I have a small Dwarf Red Banana, musa coccinea, in a pot, and it's growing 2 young pups.
Can anybody tell me how tall I should let the pups get, before I separate them? I couldn't find anything online about it.
Thanks. Steve
A Matter of Bananas
That's a beauty. I have 2 small pups on my Musa Zebrina. I also need to know about how/when to separate. Last year I didn't separate 1 and this spring it took off and now it's as big as the mom. Should it be separated too? or can they be left in the pot together.
I think I separated one too early. It was about 8" tall, and it hasn't grown any, for a month. It looks OK, just hasn't grown.
Steve
I like to leave my ornamentals together.
I think they look better in a clump.
Just a personal choice though......
When I do seperate them I wait until they're at least 12" tall.
This gives them time to develope their own root systems.
Ric
With bananas you're supposed to leave three per clump for the best fruit. If you're just growing them because they're pretty, you can leave as many as you want.
Like Ric said, if the pup is too little, it won't have any roots and might not make it. I separate mine when the trunk is 18 or more inches tall.
The best time to separate is in spring, when they're in active growth.
Steve,
I had 4 pups and took one off at about 12". I lost all of the leaves within 4-5 days but she is now doing ok and I now have a new leaf sprouting. It has been about maybe 3 weeks since I did the separating.
My mother nana did take a bit of a beating but she is doing better. She missed her pup I guess. :(
If they don't mind being crowded, I might just leave them all in the same pot and have a nice clump. I have to haul it in the gh or garage anyway.
I went to a plant show toay, and the owner of a nursery told me wait until it's 2/3 the size of the mother. The banana is staying in it's pot until Spring, so I could just leave it, but it's good trading material!
Steve