Follower Sucker Sword
 

I did my homework and thought I could easily pick out a sword from a water sucker. Not so easy as I thought when the suckers are small. A new sucker, the third one on a week, is just behind the first, bigger one.

Is the bigger sucker on the right a sword or water sucker?

I read where the first sucker is called the Follower. Is the follower always a sword?

Randy

Re: Follower Sucker Sword
 

Looks like a water sucker to me.

Re: Follower Sucker Sword
 

The motherplant is too small to produce any big sword suckers like you are used to seeing. These pups are the equivalent to sword suckers but the motherplant is too small for a follower to be of use. I tend to wait till the motherplant is about half the fruiting height before i leave a follower. The only reason to leave them would be to have a bigger mat and more pseudostems flowering very close to each other but it will be crowded. Thats your choice,not much problems either way.

Re: Follower Sucker Sword
 

I think that one is a Sister Shoot

Re: Follower Sucker Sword
 

It looks like it started out as a sword sucker but, like the previous posters mentioned, the mother is not established enough yet for it to produce a sucker that retains sword leaves for any notable period of time before becoming a normal water sucker type stem. That being said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with leaving it on the plant, provided it's being fed enough or the soil is rich enough to support the plant properly. As many experts on here have said, there is no difference between the growth of a sucker that started out as a sword and one that started out as a water after a few weeks to months. So, you don't have to cut it out feeling as though it's "useless". I have a couple of my own bananas that pushed out only water sucker initially and those grew fine. Just wanting to throw that out there :)

Re: Follower Sucker Sword
 

I really appreciate the advice. It seems so simple until you get the first one.

The goldfinger people have this to say which I forgot I had till y'all's post cleared up my thinking. Thanks all for getting squared away on the suckers.

Randy

Re: Follower Sucker Sword
 

No, the follower is not always a sword sucker. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Especially with plants with small corms, often the first sucker is a water sucker.

Re: Follower Sucker Sword
 

I see Water suckers show up around the stumps of previous years pstems 2 years old and older.

My 6 year old Goldfinger mat is a good example. The shriveled up stump of the first year pstem is barely discernable and 4 or 5 water suckers pop up throuought the summer. Same for 3rd and 4th year stumps. They always have wide leaves even at 5" tall. I cut them out and toss them.

Re: Follower Sucker Sword
 

I have a water sucker on my W. Iholena.. It likes to look like its dieing off then pops back up.. I wish something worth while would do so. :^)

Re: Follower Sucker Sword
 

:waving:
The first year in bananas, the learning curve sure is steep.

Thanks all for help flatting it out.

I cut the three suckers out this morning.

Randy

Re: Follower Sucker Sword
 

Randy be careful. Just cut straight down between mama and sucker. Place cutter closer to the sucker. Leave mama be.

Re: Follower Sucker Sword
 

I carefully dug down a couple of inches then cut the sucker off. Thank that will do?

Randy

Re: Follower Sucker Sword
 

I have similar suckers growing on my Ice Cream plant. When would be a good time to cut them off and use them for propagation?