Quote:
Originally Posted by Ueberwinden
Based on the diagram, I could use my trenching shovel on a slight angle to the base of the mother and remove the pups without harming the mother or the pups.
Michael
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That should work pretty well, I tried a similar ditch shovel but the bar will give you significantly more leverage and you'll need it - trust me. When I dug up a few of my larger pups, I'd have done a lot more damage had I not had the bar. I tried everything from a regular shovel to the bar, and ultimately the bar was my hands down favorite. Can be found pretty cheap at HD or Lowe's. I use a smaller crowbar like tool for very small pups (or a knife if the whole plant is dug up). Rule of thumb - the pup probably should be about 1-2' tall before you take it. I've had smaller survive (some just inches) - but they will take forever to get going (I have some very tiny pups I took off a banana I fully dug up in October that are still just starting to grow in my heated garage). If you get a larger pup (1-4') they'll bounce back in less than 4 weeks usually. And don't be surprised if they loose their leaves after you chop them from the mother corm. They'll pop right back in no time - it freaked me out the first time.