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roxxas19
09-06-2012, 07:12 AM
Hello i recently bought 3 banana plants ( about 1 month ago ) and recently one of them is started dying this one already had a flower growing and now has 3 rows of bananas, leaves are turning brown near the edges and young pups are dying rotting away. Weather here in Cyprus gets pretty hot (about 95 degrees)so i water em every 2 days. My question is should i cut the stem in half will it grow again or wait for the temperature to go down?

Abnshrek
09-06-2012, 08:58 AM
Hello i recently bought 3 banana plants ( about 1 month ago ) and recently one of them is started dying this one already had a flower growing and now has 3 rows of bananas, leaves are turning brown near the edges and young pups are dying rotting away. Weather here in Cyprus gets pretty hot (about 95 degrees)so i water em every 2 days. My question is should i cut the stem in half will it grow again or wait for the temperature to go down?

Well I can tell you it gets hot here (its going to be 101F today) and my banana's are thriving. I don't think you have a water problem unless its not enough. Browning on the edges of the leaves is a good indicator.. I have 2 banana's that do that even in front of a mister, but growing well. I don't know how your watering but if its manual I'd fill a 5 gal bucket and see how long it takes.. Then depending on the size of your plant you would know how long you have to hose them down. A large banana plant is 10 gal a day. :^)

roxxas19
09-06-2012, 09:04 AM
They are about 4 feet now and i usually give em about 10 gallons every other day. The soil is clay like so it might be the drainage and that's why pups die not sure. Also about the mother plant should i cut it down in half or wait? Thanks. :08:

Jose263
09-06-2012, 10:57 AM
They are about 4 feet now and i usually give em about 10 gallons every other day. The soil is clay like so it might be the drainage and that's why pups die not sure. Also about the mother plant should i cut it down in half or wait? Thanks. :08:


when you transplanted a month ago did you add lots of compost/manure to the bed?

Abnshrek
09-06-2012, 11:23 AM
I have clay and do raised beds of Perlite, Peet, composted cow manure, and course sand that is mulched.. If you dug a hole and stuck that nanner in there it can have many difficulties. Fixing it now will save you the trouble when it gets cooler, rains holding all the water causing real rot.

Jose263
09-06-2012, 03:48 PM
Roxx- you asked - about the mother plant should i cut it down in half or wait?
That mother plant (pstem) has produced it's only flower and it will need cutting back eventually. I cut after winter and leave 3 to 4 ft of pstem but not if it is rotted.
however, I would try to save it for now and cut back later - maybe you can save some of the fruit :woohoonaner:
nanas are durable but they don't like wet feet - dig up the plant and pups check out the roots.
good luck
:waving:

d-lilly
09-06-2012, 05:26 PM
is it softned water or well water?

roxxas19
09-07-2012, 04:05 PM
Thanks for the tips :) Btw i did use lots of compost when i planted them but now is just mixed up with the clay like soil, and since we have really mild winters wont mother grow if i cut it during winter temperature does not go below 68 degrees. Oh and about the pups i got a nice healthy sword growing now hope it survives

Jose263
09-07-2012, 06:23 PM
Thanks for the tips :) Btw i did use lots of compost when i planted them but now is just mixed up with the clay like soil, and since we have really mild winters wont mother grow if i cut it during winter temperature does not go below 68 degrees. Oh and about the pups i got a nice healthy sword growing now hope it survives

Pstems produce only one flower then die later after the fruit appears or ripens (depends on the variety) I'm pretty sure that once the flower emerges there will be no additional leaves from the mother pstem. Nanas reproduce by sprouting pups from the corm (root bulb) - keeping the mother plant pstem growing for the remainder of this growing season might speed along a new pup. However, it is puzzling as to the reason your plants are dying if it is not the soil or watering?
Can you post photos and have you done soil test? did you fertilize? :rollerbananadone: