Stalks splitting/separating
 

Ever since I moved my bananas outside (weren't transplanted...just moved the pots outside) a few of them have started to split open. It's kinda weird. Basically, the leaf and outer part of the pseudostem is separating from the rest of the pseudostem. So rather than being a thick stem, it's a bunch of parts of the pseudostem with leaves fanned out from the base of the plant by the soil line. The leaves aren't breaking off or dying...just separating from the main stem. My ice cream seems to be affected the most. I don't know what the deal is. Is this some sort of disease? Is it something I'm doing wrong (under/over watering/under-fertilizing)? Is it just the wind or heat damaging them in some way? Please let me know. Thanks.

Re: Stalks splitting/separating
 

I have noticed that last year after moving to Las Vegas. I believe it is the heat causing it, but I am really uncertain about it. Anyway, my bananas are doing fine. Perhaps someone else has a more definitive answer. Good question for the BQ magazine!

Re: Stalks splitting/separating
 

This happend to my E. ventricosum and now after almost month it is back
:woohoonaner:

Re: Stalks splitting/separating
 

Okay, first off, I'm glad to hear that others have experienced this before. And I'm also glad to hear that it sounds to be a fairly benign condition. I was hoping it wasn't caused by some random disease or something. I was worried it might be fusarium wilt or something nasty...but the leaves aren't breaking off, just sorta separating from the pstem.

If any one else has any more information about this, I'd love to hear it. I always love to learn as much as I can about anything, so keep the information flowing....and *thanks* to both of you that have replied!

Re: Stalks splitting/separating
 

It happens most often here with Ensetes, and I haven't been able to figure out what causes it.

Has it been raining heavily where you are lately?

Re: Stalks splitting/separating
 

I thought this was normal ,caused from the p.stem swelling.

Re: Stalks splitting/separating
 

No. Plant is potted. At first I belivet that it is going for the sun but isnt. Now is everything back to normal and the plant is in same condition all time.
Now whan I writting this just came in my mind that I water it mostly from te bottom lately. It might be something about watering!
:woohoonaner:

Re: Stalks splitting/separating
 

Well, the past week has been almost all rain, but before that, when the issue started it wasn't all that rainy. Mostly hot and sunny.

Re: Stalks splitting/separating
 

I think it's due from being grown indoors. Subject to a climate (indoors) a plant grows with no wind & no real light is weak. Mine does the same thing, no worries thou once hardend off to the outside it will be fine. It doesn't matter how long you try to harden off your plant it will still do the same thing. Only new growth outside will be stong(usually it takes two or three leaves before you see some strenght in your plant).
Good luck to ya Bryan!!!

Re: Stalks splitting/separating
 

A few of mine did this when I moved them outside. Since it was only the lowermost leaves I just took it as normal.

Re: Stalks splitting/separating
 

Mine do this outdoors, in the ground, and only after heavy rains (which is why I asked) - but the problem seems to go away after they're about 5' tall.

Re: Stalks splitting/separating
 

does it look like this wind and heavy rains also the main stem is growing and the windy pulls the old leaves appart its fine they will start to turn brown and fall to the side than cut them off i would leave them on till this happens

Re: Stalks splitting/separating
 

Yup yup...that's exactly what it looks like! And yeah, I don't cut them off, I always leave em till they die on their own accord before removing them. And stupid me accidentally dropped the screen from my window on them last night and broke off one of the leaves :( Eh...it'll be fine, but I was hoping to have pristine-looking plants in a short time...guess that's not gonna happen. LOL.

Re: Stalks splitting/separating
 

Sometimes I put a lap of cheap masking tape around the stem to hold them together when they start to do that. When the plant grows, if you just use one thickness of the masking tape, it'll pop it right off. Some individual plants seem more prone to separate than others.

Re: Stalks splitting/separating
 

I have read info that claims salt is to blame. Mine do not do it after rain, but after a growth spirt. Sometime the psuedo grows wider at the base very quickly, the faster it grows the faster it turns. As it turns, sometimes the outer leaves pop-off, other times they remain in place and begin to tear apart like the Incredible Hulk's cloths!!! Well. not exactly, it does happen over the course of a week or so.

Based on my best observations I believe the reason the leaves are popping off is because the banana is not burning them off when it should, and instead, holding on to them far longer than it should be. It probably has to due with too little water and a rapid change in the dewpoint. Remeber, the groung may be soggy but there are a number of issues that can lead to poor water uptake like root diseases and hardening from chemicals. I might also be wrong, perhaps the nana may need less water. The way I guess its time to water depends on the amount of plant's natural fluid runoff at night. Usually it wets most of the leaf, but if droplets are on some leafs and not others, its probably time.

I definitely hope to hear the real reason why our leafs are popping, however.

Good luck guys,

Chris P

Re: Stalks splitting/separating
 

well thats not the reason at all with mine the high winds and rain is what did it

Re: Stalks splitting/separating
 

J, sorry I didn't mean to discredit your post. And like yourself, I too would like to find out what the cause of the problem is. Perhaps there are numerous contributors including wind, rain, salt, moles, etc. I only know that my Ice Cream made it through the outer-bands of two hurricanes passing up the coast last year and the leaves never popped off. So far this year, we haven't had any tropical systems, which leads me to believe the banana popped its leaves as it emerged from its first over-winter. It is definitely hard to say because my bananas never stopped growing through winter, however.

One thing I do know is that my SDCav is only 10" and it popped 4 leaves when it began growing again. The leaves are still green and healthy but a good distance away from the psuedostem. The funny thing is, it does not receive any direct sun, wind, or rain. Leaf popping is ,indeed, quite an enigma.

Chris P.

Re: Stalks splitting/separating
 

Okay, well I can guarantee it's not moles....cause mine are container nanners. My best assumption is wind or heat. Cause it happened when I first moved mine outside. I'm guessing it's mostly the wind pulling on the leaves that aren't accustomed to such forces. It wasn't rainy at all when I moved them out...just sunny and it was a bit windy the first few days when this started to happen to mine, anyway.

Re: Stalks splitting/separating
 

Bryan,
Do your plants look like these:


Or these?


My take on these is that the emerging leaves have grown faster than the existing leaves. And depending on the cold hardiness of the variety, the hardier varieties tend to continue to grow, only go to half-dormancy, while less hardy varieties will almost stop growing.

The upper photos are the Dwarf Lady Fingers. While they stayed green inside the house during the winter, they didn't grow much, if any at all. Then the two in the first upper photo were placed in the greenhouse in full sun. The existing stalk and leaves didn't grow much but the inner stem re-pupped and grew at a greater rate than the existing stalks, causing the outer stalks to pop out as they are being pushed by the new emerging stems.

In the lower photos, due to the cold hardiness of the plants, the existing leaves continued to grow during the winter, although slower than normal. When weather warmed up the corms pushed out new leaves at a greater pace than the existing outer leaves, causing the outer leaves/stalk split.

Re: Stalks splitting/separating
 

That's exactly what I was saying, the growth slows or stops, and after winter when the nanner begins to grow again, the psuedostem widens too much for former leaves to accommodate the girth of the new leaves.

But also be aware, base rot on the pseudostem can also cause the leaves the fall away prematurely but that is another issue altogether. In this instance I believe we are collectively referring to popping and splitting rather than curling.

Chris P.