View Full Version : New banana, bare root
DoctorSteve
10-22-2011, 12:25 PM
I was just wondering if this is normal. I could not find anything on thise specifically for this.
So I planted my new banana. It is about 2.5 -3' tall and it was bare root when I got it. I planted it and had to cut part of the top off. I grew slowly for a while and the just seemed to stop. It also seems to be drying (like a raisin) out and the two leaves that where on it when planted are dying.
Again I am just wondering if this is normal. I have never planted a bare root this big.
I was going to post some pictures of it but it doesn't seem to be uploading them. I will have to try later.
jmoore
10-22-2011, 12:33 PM
It's putting all its energy into growing roots at the moment, once it has enough roots the leaves will start growing again. Don't worry.
You could cut the leaves in half to reduce transpiration or shade it if the sun is hot.
sunfish
10-22-2011, 12:48 PM
What do you mean by bare-root. No roots or just no soil ?
Olafhenny
10-22-2011, 05:49 PM
Hi Doc,
the therapy is Rest & Relaxation.
Every time you monkey around with the roots of a banana, it will suffer a setback. That goes especially
for bare root transport and shipping. When I brought home an Ornata and her freshly separated pup hidden
in a suit case, I had to cut off everything two inches above the corm.
The mother plant died, but not before sending up a healthy pup and now that plant has a second pup.
The original pup took even longer than the mother's new pup but recovered itself. Now I have a couple of
pots with healthy Ornatas.
I'd say: Stick them into a nice big pot with porous soil and good bottom drainage and have patience. In
a couple of months tell us about your success :)
pitangadiego
10-22-2011, 08:39 PM
Maybe not normal, but not uncommon. Digging, shipping, transplanting are all a stressful; event for a banana.
You can't fix it, so just chill out, don't overwater, and can almost guarantee it will be fine in time.
DoctorSteve
10-23-2011, 11:21 AM
What do you mean by bare-root?
No dirt.
Maybe not normal, but not uncommon. Digging, shipping, transplanting are all a stressful; event for a banana.
You can't fix it, so just chill out, don't overwater, and can almost guarantee it will be fine in time.
I know they take a while to get going, I have just never had one dry out like this. They usually just sit there. I just want it to be settled in for the cooler temps coming up.
Oh and I don't know why the site won't let me upload my pictures, sorry.
Olafhenny
10-23-2011, 05:13 PM
I have transplanted three bananas during the last 6 weeks. Either into larger pots or from a large pot into
the ground. None of them even blinked. I just made sure, that I did not disturb the roots and took
care to transfer as much of the original soil as possible to the new location. :)
sunfish
10-23-2011, 05:19 PM
Yes .How long was the plant out of the soil,makes a big difference
Gabe once told me that if you take a pup, trim off all the roots, and cut the leaves off to about 8 or 9 inches, you can leave it for about 3 months, and it will still be alive to grow when you finally pot it.
sunfish
10-23-2011, 05:49 PM
Gabe once told me that if you take a pup, trim off all the roots, and cut the leaves off to about 8 or 9 inches, you can leave it for about 3 months, and it will still be alive to grow when you finally pot it.
Yes, but how long will it take to show new growth
Olafhenny
10-23-2011, 06:22 PM
Gabe once told me that if you take a pup, trim off all the roots, and cut the leaves off to about 8 or 9 inches, you can leave it for about 3 months, and it will still be alive to grow when you finally pot it.
I am unsuccessfully trying to figure out, why anybody would trim off the roots?
Maybe to cook up the corm for some kind of a meal and then changed their mind? :)
I am unsuccessfully trying to figure out, why anybody would trim off the roots?
Maybe to cook up the corm for some kind of a meal and then changed their mind? :)
At the time were discussing shipping, and that as you dig up a plant the roots tend to be damaged. It was probably done since the roots are already damaged, and for ease of packing it to be shipped.
I believe that he said as soon as the environment is favorable, the corm immediately begins to grow roots.
Olafhenny
10-23-2011, 10:15 PM
I believe that he said as soon as the environment is favorable, the corm immediately begins to grow roots.
Yes, that appears to be indeed the first priority of a recovering banana.
Gabe15
10-23-2011, 10:42 PM
As Yug had stated from our previous conversation, it's all about getting the right environment. Bananas can be very hard plants to kill if they are in a good environment, meaning plenty of warmth, sunlight and water. They are season-less tropical plants, so if you give them the tropics, they will grow.
Based on my experience growing bananas indoors in Colorado for 4 years, and then growing them in the tropics in Hawaii for 4 years, its all about giving them just what they want, the tropics, which can be more difficult to do in non-tropical climates than it seems, even in the summer. In Colorado indoors, even if it was warm enough for them to grow, they were often a lot slower to establish, and really only started growing faster when they were big enough to reach enough sun indoors, and even then they were slower than in Hawaii.
But like any act of horticulture, it is an art, and takes some time to get the hang of. I certainly killed my fair share of new plants before I had enough to experience to get it right, and even now every once in a while it just doesn't go right and I end up losing a plant, but my stats have dramatically improved with time.
DoctorSteve
10-23-2011, 11:33 PM
I believe that he said as soon as the environment is favorable, the corm immediately begins to grow roots.
For each banana that seems to be different. So I will just have to keep an eye on it. If it seems to be dying I guess I will have to bring it inside and pamper it. This is a new type for me so I am not even sure how fast it grows. I know my SD Cavendish (maybe that is) grows and pups very fast. My FHIA-21 also grows fast. I will just have to see I guess.
...
I certainly killed my fair share of new plants before I had enough to experience to get it right, and even now every once in a while it just doesn't go right and I end up losing a plant, but my stats have dramatically improved with time.
In the orchid world, they say you are not experienced until you've killed at least 100 orchids. Other folks say you are not experienced until you've killed your weight in orchids.
DoctorSteve
12-09-2011, 11:30 AM
So this bananas is still not moving, what gives? It is inside at 65-73, front window with grow lights above. I marked it recently to see if it is moving, and nothing. The other 2 next to it started growing very fast once inside. Any ideas on how to give it a boost, or a jump start of some kind?
venturabananas
12-09-2011, 11:40 AM
Steve, sometimes the new leaves are too feeble to push out if the outer leaves have died and dried up, sealing off the exit for new leaves to emerge through. Minor surgery can help. Sometimes the new leaves are waiting and virtually spring out of the stem once you open the path for them. Other times, the stem is just dying and you have to hope for a new pup off the corm.
DoctorSteve
12-09-2011, 11:56 AM
You know I had actually thought of that but I said to myself that I was over thinking it. It did push out a leaf about 2 inches and then :P, nothing. I think I will give that a shot and see how it goes. I suppose it couldn't hurt anything.
jmoore
12-09-2011, 12:54 PM
lights won't do it any good if it has no leaves. Try putting a heat mat under the pot and warming up the root ball.
venturabananas
12-09-2011, 01:05 PM
I second the use of a heat mat. Really turned things around for me last winter.
Olafhenny
12-09-2011, 02:54 PM
I have last spring used an electric throw as base for all my start-ups prior to transplanting them outside, such
as cannas, banana pups, wandering jews, etc. with great success. A throw provides a lot more room 'for the
money', than a heating pad and is temperature regulated in just the right range.
The only drawback is that for safety reasons these throws shut off every 3 hrs. For me that turned out to
be of little problem, because all was located on a high shelf in the extended en-suite and the switch was
hanging down right beside the bedroom door. So I just clicked it back on every time I passed through
that door, if the control light showed, that it was out. :)
PS: Boxing Day sales may be a good time to buy something like that. I got mine for half price last year :)
DoctorSteve
12-09-2011, 05:54 PM
I will have to try a heating mat. I don't. Have one but I guess I could go get one. The only problem is it is in a 7 gallon pot and I would need a big one.
venturabananas
12-09-2011, 08:04 PM
Steve, I bought a 48" x 20" heat mat last year for about $50 from Amazon. Trust me, you can fit several 15 gallon pots on it -- I did! There are also smaller ones.
This is the kind I got and I have no complaints:
Amazon.com: Hydrofarm MT10009 48-by-20-Inch Seedling Heat Mat: Patio, Lawn & Garden (http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MT10009-20-Inch-Seedling-Heat/dp/B000E3B8XG/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top)
Olafhenny
12-09-2011, 08:22 PM
I will have to try a heating mat. I don't. Have one but I guess I could go get one. The only problem is it is in a 7 gallon pot and I would need a big one.
I don't think, that I understand your concerns. A heating throw goes underneath the pots. On a
60" by 50" throw, there is plenty of space for your pot and a whole slew of others. With a big pot it just
takes a bit longer, before the soil reaches the desired temperature. Once that has happened it will stay
there for the rest of the winter or whatever. Of course, you might want to protect the throw with a thin
plastic sheet. My throw cost me (on pre-X-mas sale) $32.- and cents.
DoctorSteve
12-09-2011, 08:44 PM
Steve, I bought a 48" x 20" heat mat last year for about $50 from Amazon. Trust me, you can fit several 15 gallon pots on it -- I did! There are also smaller ones.
That should be the right size.
Olafhenny, I actually did not know what you meant by a heated throw. Most likely because most people around here don't use them. :) I think I will look for one because they will most likely be cheaper than a heating mat. If not I think I can get one like Mark was talking about at a local store a little cheaper than the link. If not it's off to amazon or ebay.
Olafhenny
12-09-2011, 09:06 PM
It is actually a smaller version of a heating blanket. The high temperature actually maxes out at 25^C (77^F), an ideal
temperature for tropicals.
DoctorSteve
12-12-2011, 01:50 AM
I have done some minor surgery and it looks as if it may have choked. I will have to look at it further in the morning. I think I am going to look up some stuff on choking as well to see if it really is.
vBulletin® v3.6.8, Copyright ©2000-2020, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.