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So as you can see from these pics, my Dwarf Orinico has been putting out some really odd new leaves since it came back after a chilly wet winter. But this latest leaf is only about 10" long.

Could this finally be the elusive flag leaf, or another false flag?

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Mudturkle

My Dwarf Orinoco recently sent up a flag leaf, but it was followed quickly by the flower stalk. I think you should have noticed the base of the plant getting really big first. That tells you that the true stem has started going up through the plant. When it gets to the top, then the plant makes the flag leaf. I notice that your p-stem had some kind of damage. If your plant didn't get noticeably bigger at the base, then it may be just another stunted or malformed leaf. I think you should know pretty quickly.

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Central Texas Zone 8B and Gulf Coast zone 9B: Raja Puri, Dw. Brazilian, Dw. Orinoco, Dw. NamWah, Dw. Cavendish, Dw. Green?, Dw. Red? Iholena Tigua, Veinte Cohol, Misi Luki, Pisang Raja.

Tytaylor77

That's a flag 100%. Unless I'm seeing things haha. You notice the thick base that has the pink color and tapers up fast. It's a flag leaf. You should see the flower come out right behind it in a few days!

Congrats!

Oh also that leaf to the left of the picture pointing towards us with the brown edges on both sides. That's a sign of overwatering! I know it's from the wet winter/spring. I was just commenting about it so everyone knows what it looks like! If you ever see that. Cut way back on the water!!!!!

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Thanks Taylor77. Let's hope you're right!
If you look at the 2nd pic of the pup, it's put on 90% of that size in the last 5 weeks. I guess the 90f-100f+ days have given things a kick.

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Well, looks like a small flower is showing itself....


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Richard

Bingo!

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Back in business at plantsthatproduce.com

crazy banana

Congratulations!

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Now the real race is on. We normally get our first frost late November, early December

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Mudturkle

Great! Ty Taylor evidently has a more experienced eye than I do! I didn't see the pink on the p-stem.

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Central Texas Zone 8B and Gulf Coast zone 9B: Raja Puri, Dw. Brazilian, Dw. Orinoco, Dw. NamWah, Dw. Cavendish, Dw. Green?, Dw. Red? Iholena Tigua, Veinte Cohol, Misi Luki, Pisang Raja.

Tytaylor77

You should be fine. If you want to make sure you can prune off a couple of the bottom hands. It will fill the remainder better so you can cut them early if needed. In 8b you should be ok. Even with Orinoco. Cut the nitrogen and give them all potassium here out!

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37.667910

Awesome!
I never heard of cutting the lower hands, and using just potassium for fert. I'll have a look for some since I only have nitrogen based in the garage atm.

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Tytaylor77

I use murate of potash. 0-0-60. It's strong stuff though! Be careful! About a heaping tablespoon. Try not to leave piles and water it in good! Also any low nitrogen higher potassium would work. It can have some nitrogen just not a lot. Nitrogen can cause the fingers to turn black. Lots of potassium is needed for filling!

Pruning is done worldwide by commercial growers. It makes those HUGE bananas you see in stores! It doesn't speed up ripening but does fill them faster. I have pruned half of a dwarf Orinoco bunch then harvest them at only 2 months from flower! They will not turn yellow without ethylene gas. So I cut off a hand at a time and put them in a paper bag with a couple apples. Perfect yellow in around a week! Still taste very good! A half of a bunch is better than a frozen whole bunch!

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edwmax

Be careful of MOP (murate of potash. 0-0-60). frequent and continued use can cause a buildup of chloride (salt). Not good, but usable with salt tolerant crops. Bananas (except a couple of varieties) are not salt tolerant. MOP is 60% to 62% potassium, K2O, and 45% chloride.

I use potassium sulfate, K2SO4. Which is 50 to 53 percent K2O and about 18 percent sulfur. The sulfur is usable by the plant and help to keep the soil slightly acidic.

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Double post.
Please delete.

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Tytaylor77

It depends on drainage. There is so very low ppm it would have to be 1000s of years and a sensitive plant in horriable draining soil. Bananas are not sensitive of Anything! They Boil the corms to kill nematodes and the plants stay alive! They are very amazing and very hardy plants!

Murate of potash is used all over. If you have sandy soil it's gonna drain through super fast. Murate is what 99% of banana plantations use. Potassium sulfate SOP messes with PH which is VERY dangerous. If you have acidic soil like me it is very dangerous! SOP/potassium sulfate is also a Man-Made chemical! MOP/Murate of potash is a rock/mineral from the earth. Studies I have found show the tiny amounts of Cl2 end up helping way more than harming!

Also MOP chloride is NOT cholorine!

Numerous references are made that wrongly interchange chlorine (Cl2) for chloride (Cl). Some inadvertently, some misinformed. Chemically, the two are completely NOT alike nor their effect on soil, plant and animals. The major negative affects many refer to with chlorides in fertilizer are assuming chlorine affects. This is NOT a fact.

Biologically in plants, chloride aids plant metabolism. Specifically chloride is necessary for the first step in splitting the water molecule (H2O) in the mitochondria inside cells. This eventually ends up producing the building blocks (CHO - carbohydrates) for producing amino acids and proteins.

It's all about concentration ppm (parts per million). For every 100lb potash 0-0-60 per acre of about 45lb is chloride would result in about 45 ppm in the top 3" of soil per acre (about 1,000,000 pounds soil). That's 0.001 pounds (0.47 grams) per square foot (surface area). That's it.

This concentration of chlorides actually enhances mycorrhizal fungi growth in soil that symbiotically enhances crop growth and development along with better soil health.

Plant and soil nutrition programs that neglect application of chlorides limit the crop from full genetic expression, maximum production and optimum nutrition.

If I knew I had lots of salt in my soil I would totally use SOP. For me MOP is the way to go. Works great! I have known several people who put SOP on their bananas and they pause for a month or more! No clue why it's just the info I was given by these people.

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edwmax

As I said in my above post 'be careful ' of using MOP. We're not talking about application on an acre basis, but in a 8 ft to 10 ft circle (50 to 80 sq ft) around the nana plant at 2 lbs or more per year. The packaged recommended application rate of 0-0-60 is 1/2 lb (1 cup) per 100 sq ft. ... Yes, low concentration of chloride is beneficial to growing crops, but this is usually sufficiently supplied by the general fertilizer. ... If your soil is already acidic, then Potassium nitrate is available. ... My soil is Ph neutral, I need acidic based fertilizer (vegetable garden type) and the acidic benefits of potassium sulfate. But, still have to watch that too much is not used.

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Is it me, or is this inflorescence really small?
Can't see too many bananas appearing from this.

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beam2050

worry will give you hives and rashes

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npk of wood ash 0/1/3 to 0/3/7

npk of banana leaf ash 1.75/0.75/0.5

hdynad

excited for you, keep the pics coming!

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Currently growing, , DGM Highgate, Blue Java, Dwarf Red, Dwarf Brazilian , Ensete Glaucum, Pitogo, Hoa Moa, Raja Puri, Thai Black, VG Chaing Rai, Manzano, Praying Hands. Yunnan, Hawiaan Crown, Dwarf Red Plantain

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Weekly progress report lol

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