Stem Cutting

moomooman · 12-24-2008, 01:55 AM

Say you have two bananas both 10' tall and equally healthy, same type etc etc... Winter comes along and they're killed to about 5 feet of trunk. If you cut one to the ground and the other to the the greenwood, would the taller one have the better chance of fruiting, or would they both fruit no matter what size, once they reached the designated no. of leaves? Or would it mean that cutting to the greenwood vs the stem is like getting a year's head start on the ground cut?
Also are there any specific types of bananas that are best suited to this?
I'm sorry if im not specific enough, but this is kinda hard to put into words.

Oops! the title meant to say "Stem Cutting"

Richard · 12-24-2008, 02:33 AM

There is no stem. What appears to be a tree trunk is a pseudo-stem, composed entirely of leaf-stems. The corm underground thrusts new leaves or the flower bud up between the previous stems. If the flower bud is already part-way up the pseudo-stem and you decapitate it while cutting back the trunk -- there goes your harvest.

bigdog · 12-24-2008, 10:31 AM

Flowering size is determined by pseudostem height, to some degree. If a plant is getting ready to flower fairly soon and is cut back, however, it can flower at a smaller size. The number of leaves "rule" is definitely not a hard and fast rule by any stretch of the imagination.

So to answer your question, I don't know. LOL!! Well, I will give you an example of my experience here. I have a mat of Musa itinerans, and protected one stem to just over a foot or so, and let the other 2 die to the ground. While the protected one had a head start and was the larger of the two the previous year anyway, both pseudostems ended the year at about the same height. Neither one flowered though. Hmm...that really doesn't help either, now does it? LOL!!

Frank

jack hagenaars · 12-29-2008, 06:34 PM

Good question!!Got mean wondering?

Chironex · 12-29-2008, 08:57 PM

However, if it is cut when the meristem is moving up inside of the pstem and you cut it, the main pstem will not blossom and will die back.

12-24-2008, 01:55 AM	#1 (permalink)
moomooman Is a Monkey Location: Albany, GA Find me on the map! Zone: 8b Name: Andrew Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 64 BananaBucks : 7,223 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 28 Times Was Thanked 11 Times in 7 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 8 Times	Stem Cutting Say you have two bananas both 10' tall and equally healthy, same type etc etc... Winter comes along and they're killed to about 5 feet of trunk. If you cut one to the ground and the other to the the greenwood, would the taller one have the better chance of fruiting, or would they both fruit no matter what size, once they reached the designated no. of leaves? Or would it mean that cutting to the greenwood vs the stem is like getting a year's head start on the ground cut? Also are there any specific types of bananas that are best suited to this? I'm sorry if im not specific enough, but this is kinda hard to put into words. Oops! the title meant to say "Stem Cutting" __________________ Lakes and Rivers >swimming pools Last edited by moomooman : 12-24-2008 at 01:58 AM. Reason: wrong title name

12-24-2008, 02:33 AM	#2 (permalink)
Richard un-Retired Richard's Photo Gallery Location: Vista, CA Find me on the map! Zone: USDA 10b Name: Richard Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 9,674 BananaBucks : 545,664 Feedback: 9 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,636 Times Was Thanked 12,543 Times in 4,721 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1,685 Times	Re: Stem hardiness There is no stem. What appears to be a tree trunk is a pseudo-stem, composed entirely of leaf-stems. The corm underground thrusts new leaves or the flower bud up between the previous stems. If the flower bud is already part-way up the pseudo-stem and you decapitate it while cutting back the trunk -- there goes your harvest. __________________ Back in business at plantsthatproduce.com

12-24-2008, 10:31 AM	#3 (permalink)
bigdog ******* bigdog's Photo Gallery** Location: Gainesville, FL Find me on the map! Zone: 8b Name: Frank Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 2,002 BananaBucks : 745,667 Feedback: 7 / 100% Said "Thanks" 213 Times Was Thanked 1,787 Times in 502 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 131 Times	Re: Stem hardiness Flowering size is determined by pseudostem height, to some degree. If a plant is getting ready to flower fairly soon and is cut back, however, it can flower at a smaller size. The number of leaves "rule" is definitely not a hard and fast rule by any stretch of the imagination. So to answer your question, I don't know. LOL!! Well, I will give you an example of my experience here. I have a mat of Musa itinerans, and protected one stem to just over a foot or so, and let the other 2 die to the ground. While the protected one had a head start and was the larger of the two the previous year anyway, both pseudostems ended the year at about the same height. Neither one flowered though. Hmm...that really doesn't help either, now does it? LOL!! Frank

12-29-2008, 06:34 PM	#4 (permalink)
jack hagenaars jack hagenaars's Photo Gallery Location: Victoria,British Columbia Find me on the map! Zone: 8 a/b Name: Jack Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 236 BananaBucks : 50,837 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 3 Times Was Thanked 137 Times in 83 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 7 Times	Re: Stem Cutting Good question!!Got mean wondering?

12-29-2008, 08:57 PM	#5 (permalink)
Chironex The causasian Asian! Chironex's Photo Gallery Location: Jakarta, Indonesia Find me on the map! Zone: I have no idea Name: Scot Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 2,788 BananaBucks : 121,377 Feedback: 9 / 100% Said "Thanks" 4,544 Times Was Thanked 1,406 Times in 808 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 609 Times	Re: Stem Cutting However, if it is cut when the meristem is moving up inside of the pstem and you cut it, the main pstem will not blossom and will die back. __________________ Scot

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