What can kill a large established banana?
 

I was just out removing a Manzano plant and started thinking maybe it had some sort of disease. It was on the third generation of fruiting stem when the leaves started "backing into the stem". I can't think of a better way to describe it, basically the leaves didn't fully emerge, and then I saw the end of a flower and knew the fruit was jammed in the top of the stem too. Then a few weeks later, all the pups on that plant died.

There are several plants growing very close to this banana so whatever killed it is not generally very contagious, but I am wondering if this could be a banana specific disease or something. I have one other plant that had the leaves not fully emerge this spring, but on that one the fruit came out fine and the pups are growing well.

My only other thought is that there is a clump of bamboo a few feet away, and the roots are pretty thick from it. Maybe it was not getting enough nutrition and used up every last ounce of energy trying to get the flower/fruit out. It also has been gradually getting more and more shade which I sure doesn't help.

Does this sound like a sign of trouble?

Matt

PS. Sorry I can't post a photo my wife and kids went out of town and literally took all five of our digital cameras with them!

Re: What can kill a large established banana?
 

Matt, I would suspect the clumping bamboo. I have some Bambusa oldhaamii and it's gotten to where nothing will grow around it due to the fibrous root system. Good luck.

Re: What can kill a large established banana?
 

Underwatered, or something is competing for the water - or severe overwatering leading to root rot. Most growth issues are the result of improper watering. Underwatering and overwatering can have the same symptoms, because the root rot inhibits water intake just like underwatering.

Re: What can kill a large established banana?
 

Gophers, moles, etc also decrease root mass causing suddern decline.

Re: What can kill a large established banana?
 

great thread! this is good to know. thank yall.

Re: What can kill a large established banana?
 

Thanks,
Dean, I would tend to lean towards the bamboo as well...which would secondarily cause water issues (probably not enough water due to competition). Hopefully no one else is going to jump in and say that this sounds like virus that is about to wipe out all my bananas.

Matt

Re: What can kill a large established banana?
 

I always advise suburban gardeners to grow bamboo in pots, and not to place the pot in where the rhizomes can escape out the bottom into soil or water. Even the "clumping" varieties eventually multiply out of control -- breaking pots and lifting concrete while they are at it.

Re: What can kill a large established banana?
 

if this is about the Ventracosum they tend to have a farly masiv root systome when it fell over did you look at the roots were there alot of just a few personaly i think Bambo is a vary bad idea in genral richard stated that quite clearly. iv been studing Ventracosum for the last 4 moths and have read every thing i could get my hands on and iv not read any were that they fall over easaly on the contrary iv only read that of all the Bananas they have the bigest root systome on any Banana reching 15ft in diamiter on a helthy plant there corm is one of the lagest in conparison to there flolig mass there corm can be as larg as 40 lb even biger in cultivated plants
im thinking that somthing ithere inhibeted of distroid the root systome here in NV sod web worms can devastate shalow rooted plants iv had real problims with them on my citris trees

Re: What can kill a large established banana?
 

Richard, but there so beautiful.:ha:

Re: What can kill a large established banana?
 

I always joked with other gardeners. If you hate your neighbors, grow bamboo.

Re: What can kill a large established banana?
 

wow if i did that id be hemed in on all four sides LOL

Re: What can kill a large established banana?
 

Ahhahaha! Yes I like my neighbors at least a good mile from me. The less people the better imo. I was never one to visit big cities unless I was going to a botanical garden or somesuch thing. But that's good Damaclese, touche!