View Full Version : Very short Saba with flag leaf
Darkman
08-13-2011, 10:01 PM
I transplaned a pup from Hydroid around July 4th 2010. I protected the P-stem last winter and the original stalk has continued to grow slowly. It has also set a pup which is growing almost as large as the original. Today I noticed a flag leaf on the original stalk. the plant is very short for a Saba. I'll just wait and see what happens now.
Sorry for the poor quality my lens was fogging over.
This isn't much bigger than what I planted last year.
<a href=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=45086&ppuser=7611><img src=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=45086&size=1 border=0></a>
The flag was to the back and I guess I overlooked it.
<a href=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=45085&ppuser=7611><img src=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=45085&size=1 border=0></a>
Anyone every have a Saba fruit so small?
hydroid
08-17-2011, 01:22 AM
WOW!!! that's awefully short to have a flag leaf, very strange.
ron_mcb
08-17-2011, 11:38 AM
I transplaned a pup from Hydroid around July 4th 2010.
this came directly from the Saba mat?? hydroid were you ever growing orinoco or dwarf Orinoco in close proximity at any time?
ive had regeneration from a piece of corm. i probably left in the ground when i tried to remove the planting.
if this isnt possible.. it could be some sort of sport. i cant wait for the fruits to push out..please keep us updated.:bananas_b
venturabananas
08-17-2011, 12:38 PM
Darkman, was it cut back or did it die back at any point? There is a dwarf Cavendish in my neighborhood that flowered at essentially 0 feet because it was cut to the ground and the next thing pushed out by the meristem was the flower.
hydroid
08-18-2011, 12:53 AM
Hey Ron,
I do have some Orinocos mixed in with Sabas but if my memory serves me right, darkman's Saba was shaved off next to a good size Saba where there were no Orinocos around. I've never had a Saba fruit that early. Mine have only bloomed in the nose bleed section. I'm wondering if we got em mixed up with a Dwarf Cavendish?
Gabe15
08-18-2011, 02:53 AM
Are you sure it is a flag leaf? It looks more like a stunted leaf to me. Can you see a bud yet?
Bananaman88
08-18-2011, 09:16 AM
I agree w/Gabe. It doesn't look like your typical flag leaf to me either.
Darkman
08-20-2011, 11:17 AM
As best I can recall we shaved the pup directly from a huge Saba at Hydroids. It was then planted immediately that day into a bulk commercial pine bark compost mix. It grew well in the remaining 4 1/2 months before winter. For winter protection I put a 5' tall Tomato cage around the P-stem and then filled it with leaves and pine straw which was then wrapped with plastic visqueen.
In Spring I uncovered it with no green showing. It took longer to push a new leaf than most of my other bananas. It did push a new leaf from the original P-stem at a height of about four foot. It pushed a pup which almost over took the main P-stem. The flag was preceded by a half leaf but I did not notice it. Since then there are 5 fully formed leaves that look healthy.
The flag has yellowed now and I guess no fruit will be coming. Not sure what happened as the rest of the plant is healthy. Here is the picture of the flag leaf.
<a href=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=45218&ppuser=7611><img src=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=45218&size=1 border=0></a>
<a href=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=45217&ppuser=7611><img src=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=45217&size=1 border=0></a>
I guess dissection is in order to figure this out. I observed a swollen area of the P-stem and thought that was the bud pushing but it never appeared. The top growth is still growing and looking nice.
Since no fruit was produced will this P-stem try again or Die?
Gabe15
08-20-2011, 01:21 PM
If the shoot is still growing new leaves, then it did not attempt to flower. Some times for various reasons, a new leaf will not develop correctly and it will be stunted and die, it can clog up the pseudostem and prevent new leaves from coming out, and when the new leaves are growing beneath it they will form a bulge in the pseudostem and eventually break through a portion of the pseudostem and continue growth. This could have been similar to what happened to your plant.
Darkman
08-21-2011, 02:55 PM
I'll continue to watch it and see. If it is a false alarm it did a good job since the flag leaf has a half leaf which is still green below it. All other leaves look normal. When we get close to a killing freeze I'll do more investigating. I have close to thirty citrus to protect this winter (after three more years I can cut back on mechanical protection) and I unfortunately will probably only be able to protect the most promising P-stem this year. My dwarf Namwah and PK are still potted so they will be moved inside.
Gabe do you believe the picture is not a flag leaf?
Gabe15
08-21-2011, 04:15 PM
It does not look like a flag leaf to me.
Darkman
08-22-2011, 08:38 AM
It does not look like a flag leaf to me.
Thanks
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