Will_L

Hello,

Any help in identifying the very sudden problem with my large and beautiful banana. (Novice - I don't even know what type of tree it is!) This otherwise very healthy and fast growing tree suddenly started to sprout stripped leaves. The last set which developed over the period of three weeks looks like it was devoured by a giant tropical beast. My wife and I suspect some kind of pest deep within the tree munching on the fresh stalks when they are very small, but can't find any pests whatsoever visible. You can view the destruction here:

MobileMe Gallery

Thanks in advance for any help in the cause and any possible solutions. We are in a zone 10 area.

Will

Blake09

Your banana looks to me like an Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii'.

Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii' - Bananas Wiki

Oh and welcome to the org!!

Maby some Japanese beetles are eating the leaves? I know they attack my Ice cream 'blue java'


.

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Abnshrek

Hey Welcome to the Org. :^) Looks like you have a caterpillar (most likely) or grasshopper problem.

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jjjankovsky

just grow more...yu'll eventually outrun the bugs!

here in Mexico, I'd be spraying 27 different products in order to get great leaves...can't do it, to much work and too toxic...

i just plant more, hope the cutter ants show up on my diseased leaves and trees...then they sprout with fresh new ones...and the fruit seems to continue without pause...

on your banana, i do understand that you need all those square inches of green leaf to make fruit, and perhaps the bugs were there for just a week or so...things will probably improve...

hang in there, and pick up a few more just in case

Tropicman

I to am having the same problem with My ensete maurelli,which is in a container,and just 2 feet away another ensete maurelli not having the same problem,so I really don't see any insects on either one of mine,but yet one has stripped leaves and the other doesn't.
In fact I can see it being stripped before it even emerges out far enough to unfold its leaves if it had some to unfold!

jjjankovsky

something eating the unrolled leaf...search for a root-absorbed systemic and wait...

saltydad

Try Bayer 3-in-1. I've used it on my Maurelli successfully.

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Tropicman

I have some Bayers Complete,I'll try some of that.

LilRaverBoi

It could be some sort of pest (caterpillar or Japanese beetles). It could also be care-oriented such as too much water or a nutrient deficiency. If it is an E. maurelii, they are kinda fastidious in my experience and tend to do things like throw out messed-up leaves if their conditions aren't right.

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Tropicman

I agree with you,but in my case,I have another one 2 feet from this one which is doing fine,which was potted up at the same time using everything exactly as the one with stripped leaves,even being fertilize exactly.
I think it just might be in the plant itself!

LilRaverBoi

LOL....well then my plant was definitely the 'reject' of the family cause it was a drama queen about ANYTHING. I would say the day I got it in the mail was the best it EVER looked. I actually rejoiced when it finally died cause I had grown tired of looking at its sorry self.

__________________
BANANA RAVE!
Feel the beat from start to stop, dancin' and movin' from bottom to top!
lilraverboi@genxglow.com
RIP Tog Tan. We love you and will always remember you!
I'm Bryan with a Y! There is no 'I' in BRYAN!

Will_L

I actually pulled it off and got the thing to grow some healthy leaves. I cut back all of the stripped leaves, used 3 in 1, soap spray, and anything else I could think of. Check out the new growth in my gallery. (The last two photos)



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Thanks for all of the suggestions!


Will