Strange Pup Formation

PR-Giants · 10-21-2025, 06:37 PM

A week or so ago I saw a variegated water sucker growing from an all green Golden Tiger. I went back this evening to pot it up and now there were two nicely variegated water suckers that were inline with the mother plant. After clearing the area a third water sucker appeared between the first two and three inline water suckers is definitely strange. I'm going to wait until I know if the third pup is variegated before digging them up. If the underground rhizome formation is interesting I'll takes some pics.

Even though I've been growing this variety for a long time I never put any time into learning it's vegetative propagating habits mainly because with it's seeds there's an abundance of plants.

FYI, the fruit of these plants start to naturally ripen at around the 135th bract scar.

Jeff zone 8 N.C. · 10-21-2025, 07:16 PM

Did you have horse manure around the mother plant?

PR-Giants · 10-21-2025, 08:00 PM

This was just a mat of all green plants that were scheduled for removal and were not cared for. Horse manure as a top mulch is only good if kept wet and these plants were never watered.

Did that package arrive in perfect condition or did it sustain any damage?

I never get any feedback on the arrival condition but I can't imagine how anything could damage it. I'm gonna drive my truck over one tomorrow to see if I can damaged it.

Jeff zone 8 N.C. · 10-21-2025, 08:19 PM

Well, pupping like that must be island magic, good genetics, and grower know how. Never had that happen for me before even though I have had tons of pups, of several varieties, over the years.
Yes sir, the package arrived in perfect shape as has every one I have ever received from you. You have a great idea in the way you package seeds and I always know it's from you before it even comes out of the mailbox! I appreciate the great value too.

PR-Giants · 10-22-2025, 06:10 PM

Jeff zone 8 N.C. · 10-22-2025, 09:29 PM

Twin leaves on both plants but the patterns switch sides. Beautiful!

PR-Giants · 10-23-2025, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff zone 8 N.C.

Twin leaves on both plants but the patterns switch sides. Beautiful!

Yeah, it's a beautiful variety.

And what's even more enjoyable is after selling the seeds I get back pics like this, and I get a lot of pics but the more the better.

It's gotta be cool to buy a pack of seeds in the winter and have a yard like this for the summer.

PR-Giants · Yesterday, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PR-Giants

After clearing the area a third water sucker appeared between the first two and three inline water suckers is definitely strange. I'm going to wait until I know if the third pup is variegated before digging them up. If the underground rhizome formation is interesting I'll takes some pics.

The pup formation ended up not being strange at all. I originally thought the mother plant was the closest mature plant to them but it turned out to be the the cut rhizome to the far left in this photo and this starting location makes the pups orientation to it completely normal. The pups apparently rotted off from the mother plant prior to it's removal and I had no indication that they were there.

PR-Giants · Yesterday, 09:35 AM

The water sucker in the middle turned out to be the most beautiful of the three.

It's amazing how many beautiful pups that rhizome has produced so far. It's currently potted up with only one above ground offshoot but hopefully she produces many more before finally rotting. Even though this mother plant produced it's terminal bud for seed harvest, it's still a perfect example why killing the main growing point to alter apical dominance is a bad decision with variegated bananas.

I'm definitely going to rethink using my most variegated Golden Tiger for seed production and put more effort into vegetative propagation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PR-Giants

all43 · Yesterday, 11:44 AM

Such a cool way to spend some time mate!!

10-21-2025, 06:37 PM	#1 (permalink)
PR-Giants Commercial Grower Location: Florida & Greater Antilles Find me on the map! Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 4,740 BananaBucks : 9,900 Feedback: 16 / 100% Said "Thanks" 2,969 Times Was Thanked 12,960 Times in 3,814 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 3,225 Times	Strange Pup Formation A week or so ago I saw a variegated water sucker growing from an all green Golden Tiger. I went back this evening to pot it up and now there were two nicely variegated water suckers that were inline with the mother plant. After clearing the area a third water sucker appeared between the first two and three inline water suckers is definitely strange. I'm going to wait until I know if the third pup is variegated before digging them up. If the underground rhizome formation is interesting I'll takes some pics. Even though I've been growing this variety for a long time I never put any time into learning it's vegetative propagating habits mainly because with it's seeds there's an abundance of plants. FYI, the fruit of these plants start to naturally ripen at around the 135th bract scar. __________________ PR-Giants Photo Gallery 15,000+ Varieties

10-21-2025, 07:16 PM	#2 (permalink)
Jeff zone 8 N.C. Junior Member Find me on the map! Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 258 BananaBucks : 9,544 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 663 Times Was Thanked 501 Times in 231 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 26 Times	Re: Strange Pup Formation Did you have horse manure around the mother plant?

10-21-2025, 08:00 PM	#3 (permalink)
PR-Giants Commercial Grower Location: Florida & Greater Antilles Find me on the map! Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 4,740 BananaBucks : 9,900 Feedback: 16 / 100% Said "Thanks" 2,969 Times Was Thanked 12,960 Times in 3,814 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 3,225 Times	Re: Strange Pup Formation This was just a mat of all green plants that were scheduled for removal and were not cared for. Horse manure as a top mulch is only good if kept wet and these plants were never watered. Did that package arrive in perfect condition or did it sustain any damage? I never get any feedback on the arrival condition but I can't imagine how anything could damage it. I'm gonna drive my truck over one tomorrow to see if I can damaged it. __________________ PR-Giants Photo Gallery 15,000+ Varieties

10-21-2025, 08:19 PM	#4 (permalink)
Jeff zone 8 N.C. Junior Member Find me on the map! Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 258 BananaBucks : 9,544 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 663 Times Was Thanked 501 Times in 231 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 26 Times	Re: Strange Pup Formation Well, pupping like that must be island magic, good genetics, and grower know how. Never had that happen for me before even though I have had tons of pups, of several varieties, over the years. Yes sir, the package arrived in perfect shape as has every one I have ever received from you. You have a great idea in the way you package seeds and I always know it's from you before it even comes out of the mailbox! I appreciate the great value too.

10-22-2025, 06:10 PM	#5 (permalink)
PR-Giants Commercial Grower Location: Florida & Greater Antilles Find me on the map! Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 4,740 BananaBucks : 9,900 Feedback: 16 / 100% Said "Thanks" 2,969 Times Was Thanked 12,960 Times in 3,814 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 3,225 Times	Re: Strange Pup Formation __________________ PR-Giants Photo Gallery 15,000+ Varieties

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10-22-2025, 09:29 PM	#6 (permalink)
Jeff zone 8 N.C. Junior Member Find me on the map! Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 258 BananaBucks : 9,544 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 663 Times Was Thanked 501 Times in 231 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 26 Times	Re: Strange Pup Formation Twin leaves on both plants but the patterns switch sides. Beautiful!

Yesterday, 11:44 AM	#10 (permalink)
all43 Location: SE UK Find me on the map! Join Date: Jul 2019 Posts: 380 BananaBucks : 27,477 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,439 Times Was Thanked 481 Times in 231 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 337 Times	Re: Strange Pup Formation Such a cool way to spend some time mate!!

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