Goofy Acting Ice Cream Banana Plants
 

Hello:

I have a stand of Ice Creams that usually does well. This year, the plants are stunted, dwarfed, and have very odd shaped leaves.



6' of thick p-stem on the biggest one.


Paddle shaped leaves too.





I have two other stands, both are normal. Here is the closest stand...about 15 feet away. P-stem's up closer to 10 feet.



Any clues?
Thanks

Re: Goofy Acting Ice Cream Banana Plants
 

Seems like the other mats look alot better in general? One getting more water or light?

Re: Goofy Acting Ice Cream Banana Plants
 

The shorties get a little more light--perhaps an hour or two. Water should be about the same.

Re: Goofy Acting Ice Cream Banana Plants
 

Feed them maybe? Just for the heck of it look for bugs...

Re: Goofy Acting Ice Cream Banana Plants
 

When in doubt, add water and then fertilizer. The brown leaves would indicate insufficient inputs, esp. water - either from too little water, or some issue inhibiting or destroying root growth (gophers, moles, way to soggy, etc).

Re: Goofy Acting Ice Cream Banana Plants
 

A few times I have seen fungi which do not normally attack Musa cause damage and strange growth when they infect the plants under certain conditions. This is one idea about what could be happening as it does not look like a normal banana disease, but the plant does look diseased. However, something like this is very difficult to diagnose, and for now I would recommend to just treat it like normal and see how it progresses.

Re: Goofy Acting Ice Cream Banana Plants
 

Brown and stunted leaves could also mean too much water. This is probably unlikely but have you done a little exploratory digging to make sure all is well with the roots on the mat in question? IF the soil is staying saturated for some reason (busted water or irrigation pipe, poorly draining soil, etc.) you could have some root rot going on.

Re: Goofy Acting Ice Cream Banana Plants
 

We have sandy soil so drainage is not a problem. No busted water pipe or irrigation lines.

Its actually all 3 p-stems that are affected. Mis-shapen leaves and that dwarfy appearance.

I am guessing that it is perhaps some cheap fertilizer that went bad or something similar.

Re: Goofy Acting Ice Cream Banana Plants
 

Fertilizer doesn't really go bad. I think it looks like a root problem. most likely some kind of rot on the roots due to stress or bad drainage at some time. I bet if you were to dig up that plant the roots wouldn't look right. You could put some systemic fungicide on that plant, like bonide systemic that will go though the plant and treat the roots too. The organic people here might have other ideas though.

Re: Goofy Acting Ice Cream Banana Plants
 

the first thing that came to mind is to check the soil for acidity where you dug them up from and where that at.I think it might be more alkaline or most acidity.

Re: Goofy Acting Ice Cream Banana Plants
 

They have been there for 6 years. The first 5 they were fine, produced fruit and all the other good things.

Re: Goofy Acting Ice Cream Banana Plants
 

They may have depleted the surrounding soil of nutrients. I'd suggest adding some comost to the surface of the soil. Earthworms and other micororganisms will help break it down and pull it down into the soil profile amending your soil. A good aged compost can work wonders!

Re: Goofy Acting Ice Cream Banana Plants
 

Twice a year they get a big bag of partially composted grass clippings as well as occasional vege scraps from the kitchen....like all the others.

Holes left by dug up pups get filled with composted manure.

All winter leaf and p-stem damage is left with each matte for re-incorporation.