I have a friend that had a banana tree put out bananas this year. A neighbor told her, because it put out bananas.. the tree will die now. Is that true? I don't know the variety that it is. Anyone know?
Banana tree question
The answer is yes it will now die. But the good new the bulb will now send out a ton of pups to take its place. If you were to cut the flower end off of the banana. it will make the pups move faster. I have one that produced bananas and right after it produced all the bananas I cut the flower end off. This forces it to put its energy into rippening the bananas and producing more pups. If you dont care for the banana cut the main tree down that produced the fruit and it will sucker even faster.
Thanks! bwilliams, I'll tell her.
I have two Ensete maurelii ... do they typically not send up pups year one? I was hoping they would so I don;t have to a) find a way to dig these beasts up and find planters the size of bath tubs or, b) watch them rot in the ground.
Ensete maurelii does not send up pups until it dies(then they rarely make it), that's why the genus is Ensete instead of Musa.
This surprises me as my neighbor has banana trees that produce every year and I swear they are the same trees that produced the year before. I'll have to watch them now after these bunches are done. I have planted several but they are too young. How old are the trees before they produce nanas?
Ahhhhhhhhhhh.... bummer. I guess I'll just try and get Jerry or Brian or someone to hook me up with a couple more of these buggers in early spring and get them in the ground as soon as it gets into compfy nighttime temps. These plants look so impressive with the thick trunk, colors, etc etc etc.
Bogweed, just pot it up! Don't let it die, they live for years before they flower and are too expensive to let die!
Budgielover, I have about 7 different kinds of bananas, they all multiply at different rates, Orinoco and Dwarf Cavendish are the most prolific(lots of babies), P'sang Ceylon is slow and Goldfinger has not made a pup in 18 months!
cala, I have an enseta maurelli. what is their life span? I didn't know the died after setting pups. bummer!
vossner, i had an Encete when i lived in the Keys. it was about a foot tall when i got it, in 2 yrs. it got about 6' tall not counting leaves. then it died. i agree, bummer. i didn't know anything about them when i got it so i couldn't figure it out until i bothered to read about them. it was too pricey to replace. i think they are cheaper now at the big chains. debi
debi, they're not cheap in my area. I paid thirtysomething for my baby. before I bought I googled some and saw some pic of trees 20 ft and taller. never occurred to me they died, permanently, that is. I also knew they didn't pup like musa basjoo.
This message was edited Sep 15, 2005 12:34 PM
Beside the "Chiquita" type, I also have an ornamental one with the red splotches and a "Namwah". The "Namwah" was bought last year and kept in a pot all year until about 2 months ago. It has taken off and about tripled in height and has a couple of pups about 12-18 in tall. Should I separate the pups while they are small?
Wow, I only paid $7.99 for my two, and after the first season one if about 6' and the other is pushing 9. Not quite sure how I'd pot these up, though. I mean ... the base of the trunk on the larger one is bigger around than a serving platter.
Vossner, Kell has had one for years, no pups yet. They pup "after" they die, they die after they flower. All bananas die after flowering, there is nothing left to grow on a banana after it blooms, it's used up everything from the rhisome.
Some start making pups while the mother plant is small, others don't pup untill the plant is quite large or has flowered, Ensete doesn't make pups untill the main plant is dead.
Everything you want to know about bananas http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MG040
Is there a nice way to make the thing think it's dying so I can perhaps scarf a pup or few before it gets too chilly at night?
hey bogweedbuck ensete rarely pup but the good news is they do produce seed so dont loose hope and i had a banana bloom just yesturday when it opens fully ill post pictures.
Jerry
cala, read w/ interest, thanks. On the musa basjoo, I guess I hadn't really noticed that the plant that flowered died and never came back. Mainly because with the pups growing so close together, I've never noticed a gap from the dying and non-returning plant. In fact, it always seems like my mini-grove gets bigger each year and dying ones are not missed.
My ensete is about 5 ft at present and gorgeous. Hope it doesn't flower any time soon. This one would definitely leave a gap in the landspace.
jerry how long had you had your ensete before it bloomed?
Wow .... I was fondling ... er, admiring ... my ensete yesterday and noticed not a single thing that looked like it would be capable of unveiling anything flowery in the course of the coming weeks. I have to admit that from what miniscule amount I know about bananas neither of my Ensete's are planted in optimal spots (funky soil, irregular pH, modest-to-sucky drainage, but tons of sun!)
Sounds like my best bet is to wait for a period in March/early April when there's little-to-no chance of freezing and get 2 more delivered from a regional vendor. I'd prefer to get them in a large pot and ready them for an early-to-mid May move outside so I can enjoy them earlier in the season. They *just* started looking somewhat impressive the past few weeks, but then again, I kept them in 1 gallon pots (like an idiot) until late June/early July. (well, not "like an idiot" actually ... I still had heavy equipment and had just begun landscaping that area until the day I dropped these guys in the ground ... and I totally overlooked soil prep and drainage ... therein lies the "idiotic" aspect of my self deprication moment ... thank you, drive thru)