Rick H

I have a few Basjoo's growing outside near the house. Was wondering if trimming the lower ( and smaller ) leaves helps the plant grow faster or taller? They are about 3 1/2 feet tall now, was thinking that cutting the lower leaves back close to the stem, might give the plant more energy ( not the right word... ) to grow faster, since it does not have to feed the smaller leaves. I would leave the top canopy of five or six larger leaves alone. Any ideas? Thanks!!!!

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I am in Upstate NY, home to lots of SNOW!!! I am hoping to be sucessful in growing some Musa Basjoos around the pool to make our short summers feel more tropical!!!! Always open to advice from others!!!

sunfish

The leaves actually help the plant grow,

How do leaves help plants to grow

Leaves and Leaf Anatomy - EnchantedLearning.com

LilRaverBoi

Yeah, I was actually gonna say the same thing. The leaves help the plant grow faster/stronger. You can cut them if you really want to for aesthetic purposes or if they're in the way of your sidewalk or something. The plant will naturally drop some leaves on its own as it grows. Otherwise, they are only helping it grow, not hindering it. I only ever remove leaves that are totally dead/brown/dry (well, unless you cut off a bunch of roots to transplant a plant from the ground into a pot, then it's wise to prune off a bunch of the leaves as there aren't enough roots to sustain them...but that's the exception LOL).

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Max363

Hey Rick - IMO one of the advantages that us Northern banana growers have is that the leaves on our plants often remain all season in pristine shape all season without the severe rips etc that I see on many plants from longer growing areas. As a ten year banana plant grower I have always trimmed my leaves when they break, are shredded by some deer that forgot for a moment that deer really don't like the taste or when they are just too large or overhanging in a non aesthetically pleasing way. I have never seen any ill effect from grooming ... and I enjoy looking at a perfect looking specimen in my yard much more than a tortured shredded one. Thanks for your post!

burris

Say - i don't want to hijack the thread, but this is somewhat related. I purchased my first banana plants this Spring at the farm store. They were in small - half gallon or smaller pots and we had a late frost that got them and they looked about half dead.

They are basjoo and i trimmed about half of the leaves away (dead leaves - partially dead) and re-potted them in 5 gallon pots. They have come on real well with perhaps the biggest approaching 3 foot tall and 1.5 inch diameter stem. I bought some a few weeks later and they are half that big. so maybe the re-potting was as big a factor as any.

I have 11 with half in almost full sun and the other half mostly shaded. The past few weeks i notice a lot of the leaves have brown edges or parts of the the leave turning brown. I water frequently - possibly too much?

I'm in Arkansas - zone 7 and i think the original pots said they were 2 yr-old plants out of a nursery in Oklahoma. Probably tissue cultured - i shouldn't speculate - i have no idea.

I think they are probably doing decent. Are the brown spots normal? Your thoughts?

LilRaverBoi

Don't let them stay wet all the time. Water when the surface of the soil is dry to the touch and dryish below that. If they stay wet, they tend to rot.

__________________
BANANA RAVE!
Feel the beat from start to stop, dancin' and movin' from bottom to top!
lilraverboi@genxglow.com
RIP Tog Tan. We love you and will always remember you!
I'm Bryan with a Y! There is no 'I' in BRYAN!