sputinc7

I have been doing basically the same things with all my bananas, but while looking over my Namwah twins today, I noticed something odd. Most likely some kind of fertilizer issue, but not sure. Been putting a couple handfuls of black kow type .5-.5-.5 manure fertilizer around all my plants every couple weeks during summer growth season, and a 3 finger pinch or two of potassium sulphate on each one at the same time. These are pics of the oddity on the leaf edges I saw today. This is only on the most recent couple leaves, so I doubt it's some leaf streak disease as they tend to begin on older leaves, and on the tips. Please take a look and let me know what you think. My guess is too much potassium sulphate as it is the newest addition to my routine and this hasn't happened before. Either that or too much water, as I have been watering daily in the summer heat, unless we get more than a quarter inch of rain. These plants are about 3-4 feet tall at the top of the PS.



This is not the sunlight, those bright streaks are on the leaf...



From underneath one of the leaves:





It may be possible it is nitrogen as well, I emptied my compost barrel between the two only a couple days ago too. As is common with barrel compost, it was partly rotted instead of composted. After I dumped it there, I, of course, watered it down. Has anyone seen this before and can pin down what I did so I don't do it again? They are still growing quite rapidly so I don't think I will lose them or anything...

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Varieties I supposedly bought: Manzano, Cavendish, Blue Java, Sweetheart, and Gros Michel.
What it seems I actually have: Brazilian, Cavendish, Namwah, Dwarf Red, Gros Michel, Pisang Ceylon, Veinte Cohol and SH 3640, and American Goldfinger. FHIA 1, Paggi and FHIA 17... Always room for one more.

JP

What kind of soil do you use?

sputinc7

It's just Florida sand. I added a whole 50 lb bag of black kow when planting back in March, but sand otherwise. Everything else is top dressing.
I put a grass clipping mulch around one but not the other as an experiment, and because of that, everything else has been identical on both, and both have the leaf markings. Consequently, the mulched one has been stayine about 3/4 of a leaf ahead since mulching. They were identical in growth.

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Varieties I supposedly bought: Manzano, Cavendish, Blue Java, Sweetheart, and Gros Michel.
What it seems I actually have: Brazilian, Cavendish, Namwah, Dwarf Red, Gros Michel, Pisang Ceylon, Veinte Cohol and SH 3640, and American Goldfinger. FHIA 1, Paggi and FHIA 17... Always room for one more.

Tytaylor77

I would guess fert burn. Since it's the only change. I wouldn't put any fert for a week or 2 see if it goes away. My fert burn is usually in the new leaf before it unrolls and the leaves come out all crooked and curved. Never seen any like your pics unless I didn't notice it. I try just to put manure on smaller plants. On full grown plants I use lots of manure and sprinkle about 1/4 cup of the strong stuff.

I mix 1 part 46-0-0 and 2 parts 0-0-60. 1/4 cup of that every 2-3 weeks. Throw it on the ground and water in (if I don't the fire ants will carry it away) lol. I have 100% sand also.

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JP

Probably something to do with fert. maybe it's missing something... I wouldn't worry about that.

RAINFOREZT

florida sandy soil need more nutrients. Its look like some kind of deficiency. I am not an expert so I just feed them with some npk fertilizer with all the minor elements and more K in it. Plus compost and cow manure.

blue java ice cream

That's an early sign of potassium deficiency. Bananas are heavy Potassium feeders and need to be supplemented with our sandy Florida soils. Here's a link that may be useful to you.

Banana nutrient deficiencies - Haifa Group

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Currently growing, Ae Ae, Patupi, French red, Goldfinger, Namwa, Ice cream, Raja puri, Pisang raja, Lacatan, Double mahoi, Brazilian, Manzano, Mysore, Veinte cohol, Sh-3640, Sweetheart, Mona lisa, FHIA-21, and Kandrian

sputinc7

Now this on my Brazilian pups... Note the odd wavy pattern on the newer leaves. Always been pretty smooth before.(And growth seems to be slowed considerably, too)











The last few days I have done nothing to them. God has been watering them and that's it. My cavendish has basically stopped growing. The Namwah twins above seem to be growing still, but not as fast as before. I am just hoping someone else made the same screw up before and can look and say,"Oh yeah! that is ******"

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If you lose your head and give up, you neither live nor win.

https://sputinc7.wixsite.com/covwc

Varieties I supposedly bought: Manzano, Cavendish, Blue Java, Sweetheart, and Gros Michel.
What it seems I actually have: Brazilian, Cavendish, Namwah, Dwarf Red, Gros Michel, Pisang Ceylon, Veinte Cohol and SH 3640, and American Goldfinger. FHIA 1, Paggi and FHIA 17... Always room for one more.

blue java ice cream

Calcium plays a big role in the structure of a leaf. My soil PH is very high and restricts my trees ability to take in calcium and boron. Boron deficiencies have a similar appearance to calcium deficiencies. Have you ever tested the PH of your soil?

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Currently growing, Ae Ae, Patupi, French red, Goldfinger, Namwa, Ice cream, Raja puri, Pisang raja, Lacatan, Double mahoi, Brazilian, Manzano, Mysore, Veinte cohol, Sh-3640, Sweetheart, Mona lisa, FHIA-21, and Kandrian

sputinc7

Not for a long time. My Brazilian has grown exceptionally well so I didn't worry. These were all growing exceptionally well until about a week or so ago. The leaf streaks appeared and growth slowed around the same time. I added some black kow, which does release nitrogen fairly fast at first, but I have done that before.. I have been watering almost daily but I recently began adding the potassium. I think it is likely the potassium or too much water. BUT, now that it is happening on the big mat as well, makes me doubt overwatering. Does this look like potassium overuse to anyone? It almost has to be...Or some disease, Heaven forbid...

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If you lose your head and give up, you neither live nor win.

https://sputinc7.wixsite.com/covwc

Varieties I supposedly bought: Manzano, Cavendish, Blue Java, Sweetheart, and Gros Michel.
What it seems I actually have: Brazilian, Cavendish, Namwah, Dwarf Red, Gros Michel, Pisang Ceylon, Veinte Cohol and SH 3640, and American Goldfinger. FHIA 1, Paggi and FHIA 17... Always room for one more.

Richard

I think you should calm down. Banana plants grow from bulbs (corms) much like iris or daffodils -- although their flowers produce berries we call bananas. That's right - berries. Notice how large the berries are, and how large the whole plant is in general. If you had a bed of daffodils I doubt you'd notice these same deformities in them -- because it happens on a much smaller scale. Your plants look ok to me, in fact pretty good for a newbie. Plants get pimples too. Don't worry about it too much.

Here's a rule of thumb:
When I began gardening in my youth I killed nine out of ten plants. Now with experience I kill about 2-5 out of every hundred.

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scottu

prob not an issue but, what is your water source?

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sputinc7

well water gone thru a filtration system and conditioner.
I am worried most about my Cavendish, which isn't pictured. It's leaves went from dark green to pale green with yellow PS and midribs with growth at a standstill. I didn't add a pic because without a good before pic, it would be tough to see in a photo.

__________________

If you lose your head and give up, you neither live nor win.

https://sputinc7.wixsite.com/covwc

Varieties I supposedly bought: Manzano, Cavendish, Blue Java, Sweetheart, and Gros Michel.
What it seems I actually have: Brazilian, Cavendish, Namwah, Dwarf Red, Gros Michel, Pisang Ceylon, Veinte Cohol and SH 3640, and American Goldfinger. FHIA 1, Paggi and FHIA 17... Always room for one more.

sputinc7

Not as much a newbie as it may seem, either.
I have been a gardener all my life and pretty successful at it, too. I used to be hard line organic, but pests and diseases along with age and time constraints force my hand a bit sometimes. I still attempt to fertilize my food plants organically, but here, finding enough K for bananas organically can be tough. I grew bananas in Illinois for 5 years, but never even thought of having a chance to make fruit. I also am a quick study and have read things on here and banana growing websites for dozens of hours. I am nowhere near an expert, but I know some... I got SOP instead of MOP for instance.
I always have had a knack for noticing small irregularities and differences in plants so IDing bananas should be easy for me after I have personally grown or seen one. (Pics just don't do it to learn what they look like, yet once I know, I can tell things from pics.)
For instance, I already knew bananas were berries and are related to grasses. I knew about the corms, etc. Actually, I most likely would have noticed this on daffodils,that's how closely I check my plants, which is why I am concerned. I just know something is wrong. I also know if I just leave them alone a while, they will most likely sort it out, then I can begin watering again, then fertilize again and figure out what not to do. I just hoped someone had seen this before and save me the time. Thankfully, Richard, you did that by telling me how much 0-0-60 I should have used.(for which I ran a thread but got no answers.)
I now know the most likely culprit is too much potassium, which some members say isn't possible. So you know, apparently it is.
I put about 3-5 tablespoons around the big mat of Brazilians, 2x a couple weeks apart and 2-4 tablespoons around each plant (3 feet tall or so each.) also two times a bout 2-3 weeks apart. A five pound bag of this stuff looks like it fits in a quart jar, give or take, so I am guessing around an ounce per tbs. It seems I put on about a year's worth in a month. Won't do that again. I always tend to overdo a good thing.
One good reason to stick with organic fertilizing, you just can't overfertilize with properly made compost until you bury the plant, the plant will have everything it needs and simply won't use the rest.
I just wanted you to know.
Thanks Richard.

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If you lose your head and give up, you neither live nor win.

https://sputinc7.wixsite.com/covwc

Varieties I supposedly bought: Manzano, Cavendish, Blue Java, Sweetheart, and Gros Michel.
What it seems I actually have: Brazilian, Cavendish, Namwah, Dwarf Red, Gros Michel, Pisang Ceylon, Veinte Cohol and SH 3640, and American Goldfinger. FHIA 1, Paggi and FHIA 17... Always room for one more.

Jamie p

Just a guess, but if your water is softened with salt that could be problem. It might be building up in the soil. However I'm not an expert on water softener systems.

sputinc7

That shouldn't be a problem with sandy soil outside where the rain rinses it away regularly. I see bananas growing down by the intracoastal river, which is brackish as well as out on the island a block from the beach. I am sure they get lots more salt. I did think about that, though. Besides, the amount of salt from a water conditioner is minimal.

__________________

If you lose your head and give up, you neither live nor win.

https://sputinc7.wixsite.com/covwc

Varieties I supposedly bought: Manzano, Cavendish, Blue Java, Sweetheart, and Gros Michel.
What it seems I actually have: Brazilian, Cavendish, Namwah, Dwarf Red, Gros Michel, Pisang Ceylon, Veinte Cohol and SH 3640, and American Goldfinger. FHIA 1, Paggi and FHIA 17... Always room for one more.

Richard

This is false -- but not in the sense of over fertilizing the plant. Rather, you will undersupply the plant with specific primary, secondary, and micro nutrients which are either in negligible quantities or completely absent in your "properly made compost".

Further, in your area anything the plant doesn't use becomes ground water pollution.

The most common error I see in homeowner organic gardening is oversupplying plants with Nitrogen in relation to everything else.

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sputinc7

That is why I said,"properly made compost". Most people leave out a lot in composting and don't turn regularly so it decomposes slowly or rots instead of composting and will be missing nutrients. (It's gotta stay hot inside. Rotting causes a very high N content with little else.) It must have a wide array of kitchen scraps and wood ashes and some wood particles of some sort are helpful.
I agree, it may not have exactly every nutrient for a specific type of plant, but I have never seen things grow and produce like they do in my compost. Finding the energy and materials needed to make it here and now is difficult but when I was in my 20's & 30's I had a massive garden in Illinois.

__________________

If you lose your head and give up, you neither live nor win.

https://sputinc7.wixsite.com/covwc

Varieties I supposedly bought: Manzano, Cavendish, Blue Java, Sweetheart, and Gros Michel.
What it seems I actually have: Brazilian, Cavendish, Namwah, Dwarf Red, Gros Michel, Pisang Ceylon, Veinte Cohol and SH 3640, and American Goldfinger. FHIA 1, Paggi and FHIA 17... Always room for one more.

Richard

I think you read my reply too quickly.

Best wishes to you.

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sputinc7

Still growing extremely slow. Two weeks and still not a completed leaf except on this one Brazilian pup, but they are choked and deformed...Be careful with the 0-0-60! .I keep hoping for a big rain to flush it to the subsoil so we can move on.

__________________

If you lose your head and give up, you neither live nor win.

https://sputinc7.wixsite.com/covwc

Varieties I supposedly bought: Manzano, Cavendish, Blue Java, Sweetheart, and Gros Michel.
What it seems I actually have: Brazilian, Cavendish, Namwah, Dwarf Red, Gros Michel, Pisang Ceylon, Veinte Cohol and SH 3640, and American Goldfinger. FHIA 1, Paggi and FHIA 17... Always room for one more.