Welcome to the Bananas.org forums. You're currently viewing our message boards as a guest which gives you limited access to participate in discussions and access our other features such as our wiki and photo gallery. By joining our community, you'll have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload photos, and access many other special features. Registration is fast and simple, so please join our community today! If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. |
|
Register | Photo Gallery | Classifieds | Wiki | Chat | Map | Today's Posts | Search |
Main Banana Discussion This is where we discuss our banana collections; tips on growing bananas, tips on harvesting bananas, sharing our banana photos and stories. |
Members currently in the chatroom: 0 | |
The most chatters online in one day was 17, 09-06-2009. No one is currently using the chat. |
Email this Page |
|
LinkBack | Thread Tools |
12-09-2007, 11:59 AM | #1 (permalink) |
Junior Member
Location: South Italy
Zone: USDA 9b÷10a
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 20
BananaBucks
: 8,582
Feedback: 0 / 0%
Said "Thanks" 0 Times
Was
Thanked 3 Times in 2 Posts
Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times
|
Forcing dwarfing regrowth by smart trimming?
A friend of mine, told me that a boy from Sry Lanka described him a trick to force a normal banana to have a dwarfing behaviour.
He made what he call "Smart trimming" of the banana in the Spring, by cutting the pseudost. at about one meter level. Such operation should force to obtain a regrown of babana at half highness of the normal (2 mt at the place of 4 mt...), but more vigorous and with better fruit shape! Who else knows and/or tried this trick? And eventually what was his results? |
Sponsors |
12-09-2007, 01:28 PM | #2 (permalink) |
retired GMO maestro
Location: traveling the world
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 121
BananaBucks
: 4,278
Feedback: 0 / 0%
Said "Thanks" 6 Times
Was
Thanked 96 Times in 43 Posts
Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times
|
Re: Forcing dwarfing regrowth by smart trimming?
what you are doing is cutting the leaves that have yet to unroll, effectively preventing them from exserting and elongating. the leaves exserting from the center will be those that were destined to be the later leaves in the plant's growth cycle, i have done this hundreds of time as i am sure others here have - it is an effective way to make an 8 ft tall plant fit into the house in the fall. as far fruit production, i have seen no indication that this does what it is claimed to do, theoretically it makes sense as the plant does not have to use resources to develop the leaves that are removed and can use them for fruit (most likely this would not happen) - i know of no plantation in Central America that does this to improve fruit production.
|
12-10-2007, 03:49 AM | #3 (permalink) |
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 786
BananaBucks
: 410,691
Feedback: 0 / 0%
Said "Thanks" 225 Times
Was
Thanked 598 Times in 209 Posts
Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times
|
Re: Forcing dwarfing regrowth by smart trimming?
I also have tried this cutting for some other reason.
But it resulted in poor fruiting, smaller size and less fingers. |
12-10-2007, 10:30 AM | #4 (permalink) |
retired GMO maestro
Location: traveling the world
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 121
BananaBucks
: 4,278
Feedback: 0 / 0%
Said "Thanks" 6 Times
Was
Thanked 96 Times in 43 Posts
Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times
|
Re: Forcing dwarfing regrowth by smart trimming?
the process can be stressful, after all, you are cutting the trunk back and removing leaves, storage reserves - basically causing damage to the plant. while some plants will put all their reserves into a last flower under stress or damage (emergency flowering) this rarely results in plentiful fruit.
|
12-10-2007, 10:41 AM | #5 (permalink) |
Location: HOLLAND
Zone: 8
Name: Ron
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,031
BananaBucks
: 110,982
Feedback: 0 / 0%
Said "Thanks" 48 Times
Was
Thanked 244 Times in 148 Posts
Said "Welcome to Bananas" 11 Times
|
Re: Forcing dwarfing regrowth by smart trimming?
You need a certain amount of healthy leaves to support the fruit.
Gabe has posted the exact number somewhere but I can't find it. Ron |
Sponsors |
12-10-2007, 10:56 AM | #6 (permalink) |
Northern Tropics
Location: Muncie, Indiana zone 5
Zone: zone 5
Name: Sandy
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,718
BananaBucks
: 363,306
Feedback: 31 / 97%
Said "Thanks" 38 Times
Was
Thanked 1,801 Times in 682 Posts
Said "Welcome to Bananas" 9 Times
|
Re: Forcing dwarfing regrowth by smart trimming?
I don't know if it will give you a better fruit, I actually kind of doubt that. But if your banana plants are getting too tall and large for you to handle otherwise, cutting them off seems to work just fine. They grow back and are shorter than they were before. They do come back rapidly because they have a bigger root mass than a one meter banana plant normally would.
The one caveat seems to be that if your plant has a bloom already forming inside the stalk, when you cut it, you may either cut the bloom stalk off completely, or you may end up with a plant that just shoves the bloom stalk out of the center with no leaves at all, or only one or two leaves and a bloom stalk. In that case, you've pretty much ruined your chance for decent fruit. So you want to make sure you know where your plant is age-wise so that you're not risking that.
__________________
Sandy Burrell Northern Tropics Greenhouse 1501 East Fuson Road Muncie, IN 47302 www.northerntropics.com specializing in bananas, heirloom tomatoes and water gardening plants~ check out our new online store at our website! |
Said thanks: |
12-10-2007, 11:41 AM | #7 (permalink) |
retired GMO maestro
Location: traveling the world
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 121
BananaBucks
: 4,278
Feedback: 0 / 0%
Said "Thanks" 6 Times
Was
Thanked 96 Times in 43 Posts
Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times
|
Re: Forcing dwarfing regrowth by smart trimming?
not tied directly to leaf count since flowering can occur anywhere between leaf 25 and leaf 50, a general consensus is depending on the clone floral initiation begins between leaf 26 - 31.
|
12-10-2007, 12:49 PM | #8 (permalink) |
Location: HOLLAND
Zone: 8
Name: Ron
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,031
BananaBucks
: 110,982
Feedback: 0 / 0%
Said "Thanks" 48 Times
Was
Thanked 244 Times in 148 Posts
Said "Welcome to Bananas" 11 Times
|
Re: Forcing dwarfing regrowth by smart trimming?
I meant actually you need a certain amount of leaves to let the fruit
develop and ripen properly, so just as Sandy said, you might end up with a flowering plant with not enough leaves to support it. I could be wrong, hope Gabe can tell us. Ron |
12-10-2007, 01:29 PM | #9 (permalink) |
retired GMO maestro
Location: traveling the world
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 121
BananaBucks
: 4,278
Feedback: 0 / 0%
Said "Thanks" 6 Times
Was
Thanked 96 Times in 43 Posts
Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times
|
Re: Forcing dwarfing regrowth by smart trimming?
from one of my papers: "In the ‘Grand Nain’ banana floral initiation takes place at 26 -31 leaves when grown in the field, at this time about 12 leaves remain on the plant." generally in the field (a plantation) between 6-12 leaves are needed to support the flower. generally it is around 10-15 but can be more on a vigorous plant, up to 25.
Last edited by inkcube : 12-10-2007 at 02:52 PM. |
Email this Page |
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests) | |
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Bunch Trimming | Bananavilla | Main Banana Discussion | 6 | 10-03-2005 04:22 PM |