New banana, bare root

DoctorSteve · 10-22-2011, 12:25 PM

I was just wondering if this is normal. I could not find anything on thise specifically for this.

So I planted my new banana. It is about 2.5 -3' tall and it was bare root when I got it. I planted it and had to cut part of the top off. I grew slowly for a while and the just seemed to stop. It also seems to be drying (like a raisin) out and the two leaves that where on it when planted are dying.

Again I am just wondering if this is normal. I have never planted a bare root this big.

I was going to post some pictures of it but it doesn't seem to be uploading them. I will have to try later.

jmoore · 10-22-2011, 12:33 PM

It's putting all its energy into growing roots at the moment, once it has enough roots the leaves will start growing again. Don't worry.

You could cut the leaves in half to reduce transpiration or shade it if the sun is hot.

sunfish · 10-22-2011, 12:48 PM

What do you mean by bare-root. No roots or just no soil ?

Olafhenny · 10-22-2011, 05:49 PM

Hi Doc,
the therapy is Rest & Relaxation.

Every time you monkey around with the roots of a banana, it will suffer a setback. That goes especially
for bare root transport and shipping. When I brought home an Ornata and her freshly separated pup hidden
in a suit case, I had to cut off everything two inches above the corm.

The mother plant died, but not before sending up a healthy pup and now that plant has a second pup.
The original pup took even longer than the mother's new pup but recovered itself. Now I have a couple of
pots with healthy Ornatas.

I'd say: Stick them into a nice big pot with porous soil and good bottom drainage and have patience. In
a couple of months tell us about your success

pitangadiego · 10-22-2011, 08:39 PM

Maybe not normal, but not uncommon. Digging, shipping, transplanting are all a stressful; event for a banana.

You can't fix it, so just chill out, don't overwater, and can almost guarantee it will be fine in time.

DoctorSteve · 10-23-2011, 11:21 AM

Quote:

What do you mean by bare-root?

No dirt.

Quote:

Maybe not normal, but not uncommon. Digging, shipping, transplanting are all a stressful; event for a banana.

You can't fix it, so just chill out, don't overwater, and can almost guarantee it will be fine in time.

I know they take a while to get going, I have just never had one dry out like this. They usually just sit there. I just want it to be settled in for the cooler temps coming up.

Oh and I don't know why the site won't let me upload my pictures, sorry.

Olafhenny · 10-23-2011, 05:13 PM

I have transplanted three bananas during the last 6 weeks. Either into larger pots or from a large pot into
the ground. None of them even blinked. I just made sure, that I did not disturb the roots and took
care to transfer as much of the original soil as possible to the new location.

sunfish · 10-23-2011, 05:19 PM

Yes .How long was the plant out of the soil,makes a big difference

Yug · 10-23-2011, 05:45 PM

Gabe once told me that if you take a pup, trim off all the roots, and cut the leaves off to about 8 or 9 inches, you can leave it for about 3 months, and it will still be alive to grow when you finally pot it.

sunfish · 10-23-2011, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yug

Gabe once told me that if you take a pup, trim off all the roots, and cut the leaves off to about 8 or 9 inches, you can leave it for about 3 months, and it will still be alive to grow when you finally pot it.

Yes, but how long will it take to show new growth

Olafhenny · 10-23-2011, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yug

Gabe once told me that if you take a pup, trim off all the roots, and cut the leaves off to about 8 or 9 inches, you can leave it for about 3 months, and it will still be alive to grow when you finally pot it.

I am unsuccessfully trying to figure out, why anybody would trim off the roots?
Maybe to cook up the corm for some kind of a meal and then changed their mind?

Yug · 10-23-2011, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Olafhenny

I am unsuccessfully trying to figure out, why anybody would trim off the roots?
Maybe to cook up the corm for some kind of a meal and then changed their mind?

At the time were discussing shipping, and that as you dig up a plant the roots tend to be damaged. It was probably done since the roots are already damaged, and for ease of packing it to be shipped.

I believe that he said as soon as the environment is favorable, the corm immediately begins to grow roots.

Olafhenny · 10-23-2011, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yug

I believe that he said as soon as the environment is favorable, the corm immediately begins to grow roots.

Yes, that appears to be indeed the first priority of a recovering banana.

Gabe15 · 10-23-2011, 10:42 PM

As Yug had stated from our previous conversation, it's all about getting the right environment. Bananas can be very hard plants to kill if they are in a good environment, meaning plenty of warmth, sunlight and water. They are season-less tropical plants, so if you give them the tropics, they will grow.

Based on my experience growing bananas indoors in Colorado for 4 years, and then growing them in the tropics in Hawaii for 4 years, its all about giving them just what they want, the tropics, which can be more difficult to do in non-tropical climates than it seems, even in the summer. In Colorado indoors, even if it was warm enough for them to grow, they were often a lot slower to establish, and really only started growing faster when they were big enough to reach enough sun indoors, and even then they were slower than in Hawaii.

But like any act of horticulture, it is an art, and takes some time to get the hang of. I certainly killed my fair share of new plants before I had enough to experience to get it right, and even now every once in a while it just doesn't go right and I end up losing a plant, but my stats have dramatically improved with time.

DoctorSteve · 10-23-2011, 11:33 PM

Quote:

I believe that he said as soon as the environment is favorable, the corm immediately begins to grow roots.

For each banana that seems to be different. So I will just have to keep an eye on it. If it seems to be dying I guess I will have to bring it inside and pamper it. This is a new type for me so I am not even sure how fast it grows. I know my SD Cavendish (maybe that is) grows and pups very fast. My FHIA-21 also grows fast. I will just have to see I guess.

Yug · 10-24-2011, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gabe15

...
I certainly killed my fair share of new plants before I had enough to experience to get it right, and even now every once in a while it just doesn't go right and I end up losing a plant, but my stats have dramatically improved with time.

In the orchid world, they say you are not experienced until you've killed at least 100 orchids. Other folks say you are not experienced until you've killed your weight in orchids.

DoctorSteve · 12-09-2011, 11:30 AM

So this bananas is still not moving, what gives? It is inside at 65-73, front window with grow lights above. I marked it recently to see if it is moving, and nothing. The other 2 next to it started growing very fast once inside. Any ideas on how to give it a boost, or a jump start of some kind?

venturabananas · 12-09-2011, 11:40 AM

Steve, sometimes the new leaves are too feeble to push out if the outer leaves have died and dried up, sealing off the exit for new leaves to emerge through. Minor surgery can help. Sometimes the new leaves are waiting and virtually spring out of the stem once you open the path for them. Other times, the stem is just dying and you have to hope for a new pup off the corm.

DoctorSteve · 12-09-2011, 11:56 AM

You know I had actually thought of that but I said to myself that I was over thinking it. It did push out a leaf about 2 inches and then :P, nothing. I think I will give that a shot and see how it goes. I suppose it couldn't hurt anything.

jmoore · 12-09-2011, 12:54 PM

lights won't do it any good if it has no leaves. Try putting a heat mat under the pot and warming up the root ball.

10-22-2011, 12:25 PM	#1 (permalink)
DoctorSteve DoctorSteve's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Zone: 9b Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 390 BananaBucks : 193,775 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 81 Times Was Thanked 306 Times in 158 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 41 Times	New banana, bare root I was just wondering if this is normal. I could not find anything on thise specifically for this. So I planted my new banana. It is about 2.5 -3' tall and it was bare root when I got it. I planted it and had to cut part of the top off. I grew slowly for a while and the just seemed to stop. It also seems to be drying (like a raisin) out and the two leaves that where on it when planted are dying. Again I am just wondering if this is normal. I have never planted a bare root this big. I was going to post some pictures of it but it doesn't seem to be uploading them. I will have to try later.

10-22-2011, 12:33 PM	#2 (permalink)
jmoore jmoore 's Photo Gallery Location: Lowestoft, UK Zone: 8a Name: James Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 766 BananaBucks : 122,500 Feedback: 4 / 100% Said "Thanks" 192 Times Was Thanked 799 Times in 373 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 71 Times	Re: New banana, bare root It's putting all its energy into growing roots at the moment, once it has enough roots the leaves will start growing again. Don't worry. You could cut the leaves in half to reduce transpiration or shade it if the sun is hot.

10-22-2011, 12:48 PM	#3 (permalink)
sunfish Banned sunfish's Photo Gallery Location: San Diego Find me on the map! Zone: 9-11 Name: Tony Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 18,429 BananaBucks : 1,032,698 Feedback: 8 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,210 Times Was Thanked 20,592 Times in 7,760 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 2,716 Times	Re: New banana, bare root What do you mean by bare-root. No roots or just no soil ?

10-22-2011, 05:49 PM	#4 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 253,310 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Re: New banana, bare root Hi Doc, the therapy is Rest & Relaxation. Every time you monkey around with the roots of a banana, it will suffer a setback. That goes especially for bare root transport and shipping. When I brought home an Ornata and her freshly separated pup hidden in a suit case, I had to cut off everything two inches above the corm. The mother plant died, but not before sending up a healthy pup and now that plant has a second pup. The original pup took even longer than the mother's new pup but recovered itself. Now I have a couple of pots with healthy Ornatas. I'd say: Stick them into a nice big pot with porous soil and good bottom drainage and have patience. In a couple of months tell us about your success __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

10-22-2011, 08:39 PM	#5 (permalink)
pitangadiego Senior Member Location: San Diego, CA Find me on the map! Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,489 BananaBucks : 134,173 Feedback: 9 / 100% Said "Thanks" 2 Times Was Thanked 2,730 Times in 930 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: New banana, bare root Maybe not normal, but not uncommon. Digging, shipping, transplanting are all a stressful; event for a banana. You can't fix it, so just chill out, don't overwater, and can almost guarantee it will be fine in time. __________________ Encanto Farms Nursery http://encantofarms.com We Be Bananas http://webebananas.com

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10-23-2011, 05:13 PM	#7 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 253,310 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Re: New banana, bare root I have transplanted three bananas during the last 6 weeks. Either into larger pots or from a large pot into the ground. None of them even blinked. I just made sure, that I did not disturb the roots and took care to transfer as much of the original soil as possible to the new location. __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

10-23-2011, 05:19 PM	#8 (permalink)
sunfish Banned sunfish's Photo Gallery Location: San Diego Find me on the map! Zone: 9-11 Name: Tony Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 18,429 BananaBucks : 1,032,698 Feedback: 8 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,210 Times Was Thanked 20,592 Times in 7,760 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 2,716 Times	Re: New banana, bare root Yes .How long was the plant out of the soil,makes a big difference

10-23-2011, 05:45 PM	#9 (permalink)
Yug Yug's Photo Gallery Location: Hawaii Find me on the map! Zone: 10-11 Name: Knobby D. Holme Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 1,465 BananaBucks : 60,188 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 4,009 Times Was Thanked 1,742 Times in 812 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 463 Times	Re: New banana, bare root Gabe once told me that if you take a pup, trim off all the roots, and cut the leaves off to about 8 or 9 inches, you can leave it for about 3 months, and it will still be alive to grow when you finally pot it.

10-23-2011, 10:42 PM	#14 (permalink)
Gabe15 Moderator Gabe15's Photo Gallery Location: Oahu, Hawaii Find me on the map! Zone: 12 Name: Gabe Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 3,892 BananaBucks : 13,352,031 Feedback: 5 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1 Times Was Thanked 8,241 Times in 2,200 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 8 Times	Re: New banana, bare root As Yug had stated from our previous conversation, it's all about getting the right environment. Bananas can be very hard plants to kill if they are in a good environment, meaning plenty of warmth, sunlight and water. They are season-less tropical plants, so if you give them the tropics, they will grow. Based on my experience growing bananas indoors in Colorado for 4 years, and then growing them in the tropics in Hawaii for 4 years, its all about giving them just what they want, the tropics, which can be more difficult to do in non-tropical climates than it seems, even in the summer. In Colorado indoors, even if it was warm enough for them to grow, they were often a lot slower to establish, and really only started growing faster when they were big enough to reach enough sun indoors, and even then they were slower than in Hawaii. But like any act of horticulture, it is an art, and takes some time to get the hang of. I certainly killed my fair share of new plants before I had enough to experience to get it right, and even now every once in a while it just doesn't go right and I end up losing a plant, but my stats have dramatically improved with time. __________________ Growing bananas in Colorado, Washington, Hawaii since 2004. Commercial banana farmer, 200+ varieties.

12-09-2011, 11:30 AM	#17 (permalink)
DoctorSteve DoctorSteve's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Zone: 9b Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 390 BananaBucks : 193,775 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 81 Times Was Thanked 306 Times in 158 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 41 Times	Re: New banana, bare root So this bananas is still not moving, what gives? It is inside at 65-73, front window with grow lights above. I marked it recently to see if it is moving, and nothing. The other 2 next to it started growing very fast once inside. Any ideas on how to give it a boost, or a jump start of some kind?

12-09-2011, 11:40 AM	#18 (permalink)
venturabananas venturabananas's Photo Gallery Location: Ventura, CA Find me on the map! Zone: 10 Name: Mark Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 2,845 BananaBucks : 246,875 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 1,752 Times Was Thanked 3,969 Times in 1,713 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 39 Times	Re: New banana, bare root Steve, sometimes the new leaves are too feeble to push out if the outer leaves have died and dried up, sealing off the exit for new leaves to emerge through. Minor surgery can help. Sometimes the new leaves are waiting and virtually spring out of the stem once you open the path for them. Other times, the stem is just dying and you have to hope for a new pup off the corm. __________________

12-09-2011, 11:56 AM	#19 (permalink)
DoctorSteve DoctorSteve's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Zone: 9b Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 390 BananaBucks : 193,775 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 81 Times Was Thanked 306 Times in 158 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 41 Times	Re: New banana, bare root You know I had actually thought of that but I said to myself that I was over thinking it. It did push out a leaf about 2 inches and then :P, nothing. I think I will give that a shot and see how it goes. I suppose it couldn't hurt anything.

12-09-2011, 12:54 PM	#20 (permalink)
jmoore jmoore 's Photo Gallery Location: Lowestoft, UK Zone: 8a Name: James Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 766 BananaBucks : 122,500 Feedback: 4 / 100% Said "Thanks" 192 Times Was Thanked 799 Times in 373 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 71 Times	Re: New banana, bare root lights won't do it any good if it has no leaves. Try putting a heat mat under the pot and warming up the root ball.

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