how many layers are too many to peel off a rotten pstem?
 

my plants were not that happy over the winter
they grew a little bit when they first came inside but they
spent most of the winter dormant
when i brought them upstairs and outside i noticed one of them
my second oldest/second biggest
had some rot at the base of the pstem



i peeled back layers until there was no more rot which left it pretty thin


looked for some info on the forum... and decided to leave it as is and
see what happens
my mom saw the plant listing to the side and propped it up a bit

wind caused the plant to kink a bit where it was supported so i put in
a longer support... this pic was taken after.. i propped it back up to
show how it looked


unfortunately i did not secure it very well
wind knocked it down overnight


the pup seen in the earlier photos had suffered the same fate
i could see a leaf trying to poke through the side near the base so i cut it down
anyhow this is what it looks like now


so what do you think?
if i had supported it better do you think i could have saved the pstem height?
maybe 3 long stakes all tied up near the top of the pstem?

Re: how many layers are too many to peel off a rotten pstem?
 

I'm an amateur with musas but not with plants which is why I suggest that the wind only quickened the known demise of the p-stem. In other words the plant was not healthy and you could not prevent the death. All of those new pups are what happened when what appeared to be a happy DC fell over when I brushed up against it. The young TC corm sent out a 6 or 8 new pups so, IMO, she knew the end was nigh and prepared.

Re: how many layers are too many to peel off a rotten pstem?
 

I say you never know. Looking at yours I would have most likely cut it down also. I have had some that I figured no way they make it and they fix themselves and take off. Then I have also had full sized Pstems just stop growing and divert energy to pups for no real reason. I have found about all you can do is cut back watering and let them sort it out. If it is minor rot then I would cut early and get it all. You did about all you could do. The pup will replace the main Pstem fast.

Re: how many layers are too many to peel off a rotten pstem?
 

My guess is poor drainage and over watering. Easy to do with potted plants. Lay off water. Center of corm may be dieing but outer part will sometimes sustain pups. Just my amateur opinion. :0519:

Re: how many layers are too many to peel off a rotten pstem?
 

I second that. The Pstem is retaining too much water. Further, I think that it could also be starving from light and ventilation. Put the plant in a brighter and warmer spot, and put a small fan nearby to circulate the air some. When watering, let the top 1/2" to 3/4" of the soil to dry out before watering the plant again. Make sure that your soil is well draining. I notice that your soil has some perlite in it already. However, if it's mixed with too much peat moss, it might be retaining water too long. If that's the case, you can add more perlite, or 1/4" grade pumice with your potting medium - 30% pumice to 70% medium ratio. The problem with perlite is they float to the top when you water with strong spray that disturbs the top of the soil. You will have to mix the top soil over each time in order to keep the soil loose. I use a soil-less potting medium made by Fison's Sunshine Mix and it's mostly peat moss. I got the tip to add graded pumice to it from the Horticultural instructor from the U of WA in a course that I audited back in the early 70s. The graded pumice that I used then was white pumice and they are much lighter than the red pumice that you get from landscaping or sand & gravel supply companies. The white pumice is especially helpful when you have to move pots in and out of the house for Winter storage and outside growing in the Spring. Though I still have and use the white version, since the late 90s, I've mostly used the red pumice now due to the very high cost of the white pumice. The last time I bought white pumice they cost 5 or 6 times the red version. Once you have the plants in the brighter light, you also need to develop a fertilization schedule in order to "fatten them up". Use half strength of the manufacturer's recommendation for the first 3 weeks, then go full strength after that. Follow the manufacturer's instruction on the frequency of applying fertilizer.

Best to you!

Chong

Re: how many layers are too many to peel off a rotten pstem?
 

I forgot to reply to the question. Remove all of the rotten layers to let the plant "breathe" and dry out the base of the rotten stems.

Chong

Re: how many layers are too many to peel off a rotten pstem?
 

Sand, sand, sand... Good luck buddy!

Re: how many layers are too many to peel off a rotten pstem?
 

some people love their poison
they get very defensive and protective of their poison use
the tipping point of consumer rejection of poisons on food is here

Re: how many layers are too many to peel off a rotten pstem?
 

Your situation is quite common with overwintered plants.
You did the right thing.

A few of my banana plants do the same thing each year in the spring.
Sometimes the plant will push leaves out the side of the stem because the dead sheaths are too tight for a new leaf to push through.

The outside leaves die and decompose .....when you remove them the fragile weak middle stem usually breaks.
This year was a banner year .....I had many plants do this.

Re: how many layers are too many to peel off a rotten pstem?
 

i feel like if i had made a solid tripod of sticks to prop it up it may have pulled through

speaking of old sheaths being too tight...
some of my plants were putting out a couple leafs that would only come out part way and bunching up.
i pulled on the apposing leafs to try to loosen the top up a bit to allow the new growth to push through.
dont know if this helps or not... i was very careful and stopped at the first sound of tearing

thanks

Re: how many layers are too many to peel off a rotten pstem?
 

oh yeah and they did come inside soaking wet from heavy rains
i think i will make little raincoats for the pots this fall with garbage bags or something

Re: how many layers are too many to peel off a rotten pstem?
 

I will run a razor blade along the P -stem ....to loosen the pressure..
Sometimes it works and other times ...........it works .
Cheers

Re: how many layers are too many to peel off a rotten pstem?
 

well i had another plant on the ground this morning

looks like raccoons had been scratching at the stem

smells just like cucumber...

anyhow i cut it off just below the bend







argh!

Re: how many layers are too many to peel off a rotten pstem?
 

Long shot but moth balls detracts some animals. Traps work! ��⚰

Re: how many layers are too many to peel off a rotten pstem?
 

:2723::2723::2723:

Guns also work.

Re: how many layers are too many to peel off a rotten pstem?
 

with the scratching on the stem i was wondering if it might have been my sisters
cat? hes a pretty big guy and i have seen him up in trees before

nah probably a raccoon

i have not had this happen yet so i am going to pass it off as chance and not do anything about it

Re: how many layers are too many to peel off a rotten pstem?
 

Trap the racoon! Follow your ancestors legacy!

Re: how many layers are too many to peel off a rotten pstem?
 

well the pups are growing fast


i wonder if i had not cut that one off right near the corm would it have survived?
the other one i cut off about a foot above the corm and it is pushing out new
leafs including a new cigar not seen in this pic

Re: how many layers are too many to peel off a rotten pstem?
 

looking awesome.......:08:

Re: how many layers are too many to peel off a rotten pstem?
 

These are awesome trees.