Re: ensete maurelii red-creating pups
 

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.

Re: ensete maurelii red-creating pups
 

A weekly foliar feed helps things along too.

Re: ensete maurelii red-creating pups
 

Thanks very much, thats great advice.

Re: ensete maurelii red-creating pups
 

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.

Re: ensete maurelii red-creating pups
 

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.

Re: ensete maurelii red-creating pups
 

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:

Re: ensete maurelii red-creating pups
 

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.

Re: ensete maurelii red-creating pups
 

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 :)

Re: ensete maurelii red-creating pups
 

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.

Re: ensete maurelii red-creating pups
 

great job sandy im gonna have to try this but when i try stuff i usually #%@* everthing up

Re: ensete maurelii red-creating pups
 

I forgot all about the pics until I saw this thread come up again :P
Here goes:

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

Re: ensete maurelii red-creating pups
 

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:

Re: ensete maurelii red-creating pups
 

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.

Re: ensete maurelii red-creating pups
 

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!

Re: ensete maurelii red-creating pups
 

Pictures look great! How big was the mother plant that produced pups. How
Old?
Thanks Raggedy:2722:

Re: ensete maurelii red-creating pups
 

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!

Re: ensete maurelii red-creating pups
 

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.

Re: ensete maurelii red-creating pups
 

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.

Re: ensete maurelii red-creating pups
 

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

Re: ensete maurelii red-creating pups
 

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?