Usufruct
07-24-2014, 09:36 PM
Six foot Blood banana which has been growing vigorously suddenly has collapsing petioles. The leaves look fine - no yellowing or any other discoloration. The plant is right up against the side of the house and wind is not a problem. It has several suckers which all look OK. The soil is mixed sandy clay (house foundation fill) and very dark highly organic soil. The plant is in half sun. We have had quite a bit of rain here in North Central Florida and the water table is quite high in my yard (my avocado trees are suffering). I have a large stand of Cavendish nearby which are loaded with fruit and are not showing any symptoms (a couple of years ago, however, I did notice a high incidence of petiole collapse in these plants, but not since). So what causes this condition in otherwise healthy appearing plants? Any ideas?