Bananas.org - Guttation

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- - Guttation (http://www.bananas.org/f2/guttation-49019.html)

I notice guttation with my new plants. Is this normal? I have not seen it on larger plants (though to be honest never really looked - though I would have noticed it "raining" when I walked by - which is what happens with the new ones when I brush against them. Soil is on the dryish side. I have never seen this with any plant other than bamboo. Interior conditions in greenhouse is highish humidity (c. 50%), pretty steady temp (c.68 night and day unless sunny, then to 80's).

To save those who do not know the word:
Guttation is the appearance of little droplets of liquid on the leaves of plants. Some people notice it on their houseplants and expect the worst. Although unsettling the first time it happens, guttation in plants is completely natural and not harmful. Keep reading to find out more about causes of guttation. What is Guttation? Plants gather a lot of the moisture and nutrients they need to survive through their roots. In order to move these things upward, the plant has tiny holes in its leaves called stomata. Evaporation of moisture through these holes creates a vacuum that pulls water and nutrients in the roots up against the pull of gravity and throughout the plant. This process is called transpiration. Transpiration stops at night when the stomata close, but the plant compensates by drawing in extra moisture through the roots and building up pressure to force nutrients upward. Day or night, there is constant motion inside a plant. So when does guttation occur? The plant doesn’t always need the same amount of moisture. At night, when temperatures are cool or when the air is humid, less moisture evaporates from the leaves. However, the same amount of moisture is still drawn up from the roots. The pressure of this new moisture pushes out the moisture that is already in the leaves, resulting in those little beads of water.

I've never noticed it on my bananas, but we tend to hit dewpoint every night, so there is almost always dew on the plants in the morning. The only plant I've grown where I have seen guttation is okra.

Guttation is a sign of good health because it requires a healthy root system.

I've noticed that lemon plants, which do not guttate, are prone to getting edema, as evidence by necrotic spots on the leaves. I guess guttation is analogous to sweating to lower blood pressure to avoid hemorrhages, in humans.

"Although unsettling, guttation in plants is completely natural and not harmful". This is a quote from an expert. Not me.

Aruzinsky, very interesting analogy - never thought of it that way, but will now start using that until someone comes up with something better!! sweating also reduces temperature, though that not relevant to plants in this particular case - the release of excess fluids though is (never read anything re blood pressure and sweating - salt intake which increases fluid retention, yes, and sweating reduces a) salt, and b) fluid.

Noticed that my Ensete seedlings are all guttating (is this a word?). Even when only 3/4 inch tall. Interesting for me is that these seedlings are growing one inch a day!! But that then is the banana - but never seen seedlings go so fast healthily (elongation of some plants with low light can move them fast), but these Ensete are in full light with extended light (50 watt overhead LED 4' over)

Guttation definition.

Guttation is the feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you discover that the liquid dripping from your plants have permanently stained the walls, carpet, wood floor, or tile grout. It is truly a gut wrenching moment.

Alocasia and Colocasia seem to leave the most for me.
Bananas are endless morning dribblers too.
Liquid flows most heavy the nights after watering and tapers off days later.

Guttation can have excess salts and minerals in the liquid and sometimes tastes like the plant in came from.
Cannibis has a fair amount of guttation on the underside of the leaf when grown indoors...sorry if you taste it you can't get buzzed.

Plants to stay away from tasting guttation liquid are Poison Ivy and the Eastern Turd plant.
These plants have been known to cause issues.

Wow! Now that was a worthy post! Speaking of colocasia and alocasia (and maybe Xanthosoma), we have corms flooding us (esculenta we will toss maybe 500 or more this year as simply too many - we will plant over 1000, 100 from greenhouse "forced" and rest when weather warms up - so have lots to trade or even give away if prepaid shipping label sent fed ex and ups make regular stops (we are so pressed for labor we have zero spare time to deal with labeling, weighing and such, with 12 hour days through November.) This year we may even have banana pups as we are planting out over 50 which will be dug in fall (or containers moved inside).