twotallgirls

My darn Pitogo is still having issues. It just won't grow. I dug it up last year and cleaned up corm, removing rotten tissue/roots. It responded well but again stopped at 3 feet. It put out a pup that has steadily declined. See below.
Removed the pup and found a mole cricket that seems to have eaten a nice hole in the corm; corm removed looks poorly again like last time. I cleaned it up and decided to pot it up this time.

All my other bananas are healthy and pop out fruit and pups like crazy; no issues. I'm in South FL so these grow year round; I've invested 18 months on this guy. Never had an issue with mole crickets ever so don't think its the problem just a symptom.

Question: is this even worth trying to save or should I just write if off? It has two small eyes that look like I could start fresh but from others experience, will they too just repeat same? Don't want to waste time / garden real estate on something that can't get back on track (but I sure would love to see Pitogo bananas!).

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Blue Java, Raja Puri, Goldfinger FHIA-01, Mona Lisa FHIA-02, Sweetheart FHIA-03, Pitogo, Saba, Dwarf Cavendish, Super Dwarf Cav., Namwa, Brazilian, Mysore, Dwarf Red, and a mystery or two

Backyard Banana Joe

Is the spot it is in too wet?

twotallgirls

That's the problem, it really isn't. I've got sandy soil (amended) and its at same level as others with no problems with them. Sprinkler only hits a few times a week and rain takes care of rest most of the time in the summer. I thought it might be that and cut sprinkler but S. FL is just too hot to skip too long. Fertilize on normal schedule. I'm going to move the pups to pots and see if things can changes. It just doesn't look like a healthy corm and I wonder if its worth the effort to continue to nurse it along. Thanks.

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Blue Java, Raja Puri, Goldfinger FHIA-01, Mona Lisa FHIA-02, Sweetheart FHIA-03, Pitogo, Saba, Dwarf Cavendish, Super Dwarf Cav., Namwa, Brazilian, Mysore, Dwarf Red, and a mystery or two

Backyard Banana Joe

I have no idea! Maybe that spot is bad? Try somewhere else?

AaronTT

What is the soil amended with? Also what fertilizers if any are you using?

twotallgirls

I guess I'm wondering when do you give up on a banana? Have others experienced a chronic "sickly" corm or one with poor genetics? Its hard to find a Pitogo so I hate to throw in the towel.

All my bananas (I have over a dozen types) are very happy...except this this darn guy. I fertilize / water on a reasonable schedule. Overwater was my primary concern so I look out for that. I amend my sandy soil with composted manure quarterly and mulch. Fertilize with 16-8-24 and mix it up with occasional bucket of Potassium, micro nutrients, fish emulsion. Its in a great location... and its neighbors are VERY healthy.

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Blue Java, Raja Puri, Goldfinger FHIA-01, Mona Lisa FHIA-02, Sweetheart FHIA-03, Pitogo, Saba, Dwarf Cavendish, Super Dwarf Cav., Namwa, Brazilian, Mysore, Dwarf Red, and a mystery or two

Backyard Banana Joe

Who did you get it from?

Backyard Banana Joe

I would pot it up with a perlite and miracle gro mix of 50 50..... Nurse it back to health if you can.

twotallgirls

So I threw in the towel... Dug it up final time in January as it looked even worse and yet again, corm looked like awful rotten mass. So I decided to do major surgery. Removed everything that wasn't clean white corm (75% at least) - down to about tennis ball size. Soaked with Clorox mixture, and put into 50/50 perlite/potting soil. Stuck away for a few months and lo and behold, this is what I have! Have new location to plant when ready. Never thought it would come back after cutting it back so hard but bananas are truly a wonder plant. Go Pitogo!!

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Blue Java, Raja Puri, Goldfinger FHIA-01, Mona Lisa FHIA-02, Sweetheart FHIA-03, Pitogo, Saba, Dwarf Cavendish, Super Dwarf Cav., Namwa, Brazilian, Mysore, Dwarf Red, and a mystery or two

Mikemooreflorida

glad you pulled it, soil was holding to much moisture in that spot obviously

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Current varieties:
Dwarf Cavendish Fruited , Apple Mansano TC unconfirmed, Rajapuri TC Fruited, Gold Finger TC unconfirmed, Dwarf Namwa TC Fruited, Dwarf Orinoco TC Fruited, Sweetheart FHIA-03 Fruited, Tall Red banana Fruited, Blue Java Fruited, Tall Namwa Fruited, Pisang Raja Fruited, Hua Moa TC Stunted, Dwarf Brazilian Fruited, High Gate unconfirmed, Tall Brazilian Fruited, Kokopo unconfirmed, FHIA-17 Fruited, Dwarf Plantain Fruited.

smeash

Everybody loves a come from behind story! I have a viente cohol that started life as a dog toy, then recovered and spent a week drowning in salt water after a hurricane, followed by our coldest winter in several years. The mother plant threw in the towel, but a nice little pup this spring reminded me why i love bananas so much.

edwmax

Your cleaning procedure is exceptional & perfect. .... The new pup proves that. This is what I have recommended in the past for difficult & problem banana corms.


I recommend when you replant the pup to build a raised mound about 8" to 12" of mostly sand/soil mixture and reduce the amount of composted manure & compost mixture to be used. Compost is an active bio petri dish of fungi and other micro organisms; and also very attractive to other destructive soil critters. .... I suspect this was your problem all along

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Stela G

Looks good, congrats. I finally got my hands on one, and I almost killed it. It started to die, luckily for me it shot out a new pup and is now about the size of yours and going strong. The original plant turned brown and I about cried, it took me 2 years to find this variety.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/pTdPDF7Lj2466DK29

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Central Florida 9b Wishlist Florida Variegated and Pitogo