tlturbo

Has anyone else noticed that a plant (especially a newer plant) after it gets settled in will grow nicely then start putting out several sword pups but they only get anywhere from 2" to 4" tall and stop growing? Then many months later, they might start up again? I have a Goldfinger with about 5' of pseudostem but it keeps putting out little pups that get about 2" tall then stop. It now has 6-7 of them all around the base. Why do they stop growing and just sit there?

Just wondering if this natural. Other bananas will put out a pup and it just keeps growing.

HAPPY SPRING to everyone.

Terry

MediaHound

I have a Ladyfinger doing that and a Williams.

My Goldfinger has been a steady grower, but has not been pupping very much, only a couple over the last 2 years or so. It was a TC when I obtained it. Compared to others, the Goldfinger pups less imo. Just fwiw..
But the two pups I have cut from it have gone straight up, no pausing.

Not sure why the stubby pups tho, it's probably a nutrition thing or maybe they are waiting in the wings for the mother plant to fruit, and then they'll shoot up.

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momoese

I have noticed the same with several of my plants. The strange thing for me is that I rarely get a leafy pup, almost always sword pups. When I do get a leafy one they take forever to grow. I have one on my Pisang Klotek that looks cool but just sits there! Seems that this year the pups that got some damage from the frost have recovered and are shooting up really fast and kinda skinny. Not sure how that's going to play out.

bigdog

I believe it has something to do with the production and translocation of Auxin. The apical meristem of the main pseudostem manufactures auxin, and translocates it to other parts of the plant (roots). As long as that apical meristem is still alive and growing, the plant will devote the majority of its energy to it. Any injury or death to the meristem will cause the suckers to start growing. I almost killed my 'Helen's Hybrid', and it sent up a pup. 'AeAe' doesn't sucker much, but try leaving it out to freeze once (um,er, I did that...). It will send up pups like crazy, as will most bananas.

One thing to try, if you want the pups to grow also, would be to feed your banana some cytokinins. Cytokinins are hormones that promote stem growth, whereas auxins promote root growth. There are commercially available synthetic compounds of both hormones. Do a Google search, and you will find some.

I could be mistaken about this...somebody please correct me if I am!

NANAMAN

I have noticed it also, I figured when they broke through the soil surface and started to get a little sun on them, (abillity to photosynthesize), then they would develope their root system some before continuing to grow. Total speculation, but it's fun to see how things pan out sometimes.

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pitangadiego

Some varieties have pups on their pups. Others from pups, as you said, and they don't progress until after the parent flowers and fruit matures. Just the way they are.

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Steve L

Has anyone seen a mother plant after putting out unbrella leaves and reaching a height of 7 feet, begin to put out sword leaves again (the mother plant was a sword pup). I'm referencing my Ae Ae. It made it through the winter and put out a normal sized umbrella leaf as its first leaf. Now the next two successive leaves have been large sword leaves. The one pup that also survived is producing unbrella leaves. Two small nubs that showed up in October but disappeared during the winter have now began to grow again. What's going on here?

Steve