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RandyGHO
07-31-2012, 04:18 PM
After a banana plant fruits and the pseudostem is cut off, will the old mother corm produce a new pup?

LilRaverBoi
07-31-2012, 04:26 PM
Well, bananas can pup at any stage of growth. Some varieties pup more than others (and Ensete's do not pup at all, unless artificially forced to). But to answer the question, yes, after a plant fruits, that pseudostem will die off and a new pup/plant will form from the corm to take its place.

caliboy1994
07-31-2012, 04:26 PM
Yes, unless you have an Ensete.

sunfish
07-31-2012, 04:44 PM
The p-stem dies not the corm

RandyGHO
07-31-2012, 05:37 PM
Thanks for the replies. That is just what I wanted to know.

I am trying to work up my winter protection covers. Having a single pseudostem makes an in-ground, winter protection device simpler to build

Also I want every bit of energy to go into the mother plant to gain as much on fruiting height as I can this year. I want to keep the suckers trimmed off at least till the first frost if not till the plant fruits.

I know it is common to have three generations in a mat. I wonder though in zones like 8b if concentrating on a single pseudostem might give me just enough edge to fruit in the second year from a TC?

PR-Giants
07-31-2012, 10:16 PM
I know it is common to have three generations in a mat. I wonder though in zones like 8b if concentrating on a single pseudostem might give me just enough edge to fruit in the second year from a TC?

It may be common, but I can only confirm seeing it once.
In order to have 3 generations in a mat, you need the mother to have a pup and then that pup to have a pup before the mother plant is havested.
About 9 months ago I had a maricongo with many large pups fall due to high winds. I stood the plant back up and today I harvested fruit from one of the original pups (6 hands, 30 fruit, 18.9 pounds) and the corm of that plant has pups. The mother plant is still alive and has not flowered, so that is 3 generations in one mat.
That was the first time I saw a pup fruit before it's mother set fruit.
If my way of counting generations is wrong, someone please correct me.

sunfish
07-31-2012, 10:41 PM
I think it means three plants of different age.Could be mother with two pups

LilRaverBoi
07-31-2012, 11:05 PM
Honestly, I don't know that having pups or removing them makes any difference in overwintering. Around here (zone 5-6), even that which is cut off near the base, mulched heavily and overwintered (basjoo) can achieve 8+ feet and blooming without any p-stem protection.

From what I've researched, keeping the p-stem or cutting it back still results in a mat of equivalent health/height.....retained p-stems tend to either die back or wait to spring back so that new pups from the corm can overtake the older growth.

My advice is to retain what you can, mulch heavily and you'll be doing quite well in the spring!

PR-Giants
07-31-2012, 11:07 PM
Thanks Tony
Everything that I can rrecall reading, refered to the mother as the first gen, the daughters as the second gen, and the granddaughters as the third gen.
What is more important here is what he was refering to, and your def. makes sense.

sunfish
08-01-2012, 09:23 AM
Pups seem to take the cold better than the large p-stem.I would keep a couple pups attached in case the mother does not make it .whoohoo

RandyGHO
08-01-2012, 01:12 PM
It is my intent then to try going from TC to fruiting keeping the suckers cut away
.
Tony and all looking ahead in my banana program, I see it going all dwarfs anyway with the exception of the Goldfinger since it fruits smaller than the ice cream or the apple. If my winter program fails then I will replant with the Dwarfs. If the program works then at least right now I will keep the suckers cleared till it fruits. Spring I will plant new dwarf plants in new mats.

Even If I loose my banana plants this winter, our family has really enjoyed the banana "E" ride already. It is fascinating to look out the window each day and see how much they have grown.

Thanks for all the replies.

Checker55
08-01-2012, 04:33 PM
If the pseudostem has an undeveloped flower inside and then breaks due to wind . Is that pseudostem never going produce another flower?

Darkman
08-01-2012, 06:17 PM
Each P-stem has the potential to produce a flower and after producing it it will die.

Olafhenny
08-01-2012, 07:07 PM
Okay, I cannot help to toss in my three bit's worth (Inflation strikes everywhere, even my
insignificant opinion has gone up in price): :)

Since fruiting is here in HZ6 out of the question, I raise bananas strictly for their impressive foliage.
Spring 2010 I planted a Basjoo. During summer it had 5 pups. I harvested #3 and raised it over
winter in the house. During summer 2011 the patch grew some more pups and I harvested #5
and planted it in my tropical planter this spring. You could argue with some justification, that
numbers 1 through 5 are second generation and if # 3 or #5 have pups, they might be third
generation (hasn't happened yet).

However, let's go back to the original mat: #1 is now slightly bigger than "mom" because it came
through the winter with less frost damage. Now there are a few new pups. I leave it up to my
betters to figure out if they are daughters of the original therefore sisters of #1 through 5 or
possibly third generation.

Now if one of them had the decency to sprout on the side of one of the "second generation" away
from the mother, you might reason, that it is third generation. I won't worry about that. I am just
assuming, that they are all living from the same corm and root system as part of an immoral
incestuous family, having a great deal of fun and leave it to others to sort out the generation bit.

:ha:

For those with superior moral fortitude I would like to point out, though, that these bananas will never
fruit and are strictly propagating asexually.

Darkman
08-01-2012, 09:04 PM
Thinks that make you go Hhmmm!

Yug
08-02-2012, 05:00 AM
It may be common, but I can only confirm seeing it once.
In order to have 3 generations in a mat, you need the mother to have a pup and then that pup to have a pup before the mother plant is havested.
About 9 months ago I had a maricongo with many large pups fall due to high winds. I stood the plant back up and today I harvested fruit from one of the original pups (6 hands, 30 fruit, 18.9 pounds) and the corm of that plant has pups. The mother plant is still alive and has not flowered, so that is 3 generations in one mat.
That was the first time I saw a pup fruit before it's mother set fruit.
If my way of counting generations is wrong, someone please correct me.
Three generations?

Hell, I'll get you a photo tomorrow after I get off work. I have a Saba that is about half grown, the largest pup has a p-stem about 6 ft, and it has started growing its own pup. I know the pup belongs to it because is is exactly opposite where the mother plant is. You will see once I get the picture. :08:

edit - OK, I was wrong; largest pup has about 7 ft of p-stem. Mother plant is about 11 ft, and is far too short to fruit. Largest pup has a new pup of its own on right side away from main plant.
<a href=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=49937><img src=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=49937&size=1 border=0></a>

Pup is growing on side farthest away from mother plant
<a href=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=49938><img src=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=49938&size=1 border=0></a>

Better view of pup
<a href=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=49940><img src=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=49940&size=1 border=0></a>