Log in

View Full Version : Removing pups in October = Bad idea?


caliboy1994
10-07-2013, 04:53 PM
There's a nice-sized, vigorous pup that I want to cut off of my Blue Java and keep in the greenhouse in case it doesn't make it through the 9B winters we get here (which I doubt it wouldn't). Would it be bad to cut it off now that we probably only have a few more weeks of good growing conditions? Could that cause rot?

EDIT: It looks like I accidentally posted this thread in the wrong forum. Can I get a mod to move it? Thanks.

Abnshrek
10-07-2013, 05:01 PM
If you have 2 more months of decent weather I say why not.. I cut a CG pup this morning. I water them once until they start pushing, and then its all good. :^)

caliboy1994
10-07-2013, 05:34 PM
If you have 2 more months of decent weather I say why not.. I cut a CG pup this morning. I water them once until they start pushing, and then its all good. :^)

2 more months? More like less than a month. I'm surprised we're still chugging along here in NorCal. :ha:

Abnshrek
10-07-2013, 05:44 PM
2 more months? More like less than a month. I'm surprised we're still chugging along here in NorCal. :ha:

I was always an Optimist.. :^)

cincinnana
10-07-2013, 06:52 PM
In my zone 5/6 yes ,I stop splitting mine in august
Your zone no....get as much soil and root as possible for the green house
Go for it.

sunfish
10-07-2013, 09:04 PM
my guess is blue java aka ice cream

caliboy1994
10-07-2013, 10:45 PM
my guess is blue java aka ice cream

It is. The real deal from Jon. :08:

sunfish
10-07-2013, 10:50 PM
It is. The real deal from Jon. :08:

wow

pmurphy
10-08-2013, 10:21 AM
There's a nice-sized, vigorous pup that I want to cut off of my Blue Java and keep in the greenhouse in case it doesn't make it through the 9B winters we get here (which I doubt it wouldn't). Would it be bad to cut it off now that we probably only have a few more weeks of good growing conditions? Could that cause rot?


If you are moving it inside I don't see why not - I'm in zone 8b with the rains starting and night time temps dipping to 7C (~46F); just this past weekend I separated the last of my pups that will be over-wintering in the greenhouses.......parents and pups are all doing fine :)

caliboy1994
10-08-2013, 07:33 PM
I'm not worried about the pup I'm cutting off, more about the mother plant. Would the wound from separation rot during the wintertime when temps drop? Is there anything I can do to prevent that? Also I'd like to mention that I just planted the mother plant this spring.

Bob3
10-08-2013, 08:00 PM
Up here in Sacramento my [unprotected] Blue Java gets clobbered by frost over the winter but the corms have always survived (under a pile of mulch).
A little further to the North, but around 100' higher elevation, the "same" Blue Javas I planted in my buddy's back yard have always wintered over just fine, without any extra protection (not even mulch).
His is next to a big in-ground pool though, under a canopy of large ancient live oak so between the higher elevation + enhanced "microclimate", his thrive w/o any over-winter protection, often getting through the winter with little or no frost damage.

How your situation translates with your local conditions may be hard to figure out without actually letting them go through a few winters.

If you do decide to cut a pup off, I'd dust both cut surfaces with fungicide or at the least a rooting hormone w/fungicide added & not backfill the affected area 'till it has had a chance to scab over, in the open air & without any extra water.
I give my cut pups the same treatment (air dry the cut) for at least a week before potting them up in a very fast draining soil mix, water sparingly 'till new growth appears (couple-few weeks) & rarely lose any to rot.
Pretty much the same technique you'd use on a cactus cutting. :nanadrink:

caliboy1994
10-08-2013, 08:07 PM
Up here in Sacramento my [unprotected] Blue Java gets clobbered by frost over the winter but the corms have always survived (under a pile of mulch).
A little further to the North, but around 100' higher elevation, the "same" Blue Javas I planted in my buddy's back yard have always wintered over just fine, without any extra protection (not even mulch).
His is next to a big in-ground pool though, under a canopy of large ancient live oak so between the higher elevation + enhanced "microclimate", his thrive w/o any over-winter protection, often getting through the winter with little or no frost damage.

How your situation translates with your local conditions may be hard to figure out without actually letting them go through a few winters.

If you do decide to cut a pup off, I'd dust both cut surfaces with fungicide or at the least a rooting hormone w/fungicide added & not backfill the affected area 'till it has had a chance to scab over, in the open air & without any extra water.
I give my cut pups the same treatment (air dry the cut) for at least a week before potting them up in a very fast draining soil mix, water sparingly 'till new growth appears (couple-few weeks) & rarely lose any to rot.
Pretty much the same technique you'd use on a cactus cutting. :nanadrink:

Thanks for the advice. I don't have access to fungicides and rooting hormones though because I'm growing it organically. Should I just leave it open air and avoid watering the area?

sunfish
10-08-2013, 08:27 PM
Thanks for the advice. I don't have access to fungicides and rooting hormones though because I'm growing it organically. Should I just leave it open air and avoid watering the area?

https://www.google.com/search?q=organic+fungicide&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

How to: DIY Organic Insecticide/Fungicide recipe - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci2Q4S8WiSw)

Bob3
10-09-2013, 01:11 PM
...Should I just leave it open air and avoid watering the area?A lot of folks reading this are probably giggling over all the hoop jumping we're talking about; banana plants are often one of the easiest things to propagate with nothing more than a sharp stick. ;)

I'd say yah, go for it; the couple extra little tricks can make a difference when things get teetering on the edge.

Organic rooting hormones can be extracted from weeping willow bark/branches smashed into a "tea".
I wouldn't bother with it though, but the anti-fungal steps would be a good idea.:nanadrink:

Dalmatiansoap
10-09-2013, 03:05 PM
Only one word:
location, location, location...

sunfish
10-09-2013, 05:31 PM
Only one word:
location, location, location...

mayonnaise

caliboy1994
10-09-2013, 05:37 PM
Only one word:
location, location, location...

This is from 2012. Nighttime temps are already starting to dip into the 40s, but my plants are still growing. :drum:

http://gyazo.com/e2c7a9fd68bfc3c4761499ebf1c71959.png