asacomm

Hi friends,

I have a headache with several 60L potted banana trees with oblique pseudostem.
The all are 2 years old and supposed to be candidates of next year flowring.


Considering from the fact that the center of gravity should move to the top
of the pseudostem when they bear fruits, I am wondering what to do with them.

Idea 1.
To dig them up from the pot and after storing in a cool place with the temp.
not less than 5C/41F and repot them streight vertically when spring comes.
I wonder in this case if newly developed roots are strong enough to support
the tree.

Idea 2.
To use "Y shaped supporter" to support and sustain the oblique pseudostem.
However the trouble is that it is not easy to find such material here in Japan.

Idea 3.
Nothing to do with the banana trees, but only to adjust the pot position using
stones or something under the pot so that the tree can stand streight upward.

Do you have any other better and effective ideas?

Gabe15

Are you planning on having them fruit in the ground or in the containers?

__________________
Growing bananas in Colorado, Washington, Hawaii since 2004. Commercial banana farmer, 200+ varieties.

Bob3

Several techniques come to mind...
My choice would be to plant them directly into the ground, standing straight.

If needing to keep in the pots:
You could also stick them in the ground while still in the pots, or pile sandbags under & around to support the pots.

Arrange in a triangle, all pointing outward. Support ropes running to each other so they can mutually support their neighbors.

Use wood poles or PVC pipe supports, "teepee style", (inverted "V"), much more stable than a "Y".

Sky hooks with blimps. (sorry, had to add that last one)

__________________
Recipes & links for Cajun, Creole, & other goodies.

asacomm

Hello Gabe,

I intend to fruit in a container.

asacomm

Hello Bob3,

Thanks for your comments.
Planting them in the ground?, I do well know it is the best way to do so, but
unfortunately I have no enough space to plant them in the ground and thus I
need to grow them in the pots.

So what do to with them rather than the "Blimps" idea?

raygrogan

Another version of your idea 2 would be to use string and support them from your house or a tree. Aerial support sounds like it would need to be very strong, but in a few years of testing it does not seem like the banana trees pull as hard as I imagined. I think that what the support ends up doing is just stopping the plant from blowing down, but otherwise the plant holds itself up.

Since yours are in pots you might have some choices as to where to place the pots to be near a good place to tie up. You'll need some kind of strap to put around each stem, some cheap string to go to the support, and some kind of way to tie to the house without doing damage.

A few pix: https://picasaweb.google.com/1146855...ortingBunches#

Good luck, I hope you get a bunch from each. Ray

Bob3

I would probably go with several sandbags, both underneath as well as around the sides, allowing you to position them much more easily and accurately than with rocks.
If you don't have access to sand/ sandbags, then 2 pieces of PVC pipe, bamboo, or wood, tied together about 30cm from their ends to form an "X", with legs of sufficient length to prop the plants up.

I use the pipe method on my banana plants when they start leaning over from a too-heavy load & it supports them very well.
Here's a YouTube video of how to lash such a "bipod" brace together:


You just have to position the poles side by side, with about 1 foot (30 cm) of each is "above" the lashing so you have a nice cradle to support the stem.

__________________
Recipes & links for Cajun, Creole, & other goodies.

pitangadiego

Repot them in somewhat larger pots, and straighten them up at the same time (in the same way you would do it if planting t6hem in the ground.

__________________
Encanto Farms Nursery
http://encantofarms.com
We Be Bananas
http://webebananas.com

momoese

That's what I would do.

varig8

This was my initial thought, and I think the best solution to your problem. Simple is always best.

musa_monkey

and if you cant do that simply remove all the compost from the roots and repot in the same pots making sure they are upright. I do this every season as i always have a few in pots that seem to grow at an angle.