Is my tiny Saba trying to bloom?

Lagniappe · 06-21-2009, 09:14 PM

I've been fooled before, especially this time of year when it's so hot out. I removed two very large pups from this plant a few weeks back and 8 have popped up in the last 4-5 days.

The leaves are getting shorter (the part that fools me sometimes):

There's a swell in the p-stem (may not be obvious in this pic):

But most of all, there are hundreds of sugar ants moving up and down the p-stem (I've noticed this on my blooming plants):

hydroid · 06-21-2009, 09:42 PM

Hey Pete.

Is the shorter Saba leaves a sign of a bloom on the way? Have you had a Saba to fruit in La? The reason I ask is because I have a Saba and have been spraying miracle grow on it every couple of weeks. It's so tall that I have to get on my roof to spray the huge leaves, well today I noticed a very short open leaf emerging out of the middle. I'm wondering if it's getting ready to flower.

CookieCows · 06-21-2009, 10:11 PM

Pete this sure looks exciting to me! I bet you are counting the summer months that are left just in case!

Deb

island cassie · 06-21-2009, 11:22 PM

I often find that accelerated pup production combined with a fatteneing of the stem are signs that a bloom is on the way - I must have taken 15 or more pups off the 1000 fingers in the last month, and now - viola!- a bloom. Nice looking plant btw! When you say small - how tall is it? My Saba was about 12 ft to the first leaf when it flowered, but huge around the base.

Simply Bananas · 06-22-2009, 03:56 AM

I have the sugar ants on nearly all my in ground plants this year, for the first time ever. They hang out where new leaves emerge. I'm not sure what they are after, but I doubt it has anything to do with a future flower.

Good Luck with the Saba.

Lagniappe · 06-22-2009, 07:30 AM

Thanks for your replies.
SB, I just went and checked all my plants, I had ants on a velutina that was blooming, but they've quit now that it's in male flowers. I did have some on small Ice creams and on one Raja Puri, but none on any other banana. I didn't even have any on the E. glaucum that's blooming. Perhaps they're just looking for moisture or a bit of sap from the plant.

Cassie, this thing is really small, I can almost reach the top of the p-stem so It's at least 8' - 9'....I removed pups that had 5'-6' of p-stem. I doubt that it'll make much in the way of fruit. It was a lot bigger last year, but still small by the Saba I've seen. My others are 1/3 taller already and 2/3 larger around the base.

Bo, if you look at the last 3-5 leaves, they usually step down in size with the flag being the smallest.

hammer · 06-22-2009, 09:21 AM

Pete how old is Saba that is just awesome you will put some more pics.

Bananaman88 · 06-22-2009, 11:32 AM

Ants are usually a sign of aphids or scale insects. The ants "farm" them for the sweet honeydew they secret. The honeydew often leads to sooty mold-a blackish substance you may have noticed on other plants before. I had a bad case of this on some hollies once. I sprayed them one or two times with some horticultural oil and it took care of the problem.

Lagniappe · 06-22-2009, 11:43 AM

I've had larger ants to farm on my plants, but the sugar ants are too small. These guys are on their own.
I see them being fed by my plumeria and castor beens too, I suppose the plant can't pick and choose it's benefactor....it's doubtful that the sugar ants could defend them.

Lagniappe · 06-22-2009, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hammer

Pete how old is Saba that is just awesome you will put some more pics.

Thanks, it's one year old. It's very small and far too small to bloom. Plus, it needs to have more leaves. I suppose I stressed it out by removing those pups or it was just it's time.

Bananaman88 · 06-22-2009, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lagniappe

I've had larger ants to farm on my plants, but the sugar ants are too small. These guys are on their own.
I see them being fed by my plumeria and castor beens too, I suppose the plant can't pick and choose it's benefactor....it's doubtful that the sugar ants could defend them.

That's true, Pete. I don't think I've ever seen sugar ants farm aphids. Perhaps they are just looking for nectar.

bananimal · 06-23-2009, 05:32 PM

Pete,

My first Saba took almost 2 years to grow out the fruit. That is what the literature says about this giant. Then Fay blew it down. It was about 11 ft tall at leaf emergence and had a base caliper of about 20 inches. What is the caliper of yours. I hate to say this ..... but fruiting so soon and so short suggests that it is something other than Saba.
The mama corm sprouted 2 more pups which I potted - want one? It's from a Going Bananas TC plant so it should be the real MCCoy.

Dan

Lagniappe · 06-23-2009, 06:59 PM

It came from great Saba stock. There's no doubt that it's Saba.
I doubt that it'll make many bananas or that they will plump up, but it is blooming.

Lagniappe · 07-03-2009, 09:41 PM

I should be able to see the first hand in the morning. Dan has me wondering if I made some sort of mistake, so I'm anxious to see the flowers.

Lagniappe · 07-08-2009, 12:35 PM

I found ants on three other plants this week and they're getting smaller leaves or pushing flags now.

Patty in Wisc · 07-08-2009, 03:39 PM

Congrats Pete!!!

saltydad · 07-08-2009, 09:16 PM

Great news!!

Lagniappe · 07-08-2009, 09:58 PM

(Siiigh) I got 18 fingers on three hands total.

I really expected as much, so I'll just be happy watching it bloom.

ArchAngeL01 · 07-08-2009, 10:12 PM

YAY! congrats buddy!

island cassie · 07-08-2009, 10:17 PM

Good luck Pete and let's see what develops. My Saba type is as big as the tall Orinocos and Ice Creams, so I'm surprised yours is trying to fruit so early. Sadly I don't have closeups of my flowers as they were up in the sky, but my leaves are much paler - more pale lime green. This is what makes things so interesting!!

06-21-2009, 09:14 PM	#1 (permalink)
Lagniappe Lagniappe's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 2,111 BananaBucks : 273,564 Feedback: 22 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,378 Times Was Thanked 1,402 Times in 558 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 535 Times	Is my tiny Saba trying to bloom? I've been fooled before, especially this time of year when it's so hot out. I removed two very large pups from this plant a few weeks back and 8 have popped up in the last 4-5 days. The leaves are getting shorter (the part that fools me sometimes): There's a swell in the p-stem (may not be obvious in this pic): But most of all, there are hundreds of sugar ants moving up and down the p-stem (I've noticed this on my blooming plants):

06-21-2009, 09:42 PM	#2 (permalink)
hydroid Minister of Propaganda hydroid's Photo Gallery Location: Gulf Shores, Alabama Find me on the map! Zone: Zone -8b-9a Name: Bo Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 687 BananaBucks : 119,606 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 775 Times Was Thanked 729 Times in 329 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 45 Times	Re: Is my tiny Saba trying to bloom? Hey Pete. Is the shorter Saba leaves a sign of a bloom on the way? Have you had a Saba to fruit in La? The reason I ask is because I have a Saba and have been spraying miracle grow on it every couple of weeks. It's so tall that I have to get on my roof to spray the huge leaves, well today I noticed a very short open leaf emerging out of the middle. I'm wondering if it's getting ready to flower.

06-21-2009, 10:11 PM	#3 (permalink)
CookieCows Member CookieCows's Photo Gallery Location: Kentucky Find me on the map! Zone: 6-7 Name: Deb Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 1,182 BananaBucks : 79,991 Feedback: 3 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,347 Times Was Thanked 696 Times in 393 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 159 Times	Re: Is my tiny Saba trying to bloom? Pete this sure looks exciting to me! I bet you are counting the summer months that are left just in case! Deb __________________

06-21-2009, 11:22 PM	#4 (permalink)
island cassie island cassie's Photo Gallery Location: Dominican Republic Find me on the map! Zone: 11+ I guess Name: Island Cassie Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 3,170 BananaBucks : 439,343 Feedback: 2 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,708 Times Was Thanked 2,079 Times in 874 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 416 Times	Re: Is my tiny Saba trying to bloom? I often find that accelerated pup production combined with a fatteneing of the stem are signs that a bloom is on the way - I must have taken 15 or more pups off the 1000 fingers in the last month, and now - viola!- a bloom. Nice looking plant btw! When you say small - how tall is it? My Saba was about 12 ft to the first leaf when it flowered, but huge around the base.

06-22-2009, 03:56 AM	#5 (permalink)
Simply Bananas Formerly known as porkpi Simply Bananas's Photo Gallery Location: James Island SC Find me on the map! Zone: 8b-9a Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 854 BananaBucks : 329,468 Feedback: 2 / 100% Said "Thanks" 478 Times Was Thanked 1,191 Times in 335 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 458 Times	Re: Is my tiny Saba trying to bloom? I have the sugar ants on nearly all my in ground plants this year, for the first time ever. They hang out where new leaves emerge. I'm not sure what they are after, but I doubt it has anything to do with a future flower. Good Luck with the Saba. __________________ Afterall...doesn't everyone want a bigger Banana? Our Banana Videos On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCii..._p_tJVXZOHAdRA

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06-22-2009, 07:30 AM	#6 (permalink)
Lagniappe Lagniappe's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 2,111 BananaBucks : 273,564 Feedback: 22 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,378 Times Was Thanked 1,402 Times in 558 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 535 Times	Re: Is my tiny Saba trying to bloom? Thanks for your replies. SB, I just went and checked all my plants, I had ants on a velutina that was blooming, but they've quit now that it's in male flowers. I did have some on small Ice creams and on one Raja Puri, but none on any other banana. I didn't even have any on the E. glaucum that's blooming. Perhaps they're just looking for moisture or a bit of sap from the plant. Cassie, this thing is really small, I can almost reach the top of the p-stem so It's at least 8' - 9'....I removed pups that had 5'-6' of p-stem. I doubt that it'll make much in the way of fruit. It was a lot bigger last year, but still small by the Saba I've seen. My others are 1/3 taller already and 2/3 larger around the base. Bo, if you look at the last 3-5 leaves, they usually step down in size with the flag being the smallest.

06-22-2009, 09:21 AM	#7 (permalink)
hammer Shannon hammer's Photo Gallery Location: Mountain Home, AR Find me on the map! Zone: 7 Name: Shannon Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 713 BananaBucks : 187,311 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 178 Times Was Thanked 571 Times in 253 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 12 Times	Re: Is my tiny Saba trying to bloom? Pete how old is Saba that is just awesome you will put some more pics.

06-22-2009, 11:32 AM	#8 (permalink)
Bananaman88 Bananaculturist Bananaman88's Photo Gallery Location: Houston, TX area Find me on the map! Zone: 9 Name: Brent Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 3,019 BananaBucks : 255,316 Feedback: 22 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,339 Times Was Thanked 2,263 Times in 1,178 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 191 Times	Re: Is my tiny Saba trying to bloom? Ants are usually a sign of aphids or scale insects. The ants "farm" them for the sweet honeydew they secret. The honeydew often leads to sooty mold-a blackish substance you may have noticed on other plants before. I had a bad case of this on some hollies once. I sprayed them one or two times with some horticultural oil and it took care of the problem.

06-22-2009, 11:43 AM	#9 (permalink)
Lagniappe Lagniappe's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 2,111 BananaBucks : 273,564 Feedback: 22 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,378 Times Was Thanked 1,402 Times in 558 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 535 Times	Re: Is my tiny Saba trying to bloom? I've had larger ants to farm on my plants, but the sugar ants are too small. These guys are on their own. I see them being fed by my plumeria and castor beens too, I suppose the plant can't pick and choose it's benefactor....it's doubtful that the sugar ants could defend them.

06-23-2009, 05:32 PM	#12 (permalink)
bananimal Member bananimal's Photo Gallery Location: Port St Lucie, Fla Find me on the map! Zone: 10a Name: Dan Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 2,512 BananaBucks : 621,607 Feedback: 12 / 100% Said "Thanks" 4,688 Times Was Thanked 4,979 Times in 1,509 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 191 Times	Re: Is my tiny Saba trying to bloom? Pete, My first Saba took almost 2 years to grow out the fruit. That is what the literature says about this giant. Then Fay blew it down. It was about 11 ft tall at leaf emergence and had a base caliper of about 20 inches. What is the caliper of yours. I hate to say this ..... but fruiting so soon and so short suggests that it is something other than Saba. The mama corm sprouted 2 more pups which I potted - want one? It's from a Going Bananas TC plant so it should be the real MCCoy. Dan

06-23-2009, 06:59 PM	#13 (permalink)
Lagniappe Lagniappe's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 2,111 BananaBucks : 273,564 Feedback: 22 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,378 Times Was Thanked 1,402 Times in 558 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 535 Times	Re: Is my tiny Saba trying to bloom? It came from great Saba stock. There's no doubt that it's Saba. I doubt that it'll make many bananas or that they will plump up, but it is blooming.

07-03-2009, 09:41 PM	#14 (permalink)
Lagniappe Lagniappe's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 2,111 BananaBucks : 273,564 Feedback: 22 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,378 Times Was Thanked 1,402 Times in 558 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 535 Times	Re: Is my tiny Saba trying to bloom? I should be able to see the first hand in the morning. Dan has me wondering if I made some sort of mistake, so I'm anxious to see the flowers.

07-08-2009, 12:35 PM	#15 (permalink)
Lagniappe Lagniappe's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 2,111 BananaBucks : 273,564 Feedback: 22 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,378 Times Was Thanked 1,402 Times in 558 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 535 Times	Re: Is my tiny Saba trying to bloom? I found ants on three other plants this week and they're getting smaller leaves or pushing flags now.

07-08-2009, 03:39 PM	#16 (permalink)
Patty in Wisc tropical nut Patty in Wisc's Photo Gallery Zone: 5 Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 3,115 BananaBucks : 374,486 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 2,946 Times Was Thanked 2,510 Times in 1,203 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 69 Times	Re: Is my tiny Saba trying to bloom? Congrats Pete!!! __________________ Got a lite? Patty ____ Patty in Wisc has sadly passed away 9/05/11. We will miss you Patty.

07-08-2009, 09:16 PM	#17 (permalink)
saltydad saltydad's Photo Gallery Location: Silver Spring, Maryland USA Find me on the map! Zone: 7a Name: Howard Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 4,552 BananaBucks : 222,217 Feedback: 2 / 100% Said "Thanks" 14,712 Times Was Thanked 4,662 Times in 1,778 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 824 Times	Re: Is my tiny Saba trying to bloom? Great news!! __________________ Men In Nursing- "A Few Good Men" "Gardening is the purest of human pleasures." - Francis Bacon "If by a liberal, they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind; someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions; someone who cares about the welfare of the people, their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, their civil liberties; someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicion that grips us; that is what they meant by a liberal, I am proud to be a liberal." John F. Kennedy, September, 1960 http://flickr.com/photos/saltydad/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/saltydad http://s751.photobucket.com/albums/xx151/saltydad/

07-08-2009, 09:58 PM	#18 (permalink)
Lagniappe Lagniappe's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 2,111 BananaBucks : 273,564 Feedback: 22 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,378 Times Was Thanked 1,402 Times in 558 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 535 Times	Re: Is my tiny Saba trying to bloom? (Siiigh) I got 18 fingers on three hands total. I really expected as much, so I'll just be happy watching it bloom.

07-08-2009, 10:12 PM	#19 (permalink)
ArchAngeL01 ArchAngeL01's Photo Gallery Location: Greenville, SC Zone: 8A Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 849 BananaBucks : 162,982 Feedback: 4 / 83% Said "Thanks" 104 Times Was Thanked 433 Times in 165 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 3 Times	Re: Is my tiny Saba trying to bloom? YAY! congrats buddy! __________________ Brad

07-08-2009, 10:17 PM	#20 (permalink)
island cassie island cassie's Photo Gallery Location: Dominican Republic Find me on the map! Zone: 11+ I guess Name: Island Cassie Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 3,170 BananaBucks : 439,343 Feedback: 2 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,708 Times Was Thanked 2,079 Times in 874 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 416 Times	Re: Is my tiny Saba trying to bloom? Good luck Pete and let's see what develops. My Saba type is as big as the tall Orinocos and Ice Creams, so I'm surprised yours is trying to fruit so early. Sadly I don't have closeups of my flowers as they were up in the sky, but my leaves are much paler - more pale lime green. This is what makes things so interesting!!

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