Snarkie

I'm used to dealing with trees and similar plants with actual roots, so I wanted feedback on this issue.

Is it okay or needed, to soak Musa basjoo in rooting compound prior to putting into the ground? Any thoughts or experience appreciated, thanks.

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Tortuga

Here's my basic understanding of rooting compound:

Rooting compound is used when a cutting is taken from a branch or stem of a plant. Branches and stems all have the capability of rooting if they are put into soil, and even if they are not separated from the plant but merely bent over and partially buried they will still form roots under the dirt eventually. There is a process within the cells that come in contact with the dirt that causes them to switch from vegetative growth and production over to producing roots. This is done with the production of hormones that tell the plant to start producing roots at that location.

Rooting compound either is a a mixture containing this hormone, or is a mix of nutrients that promote the production of this hormone in the specified cells to trigger the switch to producing roots rather than vegetative growth.

Therefore, rooting compound is most useful on non-root locations of plant matter, and is much less useful on actual root locations of plants which are already programmed to produce more roots. If the rooting compound is merely a specific fertilizer/nutrient combination that is for promoting root growth (high potassium/phosphorus, super low nitrogen) then this would always be beneficial to root growth and should be used any time one is trying to promote a larger or stronger root network.

I hope that was at least somewhat helpful to you.

Francisco Figueroa

Rooting hormons are best to employ to estimulate cuttings to develope roots. If the Musa basjoo, or any other plant, has already its own roots, or is starting to grow them, then rooting hormons like Indolbutiric Acid, IBA, etc could cause the destruction of fine roots, these hormons although exist in the nature are fitotoxic in the concentrations we use and they are also carcinogenic, so they must be handled with protection and carefully.
By the other hand, if the rooting compound is just a rich soil with stimulants, aminoacids and nutrients for the plant, they can be of much help to stablish and increase the rootsystem when planting a plant already with roots, and foster rooting in cuttings which can root without much complications.

Snarkie

Thanks for the replies. What I have is not for rooting cuttings, but a liquid concentrate to place existing roots in, to develop more. I'll have to look on the side of the jug and see what is actually in it.

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Snarkie

It's called "Root Stimulator and Transplanting Solution."

The label is so fubared from being outside all these years that I can't tell what the chemical is.

Update:
Naphthaleneacetic acid and indolobutyric acid + vitamin B1 and thiamine hydrochloride.

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Francisco Figueroa

NAA and IBA acids are not so good for already existing fine roots, google for tech literature on them, but this depends on the concentration, if it is weak this may be not tah bad.

Snarkie

Great, thanks. I typically use a weaker solution for a longer period of time on trees and yuccas, so that might work here as well.

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Richard

Bananas are bulbs ... or more correctly, annual tropicals spurned from corms.

Thinking of a fruiting banana as an oversized Iris that sets fruit is not too far off the mark.

Bananas are definitely not trees or anything close to a perennial plant.

IF you receive a corm and wish to enhance root development with a rooting hormone ... go for it. No harm will come from the effort.

IF you receive a corm and want to inoculate with mycorrhizae -- go for it, the species is compatible with typical commercial mycorrhizae products.

IF you want your fruiting banana to grow and prosper, then feed it with N:P:K ratios of 2:1:3 -- tempered by your local conditions. Those growers south of the Florida Panhandle can get by with less N and P, but for the rest of the continental U.S. it is important. Other standard horticultural practices are also important: keeping the pH (dictated by the pH of irrigation water) in around 6.1 to 6.4, having a soil with drainage, keeping the soil evaporation rate down with a thick layer of mulch, etc.

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Francisco Figueroa

Rooting hormones are of help in rooting bulbs and corms, they are used with hyacinths etc to reporduce them and get planlets in nurseries, the problem I stated is when the are used in high concentrations for short time bath of the vegetal material to root (as those usual an convenient in rooting wooden cuttings of trees etc) but when used very much diluted (i.e., for 24 or 48 h bath of the cuttings) they will not be that harmful for cuttings, plants or corms with an already developing or developed root system, but they are not realy needed, since ther is already a root system...
Mycorrhizae is definetively a very good advise, the fungus associated to the rootsystem not only helps the plant to get the nutrients, it also protects it against pathogens, by two mechanism: as an antagonist of the pathogen (in competision to colonize the plant's rizosphere) and in some cases (Trichodermas, Glomus...) as a counter-pathogen, but specially, by promoting the SAR, Systemic Acquired Resistance and Systemic Induced Resistance in the plant; in bananas this could be interesting against fusarium etc.

Snarkie

Thanks Guys. I will definitely soak them in solution prior to planting then.

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cincinnana

This is a photo of mine that Richard is speaking about, it will give you an idea of what these products are capable of in a short time.
I use it because it gives me an edge with my short growing season.

This plant has been inoculated with rooting hormone and a mychorrhizea enriched soiless mix .
I think the plant has been in the container for 60 days in zone 5/6.

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sunfish

It is not needed.

Richard

A little clarification about mycorrhizae:

• It is not a panacea for plants.
• Cultivation practices that lead to over-development of mycorrhizae in the soil can be detrimental to plants, leading to root asphyxiation with chlorosis-like symptoms, crown rot, and the like. This is especially true when well-meaning gardeners follow the myth of not adding sulfur or phosphate to their soil to avoid killing mycorrhizae. A balance is needed.
• Not all species are compatible with all plants. It is an over-generalization to say that mycorrhizae is beneficial to all plants.
• Some plants such as certain species of Vacciniums and Rhododendrons are only compatible with specific mycorrhizae from found in their native environment. It is rarely sold in the U.S. due to the very short shelf life. Other types of mycorrhizae will not hurt them but will not offer any benefit either.
• Some crops -- including the broad genus Brassica -- do not interact with mycorrhizae to my knowledge. I believe there is no benefit to using mycorrhizae with these crops.
• As I mentioned earlier about Bananas, they will interact with the common strains of mycorrhizae in products sold in the U.S.

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cincinnana

Check this post out when you get a chance..
I could answer future questions that you might have.

Hibernating a basjoo

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Richard

Do Basjoo really need to hybernate in research triangle NC? I was under the impression they did just fine outdoors year-round there.

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cincinnana

They do just fine here in Ohio and much better as you travel south.
There is nobody that I am aware of locally that builds any kind of hut device to attempt to keep the p-stem alive.

Actually I should have linked to my post instead of the thread .....I will fix that .
The plants have performed well locally and a bit north in Michigan at another site, with additional mulch protection and 3 to 4 feet of insulating snow each winter.

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Snarkie

Thanks Mike! very informative post and the pics were awesome! I thought I was seeing things at first with that T-rex in the background, LOL. I like the way they lined the pathways with the nautical piles and rope. I've been trying to locate PT posts that small to do the same thing along my driveway, but can't find them anywhere. You wouldn't happen to know their source, would you?

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The Only Eastern Redwood Forest in America




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Snarkie

I'm in Charlotte, and all the ones I've seen have been either just cut back or left alone. None have even been mulched, let alone covered in any way.

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The Only Eastern Redwood Forest in America




"Nuke my 'nanners, will you?!"

Snarkie

I took them out of the pots yesterday and they already had new roots up to six inches long. As long as I had them out, I decided to soak them in solution for 15 minutes and re-pot. Interesting to see what the difference is when I plant them in about six weeks. I'll soak them once again when I plant them and monitor the progress.

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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?!"