Bananas.org - Water suckers

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Re: Water suckers

If you plant a water sucker and it grows will it produce its own sword suckers as it gets bigger? I think I may have been given water suckers and have planted those.

Re: Water suckers

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johngoldcoast (Post 213802)

If you plant a water sucker and it grows will it produce its own sword suckers as it gets bigger? I think I may have been given water suckers and have planted those.

Yes, if it eventually grows a big, healthy corm. There is no genetic difference between sword and water suckers. They difference is the size of the corm and so the energy reserves. A water sucker may be slower to establish and produce a smaller bunch, but once the mat gets established, it'll be no different.

Re: Water suckers

I have an interesting question re sword and water suckers.

Here are some photos of my Williams with a health sword on the left and a semi sword/water on the right.

close up of water growing from old corm

Notice the water has red blotches and the sword doesn't.

Has anyone noticed this with types that can produce red blotching on young leaves.

My Mysore and goldfinger TC plants have red blotching.

My dwarf Cavendish which I planted from a healthy sword sucker which was trimmed of most of the p-stem came up with red blotches on the leaves.

My Williams with the same treatment had no red on the leaves.

My question is, could this water sucker(?) be a dwarf sport . Do TC Williams have red blotches and do water suckers on Williams or any of the larger Caves have the red.

Do the large Caves produce dwarfs. Normally the large came from the dwarf.

Re: Water suckers

What variety is that? Is it anew one that grows beer pups? I would like to buy one from ya. Name your price.

Re: Water suckers

Quote:

Originally Posted by frog7994 (Post 214582)

What variety is that? Is it anew one that grows beer pups? I would like to buy one from ya. Name your price.

This a common old Williams variety of Cavendish which would be available in your area.
What is a beer pup, never heard of that term.

Re: Water suckers

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gabe15 (Post 79971)

Roots never form suckers, they only come from the corm.

As Tog pointed out, water suckers form from bits of corm and from chopped down plants because the shoots need to immediately start photosynthesizing themselves instead of acquiring photosynthate from the rest of the plant which has leaves. Water suckers can also form from old established mats, I suppose they occur from a complex coincidence of certain anatomical and environmental circumstances (such as how old the corm section its coming off of is, or how exposed to the sun it is etc..)

Keep in mind that whether or not a sucker is sword or water, they are genetically identical and one is not going to be overall better than another, there just may be some growth differences initially when young. Some studies have found differences in the first fruit bunch, and some have found none, I think it really depends on cultivar and environment, as do most results of this sort. TC plants are the ultimate water suckers, and they grow up just fine, in some cases outgrowing field separated suckers initially, but again, after the first generation is doesn't matter how they plant was propagated.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard (Post 91653)

Water suckers and sword suckers: after transplanting into a 5+ gallon pots and feeding them through irrigation for 3 months ... mine are indistiguishable. I am using 100ppm nitrogen, 25ppm phosphate, and 150ppm potash.

After reading this post again, there are two posts that everyone needs to keep in mind. Others are realy good but I felt these two sum it up pretty well!

Gabes and Richards offer some excellent knowledge and these two should be given credibility and pulled up from where they were buried on page two.

Others are really good but I felt these two sum it up pretty well!

Re: Water suckers

I like this one more.

What variety is that? Is it anew one that grows beer pups?

Re: Water suckers

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunfish (Post 222975)

I like this one more.

What variety is that? Is it anew one that grows beer pups?

pop-a-top-o-pup.. :^)

Re: Water suckers

Quote:

Originally Posted by heynow (Post 45819)

Praying Hands sword suckers:02:

:woohoonaner::woohoonaner::woohoonaner:

What kind of plant is that? Do you have one that grows Budweiser? :nanadrink:

Re: Water suckers

If I guess properly would I be right if I said the two on the namwah are water suckers and the one on the Caligold is a Sword?

These are the pups that's on my dwarf namwah

This is the one on the Caligold:

Re: Water suckers

Since my main p-stems died off due a freeze last winter and most/all of what came up in the spring were water instead of swords, would it be better to separate them and plant separately, leave them as is or cut all but the largest water down on each?

Love the pictures that make the difference so clear between the two, thank you to all!

Re: Water suckers

Quote:

Originally Posted by KYpalmer (Post 232138)

If I guess properly would I be right if I said the two on the namwah are water suckers and the one on the Caligold is a Sword?

These are the pups that's on my dwarf namwah

This is the one on the Caligold:

I think the middle pic is a beer pup

Re: Water suckers

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfyhound (Post 232179)

Doesn't matter either way

Re: Water suckers

Very helpful thread. The pictures really tell the tale.

Re: Water suckers

Quote:

Originally Posted by pitangadiego (Post 45513)

They tend to grow well and look nice as small plants because they get true leaves earlier than the sword suckers, but have less well developed root systems and seem to lack vigor throughout their life cycle, in my experience. Remove them and use as ornamentals, but not for fruit production. These are both about 6-8" tall - one obviously looks like a little banana plant (water sucker), and the other will be much taller before it has any true leaves (sword).

Do all varieties have the same looking water suckers and sword suckers?

Re: Water suckers

Quote:

Originally Posted by eddiemunozep (Post 236382)

Do all varieties have the same looking water suckers and sword suckers?

Pretty much, some Swords I've seen can get close to 3' or more before they get a real leaf whereas the Water suckers starts out leafy.. :^)

Re: Water suckers

Just Just wondering since my orinoco, Rajapuri, gran nain, and dwarf red are putting out pups. If they are water suckers then I plan to remove. Do water suckers after removal and transplanting produce sword suckers?

Re: Water suckers

Quote:

Originally Posted by eddiemunozep (Post 236385)

Water suckers for me just take longer to get growth but once they get big there isn't much difference.. I think KJ has a thread or an entry in a thread doing a comparison over time.. So once a water sucker gets big it can produce either kind of pup.. :^)

Re: Water suckers

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunfish (Post 236386)

Yes

No.