Broken (psuedo) Stems - A Problem?
 

HI In my agri-starts post I mentioned that some of the baby plants came with bent- broken psuedostems. Is this a problem? Should they be ignored? cut? band aid? lol

Would the answer to this question be different in older plants?

By the way, I was happy with my order - yes shipping is expensive and from Florida to Texas one should expect some damage but the plants are big - many 4-5 inches.

Re: Broken (psuedo) Stems - A Problem?
 

Ignored

I would leave them alone, dont cut anything off, just leave it hanging. It can still transfer energy and nutrients up and down, and by cutting it off you are limiting the energy production of the plant.
If the plant has any chance of survival at all, cutting it wont help, and there's really no band-aid type of measure you can take...
The good news is that even if it snapped off completely it could still re-emerge from the bottom. On larger plants, growers often whack the entire pseudostem down for shipping. With small tissue cultured plants, it's not a smart thing to do, but they can grow back from it.

Re: Broken (psuedo) Stems - A Problem?
 

I had this happen with a large, potted Musa itinerans. The pseudostem bent while transporting it. I made a splint for it, and it healed fine. It's a crap shoot though, because the "shaft" where the leaves emerge from could have been closed up by the injury, preventing the leaf from emerging. Eventually, it will find its way out of the side of the pseudostem.

I agree with Jarred, all that being said. If they are broken, just leave them alone. As long as they are still attached, it is energy for the plant. If they are just slightly bent, you may consider a makeshift splint for it with a bamboo stake.