Ice Cream Eating Worms/Grubs

bepah · 07-03-2009, 06:45 PM

Take A look at the bottom of the corm I dug up from a failing IC.

The 2 photos are what we found inside of the eaten out corm....

They were considerably smaller thn the tip of my index finger.

Who knows what they are?

Bob · 07-03-2009, 08:48 PM

I hope someone better qualified answers but I believe this is a root knot nematode.

Lagniappe · 07-03-2009, 09:04 PM

Looks like a small millipede to me. That being the case, they would be eating the decaying bits. I had thousands in my Maurelii corms that were cut. they hollowed the dead part (underneath) out, leaving the good stuff intact. They would be doing more good than harm...IMO

My Millipedes look different from those, but I'm thinking that's their function.

bepah · 07-04-2009, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob

I hope someone better qualified answers but I believe this is a root knot nematode.

Thanks for your input. Nematodes are generally microscopic but I'll follow up on your suggestion.

Thanks again.

bepah · 07-04-2009, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lagniappe

Looks like a small millipede to me. That being the case, they would be eating the decaying bits. I had thousands in my Maurelii corms that were cut. they hollowed the dead part (underneath) out, leaving the good stuff intact. They would be doing more good than harm...IMO

My Millipedes look different from those, but I'm thinking that's their function.

If you're right, they were cleaning up on an otherwise dying banana, cause unknown.

I still am in the dark here.

Thanks for your help.

D_&_T · 07-04-2009, 02:02 PM

Curios to as to what that is looks like what got our seedlings last summer. But ones I found were almost white and bored down thru leaves into corm.

lorax · 07-04-2009, 02:06 PM

Looks like millipedes to me too - I'd let them alone, since they're actually helping you out.

bepah · 07-04-2009, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lorax

Looks like millipedes to me too - I'd let them alone, since they're actually helping you out.

I tend to agree.....but what rotted out the bottom of the corm? That is the question.

When I dug it up, all but one of the pups was completed severed (appartently by rot) and dead/dying, except one where the rot had not yet progressed, it has been potted and its progress witll be watched. Ther was another pup forming as well. The corm has been cleaned up of rot and potted to see if it will survive.

What coulkd ause rot in the bottom of an otherwise healthy looking mat? The decline was rapid, about 2 weeks.

I removed the whole thing from my others, as I have a flowering/fruiting one above that location about 10 feet. So far three hands, over 20 bananas....

island cassie · 07-04-2009, 04:20 PM

Too much water could do it. I lost my plantain after a very wet winter - I had planted it too near the rain downpipe and it croaked.

bepah · 07-04-2009, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by island cassie

Too much water could do it. I lost my plantain after a very wet winter - I had planted it too near the rain downpipe and it croaked.

I suppose that its possible. The soild it was in was 1/2 sand 1/2 compost. It was on a hill that drains well.

When it was dug up, the soil was damp but not wet. The possibility of overwatering is always there, of course, and I have made increases to the area when we had 105+ days.....

Overwatering rot is right now thes best answer, but I am still looking for something definitive. Other plants have the same water but are higher on the slope.....

FWIW, I planted a palm in its place. I have 6 mature p-stems and about 10 pups higher up.....that really is wnough as these bad boays pup all of the time. I am digging them out and potting them every month.

ewitte · 07-04-2009, 07:41 PM

IMO overwatering when its 105F would take a lot of work.

island cassie · 07-04-2009, 10:15 PM

Good point about the 105f especially as it was planted in half sand, half compost on a well drained hill.

Bepah - what variety of palm did you plant in its place?

bepah · 07-05-2009, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by island cassie

Good point about the 105f especially as it was planted in half sand, half compost on a well drained hill.

Bepah - what variety of palm did you plant in its place?

Beccariophoenix alfredii. Madagascarian palm with some promise in NorCal. Loves heat, grows "rapidly", unknown as to how much cold it will tolerate, but reports of survivng 25F have been made. We generally do not get that cold, but we have cold dry winds in the winter that can be much more destructive.

bepah · 07-05-2009, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ewitte

IMO overwatering when its 105F would take a lot of work.

I have a lot of water!

Actually, it got the same water as other bananas above it on the slope. I'm thinking that as the water flowed downhill, it got more than the others on percolation.

LilRaverBoi · 07-05-2009, 04:22 PM

Yeah, they definitely look like generic millipedes. No worries, they only feed on dead/rotting organic material and do not actively feed on living plant tissues.

07-03-2009, 08:48 PM	#2 (permalink)
Bob Orang Puteh Bob's Photo Gallery Location: Washington Twp N.J. Find me on the map! Zone: 6a Name: bob Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 3,528 BananaBucks : 208,866 Feedback: 12 / 100% Said "Thanks" 9,537 Times Was Thanked 4,058 Times in 1,694 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 565 Times	Re: Ice Cream Eating Worms/Grubs I hope someone better qualified answers but I believe this is a root knot nematode. __________________

07-03-2009, 09:04 PM	#3 (permalink)
Lagniappe Lagniappe's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 2,111 BananaBucks : 249,972 Feedback: 22 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,378 Times Was Thanked 1,402 Times in 558 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 535 Times	Re: Ice Cream Eating Worms/Grubs Looks like a small millipede to me. That being the case, they would be eating the decaying bits. I had thousands in my Maurelii corms that were cut. they hollowed the dead part (underneath) out, leaving the good stuff intact. They would be doing more good than harm...IMO My Millipedes look different from those, but I'm thinking that's their function.

07-04-2009, 02:02 PM	#6 (permalink)
D_&_T 3rd winter growing indoor D_&_T's Photo Gallery Location: Northern Indiana Find me on the map! Zone: 5 Name: Dan Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 877 BananaBucks : 30,825 Feedback: 4 / 100% Said "Thanks" 2,437 Times Was Thanked 260 Times in 169 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 342 Times	Re: Ice Cream Eating Worms/Grubs Curios to as to what that is looks like what got our seedlings last summer. But ones I found were almost white and bored down thru leaves into corm. __________________

07-04-2009, 02:06 PM	#7 (permalink)
lorax Banned lorax's Photo Gallery Location: Ecuador, South America Find me on the map! Zone: USDA 13 / Köppen-Geiger BSh Name: Lorax Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 2,532 BananaBucks : 308,757 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 742 Times Was Thanked 3,040 Times in 1,188 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 464 Times	Re: Ice Cream Eating Worms/Grubs Looks like millipedes to me too - I'd let them alone, since they're actually helping you out.

07-04-2009, 04:20 PM	#9 (permalink)
island cassie island cassie's Photo Gallery Location: Dominican Republic Find me on the map! Zone: 11+ I guess Name: Island Cassie Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 3,170 BananaBucks : 383,419 Feedback: 2 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,708 Times Was Thanked 2,079 Times in 874 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 416 Times	Re: Ice Cream Eating Worms/Grubs Too much water could do it. I lost my plantain after a very wet winter - I had planted it too near the rain downpipe and it croaked.

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07-04-2009, 07:41 PM	#11 (permalink)
ewitte ewitte's Photo Gallery Location: Houston Zone: 9 Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 449 BananaBucks : 50,515 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 194 Times in 107 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Ice Cream Eating Worms/Grubs IMO overwatering when its 105F would take a lot of work.

07-04-2009, 10:15 PM	#12 (permalink)
island cassie island cassie's Photo Gallery Location: Dominican Republic Find me on the map! Zone: 11+ I guess Name: Island Cassie Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 3,170 BananaBucks : 383,419 Feedback: 2 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,708 Times Was Thanked 2,079 Times in 874 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 416 Times	Re: Ice Cream Eating Worms/Grubs Good point about the 105f especially as it was planted in half sand, half compost on a well drained hill. Bepah - what variety of palm did you plant in its place?

07-05-2009, 04:22 PM	#15 (permalink)
LilRaverBoi Nanner Time! LilRaverBoi's Photo Gallery Location: Cedar Rapids, IA Find me on the map! Zone: 5 Name: Bryan Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 2,937 BananaBucks : 118,940 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 534 Times Was Thanked 2,243 Times in 1,245 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 855 Times	Re: Ice Cream Eating Worms/Grubs Yeah, they definitely look like generic millipedes. No worries, they only feed on dead/rotting organic material and do not actively feed on living plant tissues. __________________ 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!

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