Bermy nana

I cut the p-stem of my manzano at about 5 ft high after wind bent it. The leaves seem to be growing nicely from the center but I cannot envisage how it will look when a full branch grows out the top. Will it continue to grow into a regular plant? I know a lot of the members winterize their banana plants by cutting them down to a few feet high so I presume it will be fine. Does anyone have any pics of the progression of a plant after a cut p-stem?
Here is a pic of mine with 12 inches of new growth after 7 days.

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fishoifc

yep nothing wrong with that a new leaf will unroll anytime now, looks like its growing back fast. It will quickly catch back to the size it was earlier the stem will just be thinner for awhile.

Bermy nana

Thanks that's good to know. BTW I like your boat, do you do a lot of offshore fishing? I try to get out a few times a year during the wahoo run in Bermuda. I'll post some pics of my last catch and boat.

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fishoifc

Yes I already have my slipped reserved for next year in your town, will be a P.W`s marina my favorite time of the year, Big Blue Marlin. I have made the trip by boat to bermuda four times and sometimes wonder how anybody found that tiny island so many years ago.
Yes I do alot of offshore fishing, and unfortunately I missed the bermuda bite this year because of building the new boat,but I will see ya next June. I can Bring you some plants you cant get over there.
Two years ago I went to all the greenhouses there looking for plants nobody had any, funny but one nice lady told me I didnt have to buy bananas just cut a leaf off and plant it.
Here is a nice grove of plants on your island

Bermy nana

I saw that pic and the one below and thought maybe that is in Bermuda. It was the "Bermuda stone" wall that gave it away.
Well I am sure the bite will be back next June and your lovely boat is just what you need to catch them. I am glad you will be returning as we appreciate our return visitors. Feel free to look me up when you are here and I can show you my plants.
I have been begging plants from people actually. I now have three different types and hope to add some Gran Nain to my "collection" this week. I also know there is an Orinoco on the island since Hydroid from this site found one when he was working here. As you probably gathered most Bermudians are quite friendly so I have been chatting to farmers and fruit growers about bananas to get as much info as I can. I found out that we have a central gassing facility where farmers take their bananas (and other produce) to be ripened by ethylene gas.
Your offer is to bring plants is kind but it is actually illegal to import banana plants and I wouldn't want you to cause any problems. They are trying to protect the local farmers and prevent disease from being imported. I spoke to the plant protection officer about importing plants and was told I would need permission from the Minister of Environment and the plant would have to be free of the five main viruses bananas carry. I was considering getting some tissue cultures ( i think they maybe more sterile) and permission for recreational banana growing but I will try to find all the species here already first.
Tight Lines as they say.

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Bermy nana

First leaf has emerged and second on its way. This plant is recovering nicely now from its decapitation.

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TommyMacLuckie

My experience with having to cut broken banana plants is that they do indeed come back 'normal' BUT they are a bit weaker it seems. Having had a wind front come through two summers ago I had to fix some broken bananas. They made it through that winter with some light freezes and came back where they left off. Then last summer ('09) we had another wind front, almost to the same day actually, and it broke the exact same bananas that broke before. They were cut again and then immediately bloomed.

So something does happen to them after they break and are cut and grow back. Not sure how to explain it other than it does seem that they are weaker - it's not the same stalk or set of leaves - it has to start over. So there's a weakness in the wall/lining of leaves that make up the p-stem. Like the levees in New Orleans.

That's my theory and observation anyway. I don't know if that's true but it sure seems like it.

Bermy nana

Thanks for the information. Luckily we don"t ever have frost in Bermuda and the winter average temp is 68F so growth will slow but not stop I hope. It does get a bit breezy in the winter however last February we had gusts to 75 mph. So I hope this plant will make it through the winter gales, as we call them.

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