Banana experts out there

wxman · Post by **wxman** » Sat Oct 24, 2009 9:49 pm

What would cause banana leaves to peel away from the main pseudostem? It almost looks like the leaves are too 'heavy' and are pulling the sheath off the pseudostem. This seemed to start after moving them downstairs into my "plant room". New leaves are emerging like normal and look healthy. Just my plant is looking like it is peeling, lol!

Barrie · Post by **Barrie** » Sat Oct 24, 2009 10:14 pm

Which genus and species do you have? Where they moved from very differing situations?

Cheers, Barrie.

wxman · Post by **wxman** » Sat Oct 24, 2009 10:22 pm

Musa orinoco, not dwarf. They were moved from full sun to full artificial light.

ronbruce · Post by **ronbruce** » Sun Oct 25, 2009 8:10 am

Some plants seem to shed their 'outside' leaves and grow 'inside' leaves as the humidity and light levels are so different when they are in for the winter.

If the new leaves look good it sounds like it's just doing it's thing.

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Sun Oct 25, 2009 9:32 am

Older banana leaves on young plants are out grown so fast that they actually fall away from the rapidly expanding base and since they are basically hanging on to the "trunk" with no support they just fall away.
You see this a lot when a banana plant goes from really stretching out for height as it starts to get taller(esp pups still attached to mama plant)and is going into a more compact faze as it matures.
I guess I could shorten this and say, it's out grown the lower leaves.
This is usually a good sign,it means it's healthy enough to have"old" leaves to discard and is growing out of them quickly-
This can also happen when they have taken a big drink and the stems are swollen enough with water that the old leaf sheaths are blown off-

Wx,what ever happen to your Butia?
Did it get flooded out when the snow melted last winter?

wxman · Post by **wxman** » Sun Oct 25, 2009 11:24 am

Jim,

Thanks for the reply. I thought it was sick because it was shedding all those leaf sheaths. My butia made it just fine through the winter and pushed out two fronds this summer. At the end of summer, due to financial reasons, I potted it and the backyard washingtonia up and put them down in my plant room for the winter. They washy has put out two fronds down there and the butia has put out three! Next year it'll go back outside and I don't know if it'll go in the ground or stay in a pot until its bigger.

turtile · Post by **turtile** » Sun Oct 25, 2009 12:21 pm

If the environmental conditions are much different, its probably the plant adjusting to the changes. The old leaves are optimal to the old environment and are likely inefficient in the new one.

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Sun Oct 25, 2009 3:35 pm

Glad to hear your Butia is still kicking.
Sounds like you have some serious growth going on in that basement

BILL MA · Post by **BILL MA** » Mon Oct 26, 2009 7:19 am

Like everyone already said. Wx that a good thing for sure it means your plants are growing nicely! By the way did you get the neem oil to kill of the spider mites? How's that working for you? I need to do another treatment today actually.

One more question about your basement. Are you using just plain florecent 4 foot light tubes or do you have some special lights? I'm in the process of making a little spot in my basement for some extra plants and I was just curious. I'm not going to heat it I just need storage, it stays about 50 down there.

So I see you plan on making a palm run this spring! Good call.

Bill

PalmsNorth.com

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