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Is there any way to encourage the growth of pups on my Musa Tanee?

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...29591344661040

This banana has at least doubled in height and diameter and barely appears to be growing a pup off one of the eyes. It has 3 others which I added keiki paste to to hopefully activate to also start growing.

Just want to increase the numbers of this banana so is there any ways to really get it to focus on growing more pups rather than the size of the main plant?

Re: Is there any way to encourage the growth of pups on my Musa Tanee?

Can't speak to this variety, but bananas in general respond to fertilizer. However the affect is usually not immediate. In addition some varieties tend to pup early in the life cycle, and others more toward the end.

Re: Is there any way to encourage the growth of pups on my Musa Tanee?

Thanks. I believe this is pupping relatively early since it has only been actively growing around 2 months, forming a tiny pup at the base probably about an inch long off the corm. I did fertilize it with epsoma pellets 3-4-4 as well as some cut up alfalfa. Have routinely added it's old leaves, banana peels or garden scraps around the base of the pot. Will wait until I know for sure that pup has enough size and roots before removal.

Re: Is there any way to encourage the growth of pups on my Musa Tanee?

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevelau1911 (Post 355523)

is there any ways to really get it to focus on growing more pups rather than the size of the main plant?

The quickest way I know is to simply tilt the plant. As the tilt increases so does the amount of apical dominance that will transfer to the pups. Once you pass 45 degrees the new cigar leaves will cease to grow from the distal end. 90 degrees or greater will make the apical dominance transfer quicker.

If you don't want to alter how your main plant looks then I would go with Vertical Propagation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PR-Giants (Post 356441)

Here's an easy one I call the "cincinnana technique" more photos can be seen on this member's flickr page.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/hostaf...th/29144740623

This is a Florida that had it's pseudostem bent and it's growth angle to exceed 90 degrees to force dormancy which made the rhizome produce many pups. The mother plant's main growing point was restarted many months later after the pot was stood up. The long dormancy caused the mother plant to restart as a young tiny plant. I haven't confirmed this but I'm sure this process can be repeated for thousands of years with the same growing point.