Question about removing banana leaves
 

Besides cutting off old yellowing dying leaves... Does cutting off leaves that are still green encourage growth by directing more nutrients to the plant itself?

I have several bananas that still have green leaves on the lower part of the stem that I don't think are really needed and I want the plant to grow vertically instead of just putting out leaves with little growth.

On my Dwarf Cavendish for example I've been cutting back (not digging out) the pups to direct more nutrients to the mother plant and encourage growth and seems to be working.

Curious if trimming back old leaves would help as well

Re: Question about removing banana leaves
 

I know pitangadeigo says leave all green on, but that's not what I do. I keep a maximum of six and a minimum four leaves on my young plants. Once they get bigger, you don't want to do that in case it fruits suddenly and doesn't have enough leaves. I stop when it is a couple feet away from the average fruiting height.

As to the benefits of removing green and dead growth. Removing green makes the plant make more leaves faster, making it grow faster and ultimately fruit faster. The bunches might not be as big though.

The benefits of removing dead growth is to increase airflow, and as a bonus, the plant looks better.

I personally hate dead leaves, and there has almost never been a dead leaf attached to one of my plants (except little leaves from pups and a couple big, yellow leaves on a fruiting plant. one time I did an experiment in a super dwarf by leaving the old leaves to die to see it helped the plant, answer, no, as far as I can tell)


I also just put the leaves at the base of the plant and worms and things take it from there!

Re: Question about removing banana leaves
 

That's exactly what I wanted to confirm, thanks BBJ!

Some of my young plants easily have 10+ and could use some trimming.

Re: Question about removing banana leaves
 

Personal preference for the backyard grower..

Re: Question about removing banana leaves
 

Yes, pitangadiego says never remove anything green. Anything green is adding energy to the plant. Cuttings them off is like disconnecting a solar panel. The plant will let you know when a leaf is not needed by turning it yellow.

Re: Question about removing banana leaves
 

Yeah makes sense
I mostly removed leaves that were starting to turn yellow already and green leaves with browning edges then fed them some nice fertilizer :banana_ba

Re: Question about removing banana leaves
 

Here is a good example of plants wanting a trim..

Plants are Musa Bordelon which show the first discomfort of short days and cool nights.

Deteriorating leaves
by
Hostafarian,
on Flickr

Re: Question about removing banana leaves
 

Depending on where you are, I wouldn't prune leaves going into winter. I believe the leaves, brown and hanging around the trunk, help shield the stem from the cold, and frost especially.

Re: Question about removing banana leaves
 

Brown leaves can be an issue in winter if they hold moisture against the pseudostem and cause rot. It is especially an issue when it is cold and raining. Avoiding rot probably trumps the insulation value, depending on your climate and weather. Also some varieties, such as Misi Luke, have very sleek, Pseudostems which can resist moisture intrusion. Others, such as Dwarf Green Red and the Cavendish types are more susceptible.