Flag Leaf on Container Ice Cream!! Nutrition for Fruiting?

andy17 · 09-10-2013, 12:28 PM

Hey everyone,
I am so excited! I went out this morning to water some plants and saw a flag leaf unfurling on my Ice Cream banana! It's on its second year in a 30 gal smart pot. It definitely looks cramped, but still pretty healthy. There might have at best two more months of warmish weather before the first frosts, so I don't think the fruit will be able to ripen completely outdoors. Is it possible to bring the plant in and have it finish ripening on the plant indoors? Several of the leaves also look unhealthy. I've fertilized several times with Miracle Grow and High Yield Grower's Special, which seems to have helped, but not cured the problem. I suspect a nutrient deficiency (I'm thinking potassium), but I'm not sure. I posted a few pictures of the leaves in question. Any help or suggestions would be really appreciated. Thanks!

caliboy1994 · 09-10-2013, 12:36 PM

Very nice! And yes, that does look like potassium deficiency. Some Sul-Po-Mag should fix that up.

sunfish · 09-10-2013, 01:18 PM

Not potassium deficiency

andy17 · 09-10-2013, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunfish

Not potassium deficiency

That's very interesting. Do you have any idea what might be the cause?

I was out of town for about a week last month and had it on a soaker hose for 30 min everyday. It was really hot and dry so I aired on the side of too much water than not enough--apparently, it was a LOT of water haha When I came back, I noticed these leaves were definitely worse looking than before. Not sure if that has anything to do with it or not, but I thought it might be worth mentioning. Thanks!

caliboy1994 · 09-10-2013, 01:39 PM

The curling of the end of the leaf that I see in one picture looks like potassium deficiency to me. But Tony is more experienced than me, so he probably has a better idea of what's going on.

You also might want to get yourself a larger container. That plant is probably rootbound to oblivion.

andy17 · 09-10-2013, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caliboy1994

The curling of the end of the leaf that I see in one picture looks like potassium deficiency to me. But Tony is more experienced than me, so he probably has a better idea of what's going on.

You also might want to get yourself a larger container. That plant is probably rootbound to oblivion.

Thanks caliboy1994! From the nutrition guide from the HAFIA group, it certainly seems to match the symptoms of potassium deficiency. The primary fertilizer I've been using is actually rather low in potassium. I believe it's like 12-6-6, so that could at least play some role in the leaf health. No doubt, being that root bound is probably really wearing on the plant. I had originally planned on planting it in the ground this summer, but decided against it, when it seemed that the plant wasn't going to flower this year. I might definitely look at transplanting it to a 45 or 60 gallon container. It doesn't look like overwatering by chance does it? Thanks!

sandy0225 · 09-10-2013, 02:50 PM

That looks like a "preflag" leaf to me. It's not the flag yet. You could repot it if you want to, but then won't it be awfully hard to bring in? The number of bananas that one is going to have is already set by the care it's already received, so you won't be able to change that. I'd probably not repot it. I would definitely continue with regular fertilization. I don't think it really has any kind of deficiency or problem. Those leaves probably were just damaged when it was really hot and dry out. trim off the ugly parts and the plant will look better. Whatever it was, it's over it now because the new leaves look good, so it was a past occurrence. Congratulations!

caliboy1994 · 09-10-2013, 04:06 PM

I would wait to repot it until after the main stem is finished flowering. You might stress the plant.

Olafhenny · 09-10-2013, 09:48 PM

My take is, that the poor thing is starving. My wife often refers to fertilizer as "vitamins", and she has
a point. If you put me in such a little pot and fed me nothing but vitamin pills. I would grow yellow and
wilting leaves too.

If it was mine I would prepare a bigger pot and stick it in. If you are concerned about transplanting
shock this close to flowering, you may keep it in the pot, but cut large vertical strips out of it with some
tin shears, but most importantly maintain the same compass orientation. If you use this method, then
the remainder of the pot will remain entangled in the roots for good, but that will cause no harm as the
roots will grow through its gaps and all around it.

GreenFin · 09-10-2013, 10:29 PM

Congrats!

I've read in the archives here about people bringing in potted plants with hanging fruit and getting the bananas to ripen indoors. I would definitely give it a shot!

09-10-2013, 12:36 PM	#2 (permalink)
caliboy1994 <div style="font-style: italic;"><div style="font-style: italic;"></div></div> caliboy1994's Photo Gallery Location: SFV, California Find me on the map! Zone: USDA zone 10a; Sunset zone 18/19 Name: Andreas Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 2,301 BananaBucks : 285,903 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 1,474 Times Was Thanked 2,196 Times in 1,148 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 236 Times	Re: Flag Leaf on Container Ice Cream!! Nutrition for Fruiting? Very nice! And yes, that does look like potassium deficiency. Some Sul-Po-Mag should fix that up. __________________ "The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings." ~ Masanobu Fukuoka Find me on linktree here as Solarpunk Farmer: https://linktr.ee/solarpunkfarmer

09-10-2013, 01:18 PM	#3 (permalink)
sunfish Banned sunfish's Photo Gallery Location: San Diego Find me on the map! Zone: 9-11 Name: Tony Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 18,429 BananaBucks : 1,244,275 Feedback: 8 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,210 Times Was Thanked 20,592 Times in 7,760 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 2,716 Times	Re: Flag Leaf on Container Ice Cream!! Nutrition for Fruiting? Not potassium deficiency

09-10-2013, 01:39 PM	#5 (permalink)
caliboy1994 <div style="font-style: italic;"><div style="font-style: italic;"></div></div> caliboy1994's Photo Gallery Location: SFV, California Find me on the map! Zone: USDA zone 10a; Sunset zone 18/19 Name: Andreas Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 2,301 BananaBucks : 285,903 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 1,474 Times Was Thanked 2,196 Times in 1,148 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 236 Times	Re: Flag Leaf on Container Ice Cream!! Nutrition for Fruiting? The curling of the end of the leaf that I see in one picture looks like potassium deficiency to me. But Tony is more experienced than me, so he probably has a better idea of what's going on. You also might want to get yourself a larger container. That plant is probably rootbound to oblivion. __________________ "The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings." ~ Masanobu Fukuoka Find me on linktree here as Solarpunk Farmer: https://linktr.ee/solarpunkfarmer

09-10-2013, 02:50 PM	#7 (permalink)
sandy0225 Northern Tropics sandy0225's Photo Gallery Location: Muncie, Indiana zone 5 Find me on the map! Zone: zone 5 Name: Sandy Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 1,718 BananaBucks : 410,381 Feedback: 31 / 97% Said "Thanks" 38 Times Was Thanked 1,801 Times in 682 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 9 Times	Re: Flag Leaf on Container Ice Cream!! Nutrition for Fruiting? That looks like a "preflag" leaf to me. It's not the flag yet. You could repot it if you want to, but then won't it be awfully hard to bring in? The number of bananas that one is going to have is already set by the care it's already received, so you won't be able to change that. I'd probably not repot it. I would definitely continue with regular fertilization. I don't think it really has any kind of deficiency or problem. Those leaves probably were just damaged when it was really hot and dry out. trim off the ugly parts and the plant will look better. Whatever it was, it's over it now because the new leaves look good, so it was a past occurrence. Congratulations! __________________ Sandy Burrell Northern Tropics Greenhouse 1501 East Fuson Road Muncie, IN 47302 www.northerntropics.com specializing in bananas, heirloom tomatoes and water gardening plants~ check out our new online store at our website!

09-10-2013, 04:06 PM	#8 (permalink)
caliboy1994 <div style="font-style: italic;"><div style="font-style: italic;"></div></div> caliboy1994's Photo Gallery Location: SFV, California Find me on the map! Zone: USDA zone 10a; Sunset zone 18/19 Name: Andreas Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 2,301 BananaBucks : 285,903 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 1,474 Times Was Thanked 2,196 Times in 1,148 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 236 Times	Re: Flag Leaf on Container Ice Cream!! Nutrition for Fruiting? I would wait to repot it until after the main stem is finished flowering. You might stress the plant. __________________ "The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings." ~ Masanobu Fukuoka Find me on linktree here as Solarpunk Farmer: https://linktr.ee/solarpunkfarmer

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09-10-2013, 09:48 PM	#9 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 269,996 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Re: Flag Leaf on Container Ice Cream!! Nutrition for Fruiting? My take is, that the poor thing is starving. My wife often refers to fertilizer as "vitamins", and she has a point. If you put me in such a little pot and fed me nothing but vitamin pills. I would grow yellow and wilting leaves too. If it was mine I would prepare a bigger pot and stick it in. If you are concerned about transplanting shock this close to flowering, you may keep it in the pot, but cut large vertical strips out of it with some tin shears, but most importantly maintain the same compass orientation. If you use this method, then the remainder of the pot will remain entangled in the roots for good, but that will cause no harm as the roots will grow through its gaps and all around it. __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

09-10-2013, 10:29 PM	#10 (permalink)
GreenFin Location: Kansas Zone: 6a Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 595 BananaBucks : 96,527 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 1,396 Times Was Thanked 939 Times in 334 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 44 Times	Re: Flag Leaf on Container Ice Cream!! Nutrition for Fruiting? Congrats! I've read in the archives here about people bringing in potted plants with hanging fruit and getting the bananas to ripen indoors. I would definitely give it a shot! __________________ Set out runnin', but I'll take my time; a friend of bananas is a friend of mine. www.GreenFinGardens.com

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