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View Full Version : Can a 1/2 chopped of plant make bananas?


Eric
07-17-2009, 05:29 PM
I've never grown from corms or from banana plants that were chopped in half. Can 2 feet be chopped off a 5 foot banana & still have a mother plant that could grow & make bananas?

LilRaverBoi
07-17-2009, 06:00 PM
Hmmm....that's a great question! I don't have a definitive answer for you....but I would think, theoretically, yes. I'm sure it would stress the plant a lot, but it shouldn't kill it. Hell, you can chop the entire top of, uproot it and chop the corm into pieces and it'll probably still live. If you do chop the top off, only the bottom part is going to be any good, though. You can't just cut the plant in half and get both parts to grow....the top portion won't root and will just end up dying, but I'm pretty sure the bottom part will keep growing just fine. As for the effect of this on fruiting, I really don't know for sure.

Let's hope we get some good responses in here...I'd like to hear what the experts have to say!

turtile
07-17-2009, 06:07 PM
As long as the flower isn't within the pseudostem, it will be able to flower.

banfan
07-17-2009, 06:23 PM
The first five bananas that I planted came from a friend who had cut the plants in half.....they all looked miserable when I planted them. Four of them have fruited at least once in the last 18 months. The fifth has just fruited and has 10 hands on its first bunch and the mat is overpopulated.:waving:

Eric
07-17-2009, 06:29 PM
Hmmm....If you do chop the top off, only the bottom part is going to be any good, though. You can't just cut the plant in half and get both parts to grow.......
Let's hope we get some good responses in here...I'd like to hear what the experts have to say!

Then it's Definitely Not related to purple cabbage :).
Thanx for the help, guys :) :) :) :) !!!!

BTW, has anyone ever shipped a banana pup? If so, do you ship it with or without dirt around the corm & roots?

LilRaverBoi
07-17-2009, 08:33 PM
All the ones that have been shipped to me were either in a pot or with moist soil (and the roots/soil was in a baggy to keep it from drying out). I would say you'd have better luck with keeping some soil on there and moisture.

Eric
07-17-2009, 08:50 PM
Thanx, RaverBoi :) ! That completes the circuit! Will make my 1st attempt ever, Monday, at shipping a live plant! BTW, can't link just now... Any great music at those links of yours :) ?

Gabe15
07-17-2009, 11:13 PM
I would recommend shipping without soil, and if it is a pup (not TC), then without roots as well. It does not hurt the plant and you can reduce or eliminate the accidental transfer of pathogenic critters and fungi that may be in the soil. In general, its not a good idea to ship soil unless its absolutely necessary, in the case of banana pups, it is not needed at all. I usually wash off all the soil, cut off the roots, trim the leaves and wrap the corm in moist paper towels and put a plastic bag around the corm only and tie it off around the pseudostem.

buzzwinder
07-18-2009, 04:02 AM
Every plant I've gotten via mail, has had the dirt washed off and most of the leaves and roots cut, wrapped in moist paper and they have all done fine and grown great.

Eric
07-18-2009, 04:17 AM
Thanx :). Hadn't even considered the pathogenic angle. Microbial elements controlled in this environment could go unchecked in an entirely new environment.

banfan
07-19-2009, 10:07 PM
I attended a banana workshop on Saturday and the preferred method taught was to wash off all of the soil from the sword sucker, trim off the roots, peel back a few layers of the lower P-stem (The P-stem peels off in layers like an onion.), then soak the lower portion of the plant in a 20 to 1 water/Clorox solution for about 5 minutes.

The P-stem should then be left exposed to the air for a few days to harden off before re-planting.

Re-plant about 5 to 6 inches deeper than it was previously growing.

I hope this helps.