Log in

View Full Version : Ice Cream Banana Help


banana nut
06-15-2019, 11:10 AM
Hey guys!

First off, thank god this forum exists! Anyhow, im in N East Texas trying a bunch of different bananas this year. Im having issues with my ice cream which is the one I wanted to succeed the most. I bought it from etsy from a guy named the puzzleboxmaker and it came in good shape. Had the plant under a grow light for about 2 months where it grew very well and healthy. I just tilled up a strip of clay to put it in. I mixed up a layer of sand loam from our local nursery and compost to make the soil have drainage and nutrients. I fertilized with a high nitrogen furtilzer as well. A composted with leaves from around my property. In the first week it was in ground, it developed small black spots on the leaves. Also the leaves started to turn whitish. I have added a chair over the side of it to reduce sun exposure for the whiteness hoping that would help. As of late, the brown spots are multiplying and I don't know what to do. All of the other plants in the ground are doing well (Mahoi and Zebrino). Any help is much appreciated!https://imgur.com/a/Zrl9Cel

banana nut
06-16-2019, 11:59 AM
No one has had this same issue? Or maybe I posted it in the wrong spot?

Akula
06-16-2019, 02:09 PM
I took a look but I have not encountered a plant that looks like yours in my patch and my experience is limited. Could be just transitioning from grow light conditions to field conditions but I don't know.

banana nut
06-16-2019, 02:25 PM
Thank you for your response. This is my first time trying out a line of bananas on our property so im new as well. I was happy to see a new leaf is starting to peek out of the stem today. Hopefully it doesn't have the same spots as the rest of them.

edwmax
06-16-2019, 07:40 PM
How tall was the plant and how big was the pot when you received it?

banana nut
06-16-2019, 10:46 PM
The container was small. Maybe 2'' x 2'' and the plant was about 4 inches.

edwmax
06-17-2019, 04:58 AM
The container was small. Maybe 2'' x 2'' and the plant was about 4 inches.


What you have is likely a TC plant. These are normally grown in a green house & shade house under misting systems until the plant is about 3 to 4 foot tall (about 6 months or longer). Then would be field ready to transplant to the ground.



I suggest you get the plant back into a 8" or 12" pot (easy to move around) with a 50/50 mix of potting soil and perlite ... NO COMPOST ... A tablespoon of balanced fertilizer on top of the potting soil will be good for about 6 months. ... Place the plant/pot in a bright sun lit shaded area ... no direct sun. The air humidity in a house or out side is too low and will dry the plant. So Mist with water 3Xs or more a day and foliar feed with Miracle grow once a week. ... The plant roots are not big enough to to support itself and the leaves will take on the water and nutrients it needs. ... Get and use a long stem moisture meter to check the moisture seep in the and at the bottom though the drain holes. Do not let the soil in the bottom become soggy. Good Luck on growing the plant. This is a root & corm growing stage so don't expect a lot of vertical vegetative growth for a few months.

edwmax
06-17-2019, 05:03 AM
Oh .... the brown/black spots are likely cause by the rotting compost and the resulting fungus.

banana nut
06-17-2019, 08:16 AM
Everything Ive read said use compost but you say it rots it? Am I using it the wrong way?

Thanks.

edwmax
06-17-2019, 03:35 PM
These TC plantlets just came out of a 'sterile lab' environment and was repotted into sterile potting mix. They don't have the root & corm size to fight off fungus and rot bacteria. So why introduce this to the plant?! ... Root rot actually draws moisture out of the corm and pstem, drying the plant out. ... Even well rotted serialized Compost mix into the potting mix will hold water like a sponge and can cause the pot to be too wet creating conditions for root rot. ... Compost is suited for surface application around well established in-the-ground banana plants.

banana nut
06-17-2019, 03:39 PM
Thank you for your insight. I will change the compost situation I have been modeling off of youtube videos. All 10 of the other plants seem to be doing quite well including the other blue javas. I will take your advice and remove this one for another couple of months. I was just hoping to give it time to build the root system in ground in preparation for the winter.

edwmax
06-17-2019, 06:03 PM
Thank you for your insight. I will change the compost situation I have been modeling off of youtube videos. All 10 of the other plants seem to be doing quite well including the other blue javas. I will take your advice and remove this one for another couple of months. I was just hoping to give it time to build the root system in ground in preparation for the winter.


The plant is too small the corm wont survive a freeze.

banana nut
06-17-2019, 06:11 PM
I does not freeze annually where I am located. I took out the plant and cleaned the root system of the old soil. I then repotted it with new soil minus the compost. I plan on spraying lightly with water as you suggested and replanting once it reaches 3 or 4 feet tall. the root system seemed to be spreading and growing well.