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View Full Version : Can Anyone Confirm this as Musa Basjoo?


Hammocked Banana
08-19-2012, 07:42 PM
I recieved this Banana as a gift last christmas with no ID. I called the nursery where it was purchase and the lady said she didnt know what type it was, but that she was in contact with the supplier and so would get back to me when she found out its identity. Well by the end of March I had given up on getting it identified from them, when I recieved a random call form her. Said grower had been on vacation and just gotten back to her. He told her it was a Grand Naine, which I was psyched about. However after some investigation I determined there is no way this was correct, it didnt have the cavendish wine markings on the leaf, and no pink on the p-stem. I've since aquired a real GN and the 2 are nothing alike. I'm now 99% sure this is a basjoo: it has a green slender p-stem, petioles are flarred wide open, pink midribs visible on both sides of leaves and more prominently on pups. However the wierd thing is the mother plant I initially recieved appears to be somewhat dwarved with fairly tight petiole spacing, but the pups seem to be stretching much faster. Can anyone confirm this plant is a basjoo? Trying to figure out my best course of action for this soon approaching winter. If its a basjoo, I'll prolly just keep a pup or 2 and leave the rest in ground with protection. Mother currently has 4 feet of p-stem and has produced probably around 20 leaves since I got it and was about a year old (prolly from tc) at that time, while the 2 largest pups have 3 feet of p-stem and have only produced maybe 10 leaves or so in total. Im not sure if it was ever hacked down b4 I got it. Could it have been sprayed with some type of growth regulator? It has yet to flower. Anyways, here are some pics:

Whole Plant
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=50127&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=50127&ppuser=11833)

Petiole Close-up
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=50128&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=50128&ppuser=11833)

Base of Mat
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=50129&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=50129&ppuser=11833)

Mother Plant P-stem
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=50130&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=50130&ppuser=11833)

Pup Side View
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=50131&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=50131&ppuser=11833)

Pup Top View
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=50132&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=50132&ppuser=11833)

Pup Petiole Close-up
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=50134&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=50134&ppuser=11833)

Hammocked Banana
08-19-2012, 07:56 PM
Also anyone have any idea if thats a deficiency on the pups leaves? In the pics it appears kind of yellow, but in real life almost look like variegation. My first guess would be a calcium def bc the leaf edges are ruffled near this colouration, however they have been given dolomitic lime and I add cal-mag and minors to their food every week. I also adjust nute pH to about 6-6.5 and my well water I use has a Ph about 7-7.5. I also watered with some epsom salts a few times but it didn't resolve the issue.

natej740
08-19-2012, 09:30 PM
I would say it's definitely a Musa Basjoo. The winged petiole and reddish stripe on the pups is a dead give away.

palmtree
08-20-2012, 06:46 PM
Defintiely a basjoo, but Im not sure what deficency the pups have.

JuniPerez
08-21-2012, 07:19 AM
Definitely screams Basjoo... winged petioles, reddish stripe on pup midribs...
I have seen some of my leaves come up with light blotches like on those leaves, but it passes... I don't know if it just corrects itself or if I'm unknowingly adding what it needs in the fertilizer.

Hammocked Banana
08-21-2012, 01:53 PM
Weird thing is, the deficiency only seems to be on the pups. So since this is a basjoo, I want to try my hand at outside protection. Do you think this mat is large enough to survive? Would I be best to leave as many pups attatched to the mother plant as possible so that the plant will have an overall better root/corm system? Gunna take one pup probably to ensure its survivial indooors.