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sandy0225
10-06-2008, 07:05 AM
I had several of the ensete maurelii plants that I received from tc this spring. Well one in particular, it needed repotting bad since it was 3 feet tall in a 4" pot. It kept on falling over and I didn't have time to mess with it, so I just kept on standing it back up, and it was looking pretty ratty. Broken leaves, etc.
So one day, my hubby was out in the greenhouse, so I got his knife and cut it off right at the base. I thought, well it'll grow back, and later this fall I'll have time to repot it. Then I remembered the posts about using large plants and destroying the growing tip to force pups to form. So I thought, I wonder if it has to be a large plant, or simply a well established one?
So I cut a big V shape out of the center of the plant growing in the 4" pot and then just for good measure I took the point of the knife and dug a big hole right down through the central growing point. Figured I'd probably killed it but like I have 20 more, so this one could be donated to science. And since I really wanted to make more plants, too, I did the same with a larger plant in a one gallon pot from last year that caterpillars and grasshoppers had it looking pretty bad too.
Well, both of them are growing this bumpy tissue in the center that looks like small corm nuggets--or at least it's growing something!Can't tell yet if it's going to make plantlets, but it sure is doing something weird, and definitely not dying yet. I took pictures of both, the first picture is the smaller one and the second picture is the larger one. They're in my gallery.

sandy0225
10-06-2008, 07:14 AM
It wasn't uploading right in the photo gallery, so here's a link to the picture of the smaller plant. It looks kind of like cauliflower in the center now. I put it on webshots.

small ensete pictures from friends & fun photos on webshots (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2706404960058549380BRpSOT)

bigdog
10-06-2008, 08:34 AM
Sandy, that's callous tissue forming. You should see pups coming up very soon. Nice job!

Mark Hall
10-09-2008, 02:51 PM
Before you know it you will have a mini forest of pups. Then you have to be pretty handy with a craft knife .once they get a few roots you can start to remove them.

Sodak
10-12-2008, 02:59 PM
I wonder how big you could let a Maurelii get before trying this forced pupping method?

Would the Ensete pup if it were done just as the flower emerges?

Curious.

sandy0225
10-13-2008, 09:33 AM
I don't know. But all the articles/info I'd read so far said they had to be large to do this with. One of the plants I did it with is about 6 months old from tc, in a 4" pot and seems to be developing the cauliflower like tissue that people say will turn into pups.
So who knows what's possible?

Gabe15
10-13-2008, 12:31 PM
I wonder how big you could let a Maurelii get before trying this forced pupping method?

Would the Ensete pup if it were done just as the flower emerges?

Curious.

By then, it would be too late because the meristem would have moved away from the bottom of the plant and be located in the inflorescence at that point. The point is to damage the meristem.

Sodak
10-14-2008, 06:54 PM
By then, it would be too late because the meristem would have moved away from the bottom of the plant and be located in the inflorescence at that point. The point is to damage the meristem.

Ahhhhhh... That makes sense. I have wondered about this for quite some time. Thanks Gabe!

Sodak
10-14-2008, 06:57 PM
I don't know. But all the articles/info I'd read so far said they had to be large to do this with. One of the plants I did it with is about 6 months old from tc, in a 4" pot and seems to be developing the cauliflower like tissue that people say will turn into pups.
So who knows what's possible?


I'd say you are about to have a LOT of Maurelii's. Good luck with separating them. BTW the plant you sent me last spring is now about 5' tall. Much, much more vigorous than any of the Musa I have. And beautiful. My wife actually enjoys this one as much as I do all the other Musa.

Thanks!
Troy

Chironex
10-14-2008, 08:43 PM
Looks like a shrimp, guacamole and spinach dip on a toasted celery base.... Might have to try some....

Tog Tan
10-26-2008, 11:13 AM
Hi Sandy, how's your 'cauliflower' getting along. Very curious on your progress...

sandy0225
10-30-2008, 07:01 AM
They are both starting to make little points in the center of the "cauliflower" looking parts. One of them is actually starting to look like you can see it's going to make a stem/leaves there.
Here's a couple of pictures attached below. You can see the points coming up in the center of some of the bumps, especially if you look from the side of the plants. Of course it probably would help their progress if I'd put these in a heated greenhouse, so I did that last night. The big one is growing a little faster and putting up more "bumps" than the smaller one, but the smaller one is putting up at least 3-4.

Tog Tan
10-30-2008, 07:21 AM
Thanks Sand,
Pls keep us/me updated on a constant basis.Really interesting experiment you are doing. Keep it up.

sandy0225
11-07-2008, 01:29 PM
Update--letting them get a little bigger does seem to mean more pups at least in my trial now.
The big one has a zillion pups and the small one has about four. Pictures follow.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=14411&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=14411&ppuser=143)

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=14410&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=14410&ppuser=143)

Tog Tan
11-07-2008, 01:39 PM
Hey... this really great Sandy! Can't wait to have you separating them. Keep the updates coming lady... What you are doing is sure gonna be followed by others. Thanks.

Tog Tan
11-08-2008, 12:16 PM
I got over a dozen new
plants from the base. When I brought it in for the winter I cut
it into 3 parts and potted them up. Then several new pups grew
in those parts since planted.:02:

Hi Wolfe,
When you potted the pups, did they already have roots.... or were they still part of the corm? How old are the pups to date?
Thanks

Magilla Gorilla
11-08-2008, 12:37 PM
Sandy, thanks for the info and updates! It is really interesting. Should I chop up one of my AeAe's? I will let someone else experiment.

sandy0225
11-14-2008, 07:51 PM
I was really mean to mine when I cut it off. I cut a "v" in the center after I cut it off just above ground level, then I took a sharp knife and destroyed the center. I actually drilled out a hole about 1/2 inch across and 2 inches deep down the center of the corm with that knife. And in the center there is where the cauliflower like tissue grew and where the sprouts are coming up. That callous tissue completely filled the holes I drilled out and mounded up out of the center a little bit.

edd82
12-08-2008, 10:50 AM
I was just reading that the "Ensete" genus only sucker's very rarely which I'm guessing is why you guys are using this method to create pups from your Ensette Maurelli's?

I would like to give this a go next year when I can put my Maurelli back into the ground and I wondered if there were any other issues that may need to worry about, i.e weather, location & time of year? Would it it be best to try this in the spring so as to have plenty of time for the pups to regrow? Would it be better to try this on a potted plant in the greenhouse rather than a plant in the garden?

Sandy how long did it take for the pups to grow before you could remove the pups?

ps. Well done on feeding back your results guys, these type's of experiments are brilliant :-) I had no idea that this could be achieved.

Lagniappe
12-08-2008, 11:29 AM
If you let the pups grow from the corm long enough, they will root THROUGH it and it'll fall apart leaving the pups with nice roots . the pups can be gently pulled apart then. It'll be a mess of tangled roots but you'll get a lot more plants this way and only lose a few.

Lagniappe
12-08-2008, 12:44 PM
Good advice.
I tend to do things all backwards and loopy. My Maurelii were next to the kitchen table with a 30 watt 6400k twist fluorescent. They had many earwigs,gnats, and some wormy larvae (or actual worms)burrowing in the soil/corm. I believe this attributed to my corm decomposing, leaving me with 60+ rooted pups.
Slugs/snails,however,will eat the little plantlets as they emerge. A thin mulch of diatomaceous earth would take care of them and any crawling insects while supplying silica to the plants.
If you start these in the Fall, they should be ready to plant out in the spring.

Lagniappe
12-08-2008, 01:15 PM
A weekly foliar feed helps things along too.

edd82
12-09-2008, 04:01 AM
Thanks very much, thats great advice.

sandy0225
02-04-2009, 03:07 PM
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/data/500/thumbs/GEDC9087.JPG
I hadn't done an update on this for a while, thought you might be interested in the progress. Here's a new picture I took of them today. The smaller pot died out a couple of months ago, this one is potted in a gallon pot. I think I killed the smaller one by overwatering it though. I had it on a shelf under a hanging basket.I think my next step will be to unpot this and cut it in quarters or so to grow out a little bit more in four pots so they can be separated.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/data/500/thumbs/GEDC9086.JPG

Lagniappe
02-04-2009, 10:01 PM
Sandy, I have one [group] that just started shredding the remnants of it's corm. The roots are bursting out even above the surface of the soil. I'll post a pic when I get back to Luzianne. In another week or two, the rooted plantlets can be gently pulled from the loosened soil. I know it sounds too good to be true but if you wait for yours to do this, you'll be glad.

Tog Tan
02-05-2009, 07:13 AM
Hey Pete,
Mucho gracias on your info. I am most keen to try this with my other Ensete sp once they get big enough. I think what you and Sandy did is really cool and it is a simple way to multiply a sp which does not pup normally.
Pete, pls post the pix when you have the time. Looking forward to it.:02:

sandy0225
02-05-2009, 07:31 AM
I'll just wait then. I can see how they'd do that. It looks like each sprout is making its own little "cormlet" at the bottom. Thanks for the info! I'll just leave it together a little while longer and see what happens.

Planter56
02-16-2009, 05:14 PM
You guys make me want to see if I can grow one myself up here in Buffalo, NY. I've been debating as to whether or not to do it as I keep reading how hard they are grow and hold over the winter. I don't know if it would take being dug up in fall to be taken inside for the winter or not. Any ideas on this? I'm just supprised at how much they cost as it is and I have a chance to get them through a co-op in Dave's website as little plants so any help would be appreciated :)

adrift
02-16-2009, 07:22 PM
I'm just supprised at how much they cost as it is and I have a chance to get them through a co-op in Dave's website as little plants so any help would be appreciated :)

Didn't realize they were significantly much more than any other nanner. Maybe big $ on the big ones? On eBay, two very well regarded vendors have them: Wellspring has little ones for $9, and Martha who comes to this board from time to time has (slightly) larger ones for $27 a pair.

just j
02-16-2009, 07:53 PM
great job sandy im gonna have to try this but when i try stuff i usually #%@* everthing up

Lagniappe
02-16-2009, 08:46 PM
I forgot all about the pics until I saw this thread come up again :P
Here goes:
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=15697&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=15697)
You can see that the corm is being pushed way out and is looking like old cardboard. The roots that are on top were white and beautiful but are browning now. I should have added soil but never did. If you zoom in and look in the sides of the corm, you can see that the roots have burrowed through it.

I need to weed my pots..lol
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=15696&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=15696)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=15700&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=15700)

raggedyredhead
02-16-2009, 09:01 PM
You guys make me want to see if I can grow one myself up here in Buffalo, NY. I've been debating as to whether or not to do it as I keep reading how hard they are grow and hold over the winter. I don't know if it would take being dug up in fall to be taken inside for the winter or not. Any ideas on this? I'm just supprised at how much they cost as it is and I have a chance to get them through a co-op in Dave's website as little plants so any help would be appreciated :)

Hi to everyone. It's been awhile since I posted. It's cold here in NJ.
My bananas are actually showing signs of the coming of spring. I have a good size Ensete Maurelli and yes they are expensive here. I got a good deal at $50.00 for one with a 4.5ft pseudo trunk. I was determined to keep it alive. It has been living in my basement under fluorescents. It has produced two new leaves. The second one is ready to open. This is a first time experience for me. I trimmed the old dried leaves yesterday. It looks pretty good.
Also, My dwarf musa slowly died off leaving me with two very leafy pups. They started growing last summer around Aug. I recently cut away the mother plant leaving pups to grow on. So I guess you can go bananas in NJ
Why not in Buffalo too!! Give it a try!!!
Raggedy:waving:

Lagniappe
02-16-2009, 10:31 PM
I've said it before in several threads: My Maurelii are far more cold tolerant than any of my Musa (and other Ensete). They try to push leaves all winter when the days are warm and they are the first to push growth in the spring.

MG
02-16-2009, 11:04 PM
Didn't realize they were significantly much more than any other nanner. Maybe big $ on the big ones? On eBay, two very well regarded vendors have them: Wellspring has little ones for $9, and Martha who comes to this board from time to time has (slightly) larger ones for $27 a pair.

Hi! Martha here! It's true, I don't get here often. Then again, I don't get anywhere other than the greenhouses, Ebay and the 'home'. There's a recession going on and I can never seem to find anyone that wants to work in the greenhouses. Go figure. So, I do all the work w/the help of 3 people...namely, me, myself and I, lol.

Anyhoot, my Maurelii's are bigger than a starter plant. Most are at least a year old and some are 2 years old. I just bumped many yesterday from 1 gallon to 2's and 3's. Thanks for the referral!

raggedyredhead
02-16-2009, 11:09 PM
I forgot all about the pics until I saw this thread come up again :P
Here goes:
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=15697&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=15697)
You can see that the corm is being pushed way out and is looking like old cardboard. The roots that are on top were white and beautiful but are browning now. I should have added soil but never did. If you zoom in and look in the sides of the corm, you can see that the roots have burrowed through it.

I need to weed my pots..lol
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=15696&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=15696)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=15700&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=15700)
Pictures look great! How big was the mother plant that produced pups. How
Old?
Thanks Raggedy:2722:

Tog Tan
02-17-2009, 02:53 AM
Hi Pete, absolute great pixs. Please keep us updated when you decide to separate them. Get pix detail of the rooting by the pups, etc. Do let us know of the final count of pups. Btw, how did you start on this? It was not mentioned in your postings. Were you trying out your new Samurai sword you ordered from Cold Steel? :ha:Thanks again!

Bananaman88
02-17-2009, 07:20 AM
Pete,

Hey, buddy! Haven't talked to you lately. It looks like you're maurellii's are coming along great! How many viable plants do you thing you can get from those two corms?

Your hydroponics venture seems to be coming along nicely too.

Lagniappe
02-17-2009, 10:33 AM
I tried to count the ones on the larger corm and stopped around 50. The thing is, there are also tiny plantlets on there that are crammed in between the others. They're rooted and will grow on but not until the thing falls apart and they can be potted.
I decided to try this after seing Threads of other members who had done it successfully and had a plant on hand that had been damaged.

jack hagenaars
02-17-2009, 03:56 PM
Hey Planter.....I dig mine out every fall and pot them up and then keep them in a unheated garage...water them once a month...the old leaves eventually die but new ones are already emerging....no lights only one tiny window....granted it isnt a new york winter here but it does keep them alive long enough until spring.....jack

Planter56
02-17-2009, 07:02 PM
Thank you for that information Jack. That is what I was wondering about. I know that BC doesn't get like it does here during the winter but at least I know that they'll survive the treatment :goteam:

I looked at your pictures and I was wondering if you Agave survived the snow?

Extreme Bananas
03-11-2009, 07:21 PM
Has anyone tried using BAP (Benzylaminopurine) on Ensete Maurelii to stimulate the production of offsets? This chemical is used in the hosta and daylily trade to increase production of plants. I plan on getting some BAP and trying it to see how it works on Maurelii. Since the main stem does not need to be severed at the base, it may produce offsets more quickly. Or it could slow down the process. In either case, it will be less painful to the plant, lol.

Ed

jack hagenaars
04-04-2009, 11:37 PM
Yes my agave did survive the snow...its not the cold that gets them its the wetness combined with cold temperatures that kills the growing spear...but I have a clear roof over the cactus bed to keep most of the rain off....it pups like mad...I probably get about 30 pups every year....This was one of the coldest winters we have had in years....it does have some frost damage in spots..but as it warms up I will take the older leaves off...I'll post some pics once it warms up....cheers Jack

jack hagenaars
04-04-2009, 11:42 PM
Ajnyone have any culture info on ensete maurelii...Mine has started to grow new leaves already and will be going outside soon...I took down a 60 foot birch tree and have a big sunny hole to fill...hoping to put some musa bajoo and get the ensete out there to fill the space...would like to get the ensete as big as possible to block my neighbors back door......

sandy0225
04-07-2009, 02:29 PM
Here's my update. I saw that they had roots on them, but they hadn't rooted through the corm yet. I separated them carefully with a knife and put them in 4" pots. This picture was taken part way through the separation process.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=16513&size=1
I came up with 18 pups separated, some will need dividing again later because it looked like two stems were coming from one root mass. Not counting the one I kind of killed with the knife.
Not a quick way to propagate by any means, but seems to be effective if you have some time and patience.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=16512&size=1
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=16511&size=1
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=16510&size=1
The weird part was that there were still little tiny ones sprouting in the center of the corm, so I left them to see if this thing will regrow and get more pups. The remaining corm was still very crispy and crunchy and fresh.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=16514&size=1

Tog Tan
04-07-2009, 02:32 PM
Wow Sandy! I got so thrilled when I saw the pix before this post. Congrats! I am really fascinated that they have grown so fast since the last post by you. Keep us updated. Thanks again! :02:

Bananaman88
04-07-2009, 02:33 PM
Nice! Looks like that little experiment went very well for you. Thanks for the update.

sandy0225
04-07-2009, 02:36 PM
I actually thought there would be more than 18, but not bad for a first try. I bet if you started with a bigger/older plant than one year, then it would be more pups. I don't know why my camera makes them look so yellow. They're not yellowish at all. I need to work on my photography skills which are non-existent!

Bob
04-07-2009, 03:22 PM
Pretty cool for something that's not supposed to be possible.:woohoonaner:

harveyc
04-07-2009, 03:35 PM
Wow Sandy! I got so thrilled when I saw the pix before this post.

Me too! I kept checking to see if you posted, glad to see it worked out well!

Harvey

john_ny
04-07-2009, 04:05 PM
That third picture is really great. Congrats.

austinl01
04-07-2009, 06:57 PM
That is totally awesome! I can't believe it turned into that many pups!!!

Java16
04-07-2009, 09:23 PM
This is amazing! Does anyone know if this method will work for other ensete species or maybe even musa?

alpha010
04-08-2009, 06:15 AM
Well, we know what's going be in the Northern Tropics greenhouses this next year ;oD Good job Sandy, very glad you took that leap and helped us learn a few things! Feel free to nudge me if you get more pups than you can handle...

Shaggy

Chironex
04-17-2009, 09:12 PM
Has anyone tried using BAP (Benzylaminopurine) on Ensete Maurelii to stimulate the production of offsets? This chemical is used in the hosta and daylily trade to increase production of plants. I plan on getting some BAP and trying it to see how it works on Maurelii. Since the main stem does not need to be severed at the base, it may produce offsets more quickly. Or it could slow down the process. In either case, it will be less painful to the plant, lol.

Ed

Hi Ed,
I have BAP but have not tried it on any Ensetes. Ensetes do not typically pup like Musa. But if you have information that the use of BAP may cause this to occur, I would sure like to read it!
How much BAP are you looking for? I have quite a few bottles of it. A little goes a loooooooong way.

sirmoebly
04-19-2009, 11:10 PM
I've noticed some people has these plants with short & stocky pstems & some are long. Why is that? It seems the shorter (stocky) ones is from cold storage or I should say colder areas mabe? Just taking a guess.

Extreme Bananas
04-20-2009, 07:50 PM
Hi Ed,
I have BAP but have not tried it on any Ensetes. Ensetes do not typically pup like Musa. But if you have information that the use of BAP may cause this to occur, I would sure like to read it!
How much BAP are you looking for? I have quite a few bottles of it. A little goes a loooooooong way.

Hi Scot. I do not have any information on BAP use on Ensetes or Musa. I was planning on ordering a 2-oz container (makes 1/2 gallon) for $30 plus $5 postage to try. I would rather buy 2 ounces from you, or whatever bottle size you have, than from the other guy. I got some Z. 'Lime Zinger's from him years ago, and they were tiiiiiinnnnnnnnnny and didn't do too well.

Ed
:lurk: I really like popcorn.

Chironex
04-20-2009, 08:20 PM
Ed, Send me a PM and I will hook you up. When you make BAP solution, it really should be only what you need. Keep the vial in the refrigerator and only make what you will use. (you do not need much)

bjorkid
04-26-2009, 09:55 AM
That is so cool! I recently got a "double mahoi" that had died back to the ground but put out a bazillion pups... I cut most of them out to make just a few of them stronger, but now i wonder if I sould have just let them grow out too. Its still pushing out new pups though, so I'm sure I'll have the chance.

Dalmatiansoap
03-04-2010, 06:39 AM
BUMP!:ha:
Hey sandy,
Can we get some updates on this one?
:woohoonaner:

sandy0225
03-04-2010, 08:29 PM
I don't have anything to update. I cut it up, potted them up separate and sold them. They did just fine, all 18 of them. I sold a few of them to bananas.org members I think.

oakshadows
09-15-2011, 03:14 PM
A bit late but am interested in trying this. Has anyone been trying this lately? Has anyone tried this with musa plants? This method could make propgation easier than tissue culture. Any updates appreciated. Thanks

nannerfunboi
09-15-2011, 09:00 PM
sirmobley..i wonder that too..
my oldest 3yrs old..maurelli.. got a huge pstem.. and leaves are
great big..but it didnt go "up" much.. its around 10 or 11' it was taller
last yr.. my glaucum on the other had..also a 3 yr old.. is HUGE..
its prob 15'.. and the pstem has been thickening up this last month..
leaves are super big..
guess it will be an ongoing experiment and observation on them...
thanks for others observations...

musa_monkey
09-16-2011, 04:46 PM
A bit late but am interested in trying this. Has anyone been trying this lately? Has anyone tried this with musa plants? This method could make propgation easier than tissue culture. Any updates appreciated. Thanks

Yes, i do this every year with at least one maurelii. With our weather unless they are kept in a heated area over winter they die rapidly so i usually keep one inside and force it to pup to ensure i have some for the following year.
It quite easy really i just scoop out the centre of the plant as per the first picture, cover it with a cloche and put it on a heat mat and they sprout within a couple of weeks.

Not tried this with musa but they tend to pup freely so its less of a problem to keep a stock.

Here's a few pictures.

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff14/musa_monkey/pup-4.jpg

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff14/musa_monkey/pup-5.jpg

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff14/musa_monkey/pupinside.jpg

oakshadows
11-03-2011, 10:47 AM
Any new pics? This is something that we will try next year if the plants get big enough, although we may just try one and see what happens. Thanks

musa_monkey
11-03-2011, 11:10 AM
These were taken a while ago. I am over wintering them inside and will see how they grow on next year. In the second photo i removed a few pups that had developed individual roots.

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff14/musa_monkey/mpups-1.jpg


http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff14/musa_monkey/pups.jpg

stevelau1911
11-04-2011, 01:32 AM
Does anyone have any extra ensete Mauraliis?

I have a couple already, but I'm afraid to try deep planting + top covering to try over-wintering them outdoors here unless I have some insurance.

stevelau1911
12-13-2011, 04:00 PM
My ensete maurelii got way too big, blocking out the entire window and shading out the plants on both sides of it so I decided to cut it down to the corm and hope it makes baby plants. This plant grows with no limits, and I'm quite surprised that it never slowed down when I took it inside. It seems like the south facing window is more than enough to make this thing more of a monster than it already is. Given that it will have a good 4 months indoors, that should be enough time to get good sized pups.

Does anyone know how long this takes or if I should cut the corm apart to encourage more sprouts? I'm hoping to produce as many as possible.

musa_monkey
12-14-2011, 02:46 AM
I wouldn't cut the corm apart, just cut it down and scoop out part of the meristem to start the process. If you can add some bottom heat that will speed it up. You should see pup growth within a month.

sandy0225
12-14-2011, 07:58 AM
You cut the plant off close to the ground, then you core down in the center part, to take out the growing point. Kind of like coring a tomato. Then the hole that you made when you did that coring fills up with a bumpy tissue that kind of looks like cauliflower, then it grows pups. Keep it good and warm and you'll have some nice pups to put out come spring.

stevelau1911
10-31-2012, 04:11 PM
Here's a pretty good idea where it may be possible to use the energy from the existing leaves to fuel the new pups. It might be possible to use a ceramic knife and cut directly down the middle of the entire pseudo-stem and corm.

Chances are that some of the leaves will rot, but I think that as long as the core is taken out, there should be new pups being produced from both halves of the banana. I'm not that experienced with bananas and I have never tried this, but I think this may be a better way of getting tons of ensete pups.

How does it sound?