My thriving five year old stopped thriving

Shmu · 12-20-2015, 08:24 AM

Hi all,
I live in Cedarhurst NY and we have a 5 yr old plant that we raised indoors from a pup In its heyday, as it matured it would unfold a big beautiful leaf on average every 10 to 20 days. Some time midsummer I decided to re pot it from a large pot to an obscenely large pot because it had stopped growing and the I waited for some result to my effort. It didn't resume growing , buy as far as I can tell it wasn't dying either. A short time after that I noticed the first pup sprouting up near the main plant . When it was 14 inches tall I detached it from the rootball, planted it in its own pot & it's been growing nicely but still no growth from the main plant . A month ago the main plant yielded 2 more pups which I have since detached and planted . In the past two weeks the main plant began to deteriorate. The leave wilted and turned brown. I removed all the brown leaves and peeled back the stem until I got down to a green layer and left it alone with 3 large wilting leaves remaining, and I've been waiting for its next move. This morning I noticed yet another pup popping up out of the soil so I know that there is still life there .
What should I be doing now to save the mother plant ?
Thanks, Shmu

Snarkie · 12-20-2015, 02:00 PM

Hi Shmu-

Welcome to the Banana Express!

Someone will chime in and correct me if I am wrong, but it sounds like the natural life and death cycle of the plant. At some point, the mother will die back, which is why she produces the pups.

Shmu · 12-20-2015, 05:13 PM

If so should I be cutting down the main stem?

scottu · 12-20-2015, 06:25 PM

pic would help but, after 5 years it's likely done. If it puts out another pup just let it take over.

siege2050 · 12-20-2015, 09:43 PM

Pretty sure that mother stem has decided to stop for some reason, pupping is an indicator. My Musa Sikkimensis is cranky and will stop growing sometimes for no apparent reason, and then will start pupping. I cut the pstem down to ground level to see if it will restart, but never does and starts to decline.

12-20-2015, 08:24 AM	#1 (permalink)
Shmu Join Date: Aug 2015 Posts: 2 BananaBucks : 1,723 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 2 Times in 1 Post Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	My thriving five year old stopped thriving Hi all, I live in Cedarhurst NY and we have a 5 yr old plant that we raised indoors from a pup In its heyday, as it matured it would unfold a big beautiful leaf on average every 10 to 20 days. Some time midsummer I decided to re pot it from a large pot to an obscenely large pot because it had stopped growing and the I waited for some result to my effort. It didn't resume growing , buy as far as I can tell it wasn't dying either. A short time after that I noticed the first pup sprouting up near the main plant . When it was 14 inches tall I detached it from the rootball, planted it in its own pot & it's been growing nicely but still no growth from the main plant . A month ago the main plant yielded 2 more pups which I have since detached and planted . In the past two weeks the main plant began to deteriorate. The leave wilted and turned brown. I removed all the brown leaves and peeled back the stem until I got down to a green layer and left it alone with 3 large wilting leaves remaining, and I've been waiting for its next move. This morning I noticed yet another pup popping up out of the soil so I know that there is still life there . What should I be doing now to save the mother plant ? Thanks, Shmu

12-20-2015, 02:00 PM	#2 (permalink)
Snarkie The Cat Whisperer Location: Charlotte, NC Zone: 8b, pushing 9a Name: D.A. Hänks Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 2,119 BananaBucks : 175,105 Feedback: 5 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,218 Times Was Thanked 1,976 Times in 1,145 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1,049 Times	Re: My thriving five year old stopped thriving Hi Shmu- Welcome to the Banana Express! Someone will chime in and correct me if I am wrong, but it sounds like the natural life and death cycle of the plant. At some point, the mother will die back, which is why she produces the pups. __________________ Doug (D.A. Hänks) http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2955582/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 The Only Eastern Redwood Forest in America "Nuke my 'nanners, will you?!"

12-20-2015, 05:13 PM	#3 (permalink)
Shmu Join Date: Aug 2015 Posts: 2 BananaBucks : 1,723 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 2 Times in 1 Post Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: My thriving five year old stopped thriving If so should I be cutting down the main stem?

12-20-2015, 06:25 PM	#4 (permalink)
scottu <div style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="font-weight: bold;">&lt;div style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;di v style=&amp;quot;font-weight: bold;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&a mp;amp;lt;di v sty scottu 's Photo Gallery Location: Bethlehem,Pa. Find me on the map! Zone: 6 Name: scott Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 1,192 BananaBucks : 16,004 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,595 Times Was Thanked 857 Times in 368 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 3,323 Times	Re: My thriving five year old stopped thriving pic would help but, after 5 years it's likely done. If it puts out another pup just let it take over. __________________ Viva La Banana

12-20-2015, 09:43 PM	#5 (permalink)
siege2050 Hobby obsessor maximus Location: Oklahoma Find me on the map! Zone: zone 7 Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 1,092 BananaBucks : 411,812 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 854 Times Was Thanked 1,295 Times in 614 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 85 Times	Re: My thriving five year old stopped thriving Pretty sure that mother stem has decided to stop for some reason, pupping is an indicator. My Musa Sikkimensis is cranky and will stop growing sometimes for no apparent reason, and then will start pupping. I cut the pstem down to ground level to see if it will restart, but never does and starts to decline. __________________ If you don't eat yer meat, you can't have any Banana pudding! How can you have any Banana pudding if you don't eat yer meat?! Click for weather forecast

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