Bananas.org - Suckers / Pups ??

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Suckers / Pups ??

After my main plants did not re-sprout or flag out the center this spring , after going to great lenths to keep them from getting too cold over winter !!! They did although give many pups / suckers .. I was just happy they came back BUT after reading about the differant kind of suckers Im wondering if they will ever fruit as they may have been water pups ? Do water pups fruit ever ? I did get many sword pups this month, but still wondering if the water pups was a waste of time ?? Pups what replaced what I had last year are now about 7 feet tall.. no sign of flowering,, but it would only be a first year pup ,, 2nd year corm... sooooo should I replace them or let them go ? Thanks in advance ..:2738:

Re: Suckers / Pups ??

Water pups will fruit, they will just take a little bit longer and have a slightly lower yield.

Re: Suckers / Pups ??

Good Question.. for Real.. I am forever watchful for water pups and I cut them out just to be safe.. :^)

Re: Suckers / Pups ??

One of the Aussie sites had this to say about suckers. I thought they gave a good reason for selection.

Quote:

The first flush of suckers may appear very early and these should be cut off at ground level until the mother plant is about 2m tall. Don’t apply kerosene at this young age, as you may damage the mother plant. Don’t be tempted to keep these suckers for your next crop because they have emerged from a point too shallow under the base of the mother plant and they will more than likely topple over (and pull the mother plant over as well) when mature. The most suitable sucker for your next crop should be selected about 5 months after planting, at which time it will have emerged from a point much deeper in the soil and be more stable at maturity. The suckers you want to select are called sword suckers – very thin sword-like leaves. The big fat healthy leafed suckers are not the ones you want to select – these are called water suckers and they will not produce the best plant or the biggest bunch of bananas.

Re: Suckers / Pups ??

Here is a video of my collection ,,, Hope it works
Updated video of my banana plants - YouTube

Re: Suckers / Pups ??

Quote:

Originally Posted by RandyGHO (Post 201993)

One of the Aussie sites had this to say about suckers. I thought they gave a good reason for selection.

It is would be interesting to learn why you think their reasoning is sound.

Their choice is to kill it because it may be to close to the surface of the ground.

It is possible, that replanting it in a deeper hole is a better option.

If digging a deeper hole and replanting is too difficult, another option is to add more soil above the sucker.

By keeping it alive you retain the option of killing it at a later date.

When reading something this foolish, try to use common sense. "they will more than likely topple over and pull the mother plant over as well"
In 15 years I have never seen this occur so "more than likely" can't be close to accurate.

Re: Suckers / Pups ??

As to date I have not been killing them.. as you can see on the video above ( if you can view it ) I have been potting them ,, My main question was as to if i was wasting my time potting and growing water suckers. Thank you for your reply

Re: Suckers / Pups ??

Quote:

Originally Posted by PR-Giants (Post 202010)

It is would be interesting to learn why you think their reasoning is sound..

Since I have no real expertise at all, I thought it interesting to read that the deep originating pups would be better than shallow ones. Do you think this is wrong?

Re: Suckers / Pups ??

Quote:

Originally Posted by RandyGHO (Post 202027)

Since I have no real expertise at all, I thought it interesting to read that the deep originating pups would be better than shallow ones. Do you think this is wrong?

Their reasoning is based on soil depth and the ability of the plant to anchor itself.
A mat can grow well above ground level, but with a shovel you can adjust the depth.

As with water suckers, I can say with certainty that my largest fruits came from water suckers.