wow that is weird :/ um well just sit tight and maybe it will grow back from that same spot :D or it will start to pup and put on new babies so sit tight and see what happens but looks to me its a clean cut with a knife of something

That is strange. At the point where it broke if it looked mushy or black then you could guess a fungal disease of some sort, but, as Xavier points out, it looks like a clean cut/snap.

Plus, even if there was wind, it's not like the plant is huge and top heavy. Could the plant somehow been damaged earlier on by something (example, a dog brushing against it, or maybe the pot fell over and the plant brushed against the ground, only to weaken the stem and then it snapped off later).

Very strange indeed but hopefully your little survivor will sprout back. I had a dwarf cavendish that, while transplanting had all the soil fall off the roots (not one of my proudest gardening moments) and then it sulked for a few weeks but grew back fine, so with your plant hopefully as long as the roots are still there it can come back.

Glen

It does look like a very clean cut, but I live in a third floor apartment and the banana is not visible from the street, my neighbors love my garden, so I don't think anyone did it. There is no chance a dog came up here; pets are not allowed in the building, and it has a wide base so the pot couldn't have fallen over without a good push (but I'm not here 24 hours a day, so perhaps someone accidentally tipped it, but not that I am aware of).

It does have a very thin band of dark colored tissue around the edge of the stem (about 1 or 2 mm's). The rest is clean and white.

Now, you all said perhaps it will grow again... which part should I expect that to happen from? Should I replant the top? It's only been lightly covered in moist soil, but it may have dried out a bit. The root part has been left as-is, so I haven't covered the snapped part, just left it uncovered. I wasn't sure if it would rot if I covered it with soil.

So should I plant the top or throw it out?

Thanks for your replies!

Is there any chance a squirrel or chipmunk got up there and chewed it through somehow?

i had this same thing happen to me a couple of weeks ago. only my dog was the reason for the damage.
it has now regrown some new leaves from the base of the plant, that i left in the ground.
i did not cover with soil.
i threw the top part in the trash.....not sure if it will grow roots, didn't try.

ilikewinter - It could have been a number of things. The question now is will it grow back from the corm. The part down in the soil. Just throw what broke off into the trash. Its a goner. The remaining corm in the pot if given good conditions should at least put out new pups. Set the pot in full sun for a while and give it a small watering. Then wait for a few days to a week to see if anything starts coming up. Don't water any while you're waiting to see growth unless it completely dries out. If the plant is still alive it should start to grow again weather its straight out of the corm or pups from the corm. There is still hope. I'll bet you can make it pull through. I had one that died to the soil last winter. Then it re pupped and was 1 - 2ft tall by spring. Now it pushing 3 1/2ft tall. Good luck with it.

Jay

Thanks everyone.

I live right in the heart of Salt Lake City- no squirrels or chipmunks or rats or anything really live too close to where I live. Mostly birds. It didn't have chew marks. I'm at a loss, and I guess it will always be a mystery.

Jay, you said to give it a small watering but then not to water unless it completely dries out. Do you mean water it at first a little, and then just sit tight and not do anything else for a week past that (unless it's really dry)? If so, during the first watering should I let the water run through the pot like normal, or just give it a really light amount so it barely goes into the top layer of the soil?

Thanks again.

Hi ilikewinter. You got it. I'd water until it comes out of the bottom and then stop. I really hope it comes back for you. I have three pups from last years mother banana and they are starting to look real nice.

Jay

I wonder what the source of the soil is? Bananas can suffer from bacterial wilt, which is usually associated with tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. You mentioned some tissue necrosis, so this is a possibility. If this is the case, the soil must be thrown away, pot sterilized, and a new plant obtained.

-Bruce C.

After looking at the pictures provided and seeing where the break was in the stem, the banana stem that broke off will not produce new roots. The bottom half should continue growing, so all is not lost.

I would guess that, by now, you should see some signs of new growth, on the bottom part. I have a basjoo, planted in the ground, and last fall while covering it up, I accidentaly broke it off. However, this spring, it resprouted nicely from the break point.

It had broken at the point where the tan color turns to green.