Sword vs Water Suckers
 

I asked the question "what's the difference between growing a sword & water sucker" on a thread at the citrus forum, and Dr. Malcolm Manners gave a real good explanation. I have his permission to quote him here & if Lorax wants, to put it in the quarterly.

"Sword suckers grow like elongated cone-shaped things with no real leaves (just a few curly bracts) for the first month or more after emerging from the ground. By the time they make their first leaf, they may be several feet tall. Water suckers tend to be thinner from the start, and they make broad (albeit small) leaves while still very young -- within a couple weeks of emerging from the ground. You can use either, and ultimately, you'll get a good tree from a water sucker. But for the first generation, a sword sucker will give you a much stronger, faster-growing tree, which will ultimately produce a larger bunch of larger bananas, in less time, than would a water sucker."

Malcolm M. Manners, Ph.D.
John and Ruth Tyndall Professor of Citrus Science and
Chairman, Department of Horticultural Science
Florida Southern College
Lakeland

I just learned the diff between the 2 but did not know sword pups give a stronger, faster growing tree w/ bigger nanas!

Re: Sword vs Water Suckers
 

I wonder if this is true for non-edible bananas like Musa basjoo? Does one worry about sword and water suckers with ornamentals?

Re: Sword vs Water Suckers
 

I don't worry about either water or sword suckers. I am just happy to get a new pup!

Re: Sword vs Water Suckers
 

Cool, Patty! With permission, for issue 3?

Re: Sword vs Water Suckers
 

Austin - I would imagine it doesn't make as much of a difference with ornamentals, but I also think that everyone would want the strongest plant they can get, no matter what variety. Then, if you're looking to collect seeds from the ornamental, you'd want as much fruit as you can get.
BTW, all of the pups I mentioned from '07 and '08. in my posting, "New basjoo pup" were swords. Lets hope the '09 one(s) are also.

Re: Sword vs Water Suckers
 

Im with Magilla Im usually just happy that I've got a new pup!
but then again I might just not understand wha tthe difrence is between the too.

Re: Sword vs Water Suckers
 

You got'er hot rodder :)

Re: Sword vs Water Suckers
 

See pix at http://www.bananas.org/f2/water-suckers-5285.html

Re: Sword vs Water Suckers
 

I don't know how I missed that . Thanks Jon!
Now, what's the diff between a sword pup. & a tissue cultered plant?