JCDerrick

I read here last week that a digging bar was the best way to dig up Banana pups. I'd started earlier this year with a shovel (which mutilated plants, suckers, and roots alike) and then switched to a ditch shovel - better but you still have to dig out around the pup since you can't put too much pressure on the shovel to hoist the nanner out. But there is still hammering involved and damaged roots, pups, etc if you're not really careful.

But the digging bar is incredible. Not only does it save the parent plant and pup itself from damage digging, but it makes hoisting it out of the ground with roots in tact really simple. In fact even the new suckers on the pup came out without any issue. Check how large one of the suckers was, I guess it was growing under the corm of the other pup, it was about as thick as my arm - very strange looking for a sucker. My wife said it was "obscene" - LOL.

Just wanted to say pass word on to others who hadn't switched their methods yet - the digging bar is definitely the way to go!

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Malama 'Aina



Normal Jan. Low: 34°F, Normal Jul High: 92°F
Coldest: 16-20°F, Warmest: 98-103°F
Annual Precip: 48 inches

Chironex

Wow! and I will stop there....except to add that your wife is correct! Nice job on the pups though.

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Scot

JCDerrick

LOL. I actually was able to remove that and the other pup. So where I had two - now there's four. I've actually had a pretty good success rate with very small suckers. I had two I chopped almost in half back early this spring, put them in water and they kept growing - still doing well with several leaves now in their own pots.

Real surprising thing about these 4' pups... they are off a banana that was in the ground for it's first year - just planted it in April. I guess the location behind the house was perfect. It's my largest basjoo now by far.

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Malama 'Aina



Normal Jan. Low: 34°F, Normal Jul High: 92°F
Coldest: 16-20°F, Warmest: 98-103°F
Annual Precip: 48 inches

stumpy4700

Are you repotting those or overwintering in a crawlspace or garage?

JCDerrick

Gonna try them in the garage under the halides. Last years pups did well that way, though they were certainly weren't this large.

I've heard basjoo don't do especially well under the house. Else I'd try that with some of the larger ones. I know they're more than hardy here, don't even really die back that much with a good mulch, but I'd still like to keep the p-stem as healthy as I can on my larger bananas. Then next spring I can just put them out again - already growing.

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Malama 'Aina



Normal Jan. Low: 34°F, Normal Jul High: 92°F
Coldest: 16-20°F, Warmest: 98-103°F
Annual Precip: 48 inches

john_ny

John- Please tell me; Is the bottom of this bar sharp? We have one around here, but the bottom edge is about three eiighths thick and kind of rounded off. It doesn't seem that it would be much good for cutting through anything.

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John

JCDerrick

It's pretty sharp considering, it'd take my foot off if I wasn't careful. I'd say it's as sharp as your typical digging spade (the wide end). I looked at Lowe's today (just to see what they had) and most of theirs are much narrower at the bottom. The one I got from home depot is about 3-3.5" wide at the bottom, which I think makes a lot of difference. I think there's all sorts of digging sticks for various tasks. My dad always used one for packing in the dirt around posts when erecting a fence pole.

My only real complaint is the weight... it makes maneuvering in tight spaces a challenge at times, as you have to be sure not and rip up your other plants leaves with the top of the bar.

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Malama 'Aina



Normal Jan. Low: 34°F, Normal Jul High: 92°F
Coldest: 16-20°F, Warmest: 98-103°F
Annual Precip: 48 inches

pitangadiego

Amen. See http://webebananas.com/culture.html section 5. I tried many things, and even made some things, but the digging bar (mine was a "Roughneck" though there are different brands) was the hands down winner. The handle doesn't bend, so you can pry; it is heavy, so you get more force; and it is sharp, so it cuts well. About $40 but worth every penny.

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

JCDerrick

Just wanted to say I really love that page. Lots and lots of great info. That was probably what pushed me to go and buy one of the digging bars myself.

I sent that link to my wife so she can get up to speed on nanners too. Thanks for providing that information.

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Malama 'Aina



Normal Jan. Low: 34°F, Normal Jul High: 92°F
Coldest: 16-20°F, Warmest: 98-103°F
Annual Precip: 48 inches

MediaHound

Agree, the digging bar is wonderful!

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Richard

I like the 4-inch concrete scraping bar better than the digging bar. It's one piece, solid metal, about 5 feet long with a serious blade on the end. It's designed for removing glue from a tiled floor all day long.

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austinl01

Hey, Richard. Does the scraping bar look like this?

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Austin
Arkansas River Valley

Average January Low: 31°F, Average August High: 92°F
Extreme Winter Lows: 5-15°F, Extreme Summer Highs: 100-112°F, Annual Precipitation: 52 inches

austinl01

John, how do you get leverage when using the digging bar? Can you step on the top of the blade, or do you have to strictly use your arms to push the bar into the soil? It looks like a great method. Now, I want one of those! Good thing I have a Lowe's coupon!

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Austin
Arkansas River Valley

Average January Low: 31°F, Average August High: 92°F
Extreme Winter Lows: 5-15°F, Extreme Summer Highs: 100-112°F, Annual Precipitation: 52 inches

JCDerrick

Originally I thought I'd have to pound the top using a hammer, but I carefully used the weight of the bar to my advantage. I wiggled a starting hole, and then lifted and dropped the bar back onto the same hole. It takes a little accuracy to hit the same spot again and again, but once you get in, you're good. The weight of the bar will sink further into the soil and slice through things as you raise and drop it (even from an angle). Kinda like digging a post hole - just have to keep dropping into the same spot.

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Malama 'Aina



Normal Jan. Low: 34°F, Normal Jul High: 92°F
Coldest: 16-20°F, Warmest: 98-103°F
Annual Precip: 48 inches

austinl01

Thanks, John! That make sense. I may stop by Lowe's soon to see if our local store has one.

__________________
Austin
Arkansas River Valley

Average January Low: 31°F, Average August High: 92°F
Extreme Winter Lows: 5-15°F, Extreme Summer Highs: 100-112°F, Annual Precipitation: 52 inches

pitangadiego

If you stick it in at about a 30 deg angle from the ground and under the corm (after you have seperated it from the parent) you can pry up on it. If the soil is too soft, put a short piece of 2x4 under it to distribute the pressure of prying.

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

Richard

Yes, and there are similar models.

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Back in business at plantsthatproduce.com

ewitte

I've had a lot of luck with a huge knife. It doesn't damage much at all and doesn't really even feel like its doing anything (cuts through like butter) until I scoop it out from the bottom with my hand. I've only separated container plants so far though. I've now got 4 plants growing off 1 purchase.

Tropicallvr

Those digging bars work great for bamboo too, and give good strength/weight for leveraging from underneath.

Taylor

FISH OUT OF WATER!!!