS
06-24-2010, 10:37 AM
You should have ordered it from me. My plants get there in good shape.....LOL....
We put bamboo sticks in ours so that they can't move like that in the box.
Cool! :D And Thanks. I definitely have you on my special list for future banana plants. I have another member, here, on that list too.
Hit is with some Miracle Gro!
Great advice and already done! They are sending another one but I decided I'm going to get this one growing anyway. :D
kaczercat
06-24-2010, 01:48 PM
ohh what a SHAME TO SEE AND HEAR ABOUT! i really hope it recovers. such a beautiful rare banana to me at least , i aint got one :D anyway fingers crossed for ya . make sure it gets warm weather. good luck !
CoryS
06-24-2010, 02:33 PM
ohh what a SHAME TO SEE AND HEAR ABOUT! i really hope it recovers. such a beautiful rare banana to me at least , i aint got one :D anyway fingers crossed for ya . make sure it gets warm weather. good luck !
Thanks! I saw one in a thread (Clare SA, I think) and noticed that they seem to get really tall and grow good in zone 7 so I just had to get one. :D I've been searching for any tall bananas that grow good in zone 7. This Black Thai, and an Ice Cream banana plant I'll be getting from a farmer's market before Saturday, seem to be just what I need! I saw Patty in Wisc & LilRaverboi's Ice Cream banana plants and they're like huge. But I'll definitely need all the luck I can get since I'm just starting to learn how to grow banana plants and already drowned two DC's, lol!
Abnshrek
06-24-2010, 04:37 PM
Sounds like your on the path down the banana growing experience. It can only get better :^)
CoryS
06-24-2010, 06:15 PM
Sounds like your on the path down the banana growing experience. It can only get better :^)
It seems a lot like soccer: fall down, get back up, fall down, get back up... lol.
I think Gabe15 was right. I cut the entire top off, last night, and when I checked it this morning, the top of the stem was brown but it looked like there was a dark hole in the center. Anyway, I just checked it again and part of the stem is growing! :D It's just the center part [where the hole was] but it's bright green and is now about 1 mm above the cut-line! I think this banana plant might still be alive! :D
I'll add a photo to this post later. I tried but it's too small to get a good shot of yet.
kaczercat
06-24-2010, 06:29 PM
Thanks! I saw one in a thread (Clare SA, I think) and noticed that they seem to get really tall and grow good in zone 7 so I just had to get one. :D I've been searching for any tall bananas that grow good in zone 7. This Black Thai, and an Ice Cream banana plant I'll be getting from a farmer's market before Saturday, seem to be just what I need! I saw Patty in Wisc & LilRaverboi's Ice Cream banana plants and they're like huge. But I'll definitely need all the luck I can get since I'm just starting to learn how to grow banana plants and already drowned two DC's, lol!
yeah they got some huge plants to take in for the winter. i hope to be building a greenhouse in aug- sept for all my big ones over winter. but next time anyone from the US wants to buy banana plants buy through Sandy, i personally cant buy cause im in canada but all the reviews on her plants are excellent. And they look amazing !! im so damn jealous !
john_ny
06-24-2010, 06:31 PM
You got it, my friend!
CoryS
06-24-2010, 07:04 PM
You got it, my friend!
This totally rocks! :D They seemed so easy to kill at first. They just kept dying no matter how much water I gave them. Now that they seem a little harder to kill, I'm getting excited again!
Btw, I have learned about the "too much water" thing.
yeah they got some huge plants to take in for the winter. i hope to be building a greenhouse in aug- sept for all my big ones over winter. but next time anyone from the US wants to buy banana plants buy through Sandy, i personally cant buy cause im in canada but all the reviews on her plants are excellent. And they look amazing !! im so damn jealous !
A greenhouse?! Now I'm jealous! Mom would totally freak and dad would never let me get something that expensive for plants, anyway. :( You're in Canada? One of my favorite bands is Canadian [Deadmau5]! :D I didn't stop and think that people in Canada might grow bananas since they are so tropical. That's awesome! I didn't stop and think about winter much, either. I'll still needa do a lot of reading about keeping them alive till spring. Btw, best of luck with the greenhouse!
Abnshrek
06-24-2010, 09:21 PM
Anyway, I just checked it again and part of the stem is growing! :D It's just the center part [where the hole was] but it's bright green and is now about 1 mm above the cut-line! I think this banana plant might still be alive! :D
Any green (vertical)growth is good growth. :^)
LilRaverBoi
06-25-2010, 12:19 AM
Yeah, that's a difficult decision, though I think Gabe covered it best...the chop below the break is probably the best treatment (though often hard to force yourself to do). Bananas are very resilient and will grow back from just the roots provided they have a somewhat established root-system. Looks like things will be just fine for you, just do your best to keep it indoors in a partially sunny/partially shady location and don't water too much. Let it dry out a bit before watering and you should see some positive growth and success.
CoryS
06-25-2010, 08:44 AM
Yeah, that's a difficult decision, though I think Gabe covered it best...the chop below the break is probably the best treatment (though often hard to force yourself to do). Bananas are very resilient and will grow back from just the roots provided they have a somewhat established root-system. Looks like things will be just fine for you, just do your best to keep it indoors in a partially sunny/partially shady location and don't water too much. Let it dry out a bit before watering and you should see some positive growth and success.
Thanks! It was a hard decision but it seems to be working. :D And I know now not to try and grow them in swamp conditions but I was only doing that since they seem to be very wet plants that need tons of water. It's too cold inside [thermostat is on 68 degrees] so I keep it on the deck in total shade. What I read said I should keep all new banana plants in the shade for about a week after I get them. Btw, dad's down near Texas right now and will be bringing me an Ice Cream banana plant tonight! He hasn't called yet to let me know if he found one [he's probably still in the business meeting anyway] but hope hope hope hope hope... I'll definitely post a photo of that one when/if it gets here! :D
vBulletin® v3.6.8, Copyright ©2000-2020, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.