Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

There is a small unknown thing growing on the side of my banana plant, I'm not sure if it's a suker or just grass!... If any one can help me with this, like maybe post a picture of a banana sucker that just came up? I would really appriciate it. Thanks in advanced

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

Welcome aboard, Brycast! :) ! I've never encountered a pup that looked anything like grass before and I grow 9 different species of bananas. Also, I've been growing nanners for 3 years now.

Am editing my post in response to Jack's post. He would Definitely know more about new pups than me cause he's quite a bit more knowlegeable on the subject.

I get the impression you're a new member here. If so, should you have any questions about using the forum, just ask.
Enjoy!

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

When only a small leaf tip appears for the first time and you mowe it, it might resemble cut grass. But not if its somewhat taller than 2''.

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

Thanx for jumping in, Jack :) ! I've never actually seen a pup from the moment it came up so I just assumed they came up kind of big. Guess I should be watching more closely.... when I get some time.

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

Eric, it's a miracle of birth, every creature is born relatively small, to allow progress in the life. :D
It's really wonderful to see just the tip. Small, really like a narrow grass. It stays like that for a few hours or a day. Not more than that.

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

Welcome aboard, Brycast! ! I've never encountered a pup that looked anything like grass before and I grow 9 different species of bananas. Also, I've been growing nanners for 3 years now.

Am editing my post in response to Jack's post. He would Definitely know more about new pups than me cause he's quite a bit more knowlegeable on the subject.

I get the impression you're a new member here. If so, should you have any questions about using the forum, just ask.
Enjoy!




yea i am new. and also at growing banana plants... i bought some mussa coccinea seeds and ive bin trying to germinate them but i cant seem to be able to. u think you could help me with some tips?

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

Here's a small pup coming up from one of my Siam Ruby's. It is teeny tiny and looks a lot like grass. Hope this helps! ~JaNan

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

yes it does help a lot thank u so much!

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

Wish I could. Unfortunately, I just recently started studying seed-type nanners and only have 2, Musa Sikkimensis & Musa Basjoo. But they were already pups when I got them & with school back, I wont have a lot of time to learn more right away. If you go to homepage & scroll down to "Banana Seed Germination Forum" and click on that title, you can find lots of threads with tons of info on the subject :).
Can help with the "Reply" & "Quote" buttons, though. If ya wanna have what someone said in your post, just click the "Quote" button & start typing where the quote finishes up :). The button with just pen & paper is for Replies without quoting anyone. Took me a while to figure that out when I first started so don't feel lonely.

Jack, you should know something about seed germination so I think I'll let you cut in here :). Btw, soon as I get some time, I'll start watching for new pups so I can see for myself :) !
Is a Zebrina a seed-type nanner?
Jack's really good, I've learned a Lot of what I know just from reading his posts!

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

I've often times wishfully thought that small grass would be a pup but it's always been grass :( I hope I get a trillion pups next season!

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

well you can just wait and see what comes of it. If it's a pup you will know soon enough.

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

Welcome to the site, brycast...I'm Bryan! Guess we have 4 letters in common, huh? LOL :ha: Hope you enjoy it here!

As for the pup question...they do have narrow leaves, but the leaves are usually thick enough you can tell the difference between that and grass. When in doubt, leave it there for a while and see what becomes of it!

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

actually we have the same name in common! my name is bryan too! and i guess that thing next to my banana plant, was just a peace of grass! DARN it! lol!:(

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

brycat Banana seeds are a sum what complicated subject theres a seed growing forum on the front page of Bananas.org go there and start reading this is eraser then trying to answer you question which could take days to properly explain
welcome to Bananas.org
PaulO

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

Yes, They sure can look like grass sometimes.

This one I pulled back from grass so you can see it. It looks just like a new shoot of grass, to the untrained eye.


These are some new pups on another mat that I have, these ones kind of look like grass also. Just to compare different types will each have a little different growth habit.

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

good example

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

wow those look great! and the pups do look alot like grass! but i guess mine is still too small to be giving out pups anyway... its only like about 4 ft tall!

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

You never know. The Siam Ruby pictured below is not even a foot tall including leaves with the pup approximately half of that! It depends on what kind of banana it is. Do you know. Can you post pictures?

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

I don't think it's doing so good.. i cut the leaves off because they were drying up and were flopping down.

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

Looks like it is sunburnt, it has to acclimate and the new leaves will usually look better. Can you give us a close up of the pup? - If it is that piece coming off the trunk - it looks like it might be a pup to me (from this distance).

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

the thing hat was growing next to it was just grass so i pulled it out.

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

Thank you Bry. That sticky outie was where a leaf had been cut off. Your pstem looks healthy. It may be getting too much heat from the combination of the sun, the floor, and wall. You might try setting it on dirt and in partial shade for a while and see how the new leaves look. And give it lots of water especially if it is hot and dry where you are. :)

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

Okay. Thanks for the advice and I'm gonna get to that... Hopefully it won't die on me... I live on the north side of California... Like 45 min away from San francisco...

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

For future reference, I'd leave the leaves on (wow...that sounded funny, huh?) even if they are falling limp downward. They are still making food for the plant as long as they're still green so I leave all mine on till they turn brown/dry up. It might not look pretty, but it's probably slightly better for the plant. Looks like it'll come out of it just fine though with proper watering....pseudostem looks healthy still.

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

what is your location? How long has it been in the pot ?

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

its bin in the pot for almost 2 and a half weeks...

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

I would keep it out of direct sun for 2 months and watch for new growth I put any new pups I get under my mago tree.

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

Okay I'll move it some where where the sun won't be hitting it all the time. Then i'll post a pic of it so you guys can let me kno if it Is good there or not...

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

So how many times a day am I suppose to water and how much water? I don't wanna over water it or not giv it enough water... I'm watering it once a day in the a.m every other day... Is that good or do I need to giv it more water?

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

pups come like crazy using rooting solution...

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

I just have to ask, what kind of banana plant is that?

The p-stem looks good, in a few weeks it should look better. Did you just get the plant?

:)

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

i'm not even sure what kind it is... and yes i did just get the plant... like 2 1/2 weeks or maybe 3 weeks ago... and the plant looked great... but then the leafs started to dry up... maybe because of too much sun or idk... maybe very little water?

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

where Can I get this rooting solution? i would really like to put some on my plant!:D

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

Watering is never based on a regular schedule (for optimal purposes). Basically, wait till the soil is dry not only on the surface, but below the surface, then give it a decent soaking. Well-draining soil is recommended for bananas. That way, even if you give them a lot of water, it's never too much (as the excess will drain away). But once again, just wait till it's dry....then water. It's never a 'I water every _____ days' type of thing....check daily and water as necessary. Certain plants outside I DO water most days, but again...not a 'scheduled' thing....as necessary.

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

ooh... okay! lol... so water when necessary.. got it.. so i should wait for the soil to be dry all the way or nearly all the way? lol sorry for all the questions. it's just that im new to this.. i really do appreciate it though, Thanx!

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

Well, don't let it sit bone dry for a long duration. Basically use your judgment. If it's in a pot, you can tell by the weight how dry it is. If it's in the ground, you can either dig a little, or you can use Patty's method (dowel pushed in the soil to test moisture at deeper depths...works for pots great as well! (thanks Patty!!!)). It doesn't have to be TOTALLY dry...but decently dry. Just let it dry out (subjectively) before watering it again. There's no real scientific measurement (empirical/objective) for the level of dryness....but let it get pretty dry before watering again...that's the main idea.

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

oh okay... well it was in a pot but now its on the ground... im gonna post a pic of it tomorrow so u guys can chek out the new spot... see if its a good spot for it...:)

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

I use Light Green rooting stimulator.. its @ Lowe's here and the PX

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

Rooting stimulator in the liquid gallon form.. I used it on my Raja for a week a half and now it has three pups just like that.... I used it on my namwah for a month it had 6 pups.

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

Wow!!! That's a lot of pups!... I'm going to look for sum of that stuff. And hope to get sum pups soon! :D

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

Is This a good spot for it? it gets sun in the morning and shade at noon..

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

Can you post a site where you got it from, I cant find much...

:confused:

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

cute puppy, seems like a good place to me. I water my banana plants when they get dry about an inch or 2 down.

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

if that was my banana i would get mulch around that plant.

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

What is mulch? Where can I get it?

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

oh I though every one knew what mulch was> in general it is partially decomposed vegetative material from wood chips grass clippings and leaves from trees.

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

lol... okay... i have a whole bunch of leafs on the ground from this oak tree that's right next to my house... can i just put some of those on there?

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

Oak is some of the best leaves to use around a banana since they have a high acidicy rate and they banana's that stuff up.... no doubt. Its better than any mulch unless its from a fresh ground stump(stump grinder) they are good too.

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

okay... ill just put some of those leafs on where the banana plant is... so what exactly is this stuff suppose to do?

Re: Do banana suckers look like grass when they first come up?
 

I use the green leaves when I drop branches off my 2 oaks. You use them like mulch they break down and help retain water.