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arabesque_gw

Care of recently severed banana pups

arabesque
17 years ago

I have several questions related to care of recently dug banana pups.

How long can I leave the pseudostems-from 1 1/2' to 5'-unplanted after separation from mother plant? I want to wait 4-5 weeks before replanting them in the ground and it would be easier to handle them unpotted if that is a viable option.

Is it good to -

-trim existing roots, and leaves above the stem tip, and let the corm go dormant (unplanted) until ready to plant in ground?

-allow a resting period for the corms'wounds to scar over?

-will the corms need to be kept at all moist during the waiting period?

-does storage temperature matter?

Thanks for help!

Arabesque

Comments (5)

  • Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
    17 years ago

    From my limited experience, at this time of year, I think it would be best to either pot them up in as small a pot as possible with light potting soil and don't water much...OR plant them directly in the ground. If you pot up, keep them out of full sun until they start growing steadily. You should trim off all the mature leaves, leaving the few that are undeveloped or just unfurling. When you dug the pups, if you made sure you have enough of the corm (the portion that produces roots), they should take off real quickly. As long as the soil is very warm, you should not need to worry about rotting corms.

    Why would you want to wait 4-5 weeks before replanting?

  • arabesque
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Thanks for your suggestions, dave. You suggest as small a pot as possible. Does this mean they like to be crowded into small area? Do you leave the old roots on the corms?

    As to why wait 4 or 5 weeks before replanting, I am starting a new garden at some distance from the old one. It was time to clean out the excess from the current banana stand, but the new garden won't be available for a few weeks. I wish coaxing them into dormancy was a good option so I could transport them easier but will maybe put them in as small a pot as possible per your suggestion to make the whole operation lighter and take up less space.
    - arabesque

  • Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
    17 years ago

    You can keep pups growing in small pots for quite a while. They'll get taller, but won't hang on to as many leaves. In a small pot, the corms won't rot as easily. You probably cut a number of the roots and the corm will have to generate new ones.

    Or, in your climate you could probably just leave them unpotted in a shady place until you're ready to plant them. I'd still trim off most of the leaves though. Maybe throw a pile of mulch over the rootballs to keep slightly moist?

  • blondboy47
    16 years ago

    They will be ok in pots for sure. We have a pup that's been in a pot since around this time last year. It's doing just fine.

    Plus, if we decide to plant this one, then it's no big deal to just remove the pot and place directly into the soil.

  • gardenguy_
    16 years ago

    arabesque, due to losing a musa basjoo over the winter which was stored in the basement, I took my dwarf orinoco out of the basement and severed the 3 foot pup on it and planted it right away in the ground. It's started to grow right away. No problems here. You should not have to wait after cutting off a pup to replant.