Banana flowering does this mean it will die?

Discussion in 'Outdoor Gardening in the Pacific Northwest' started by ladner6, Aug 20, 2023.

Tags:
  1. ladner6

    ladner6 New Member

    Messages:
    2
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Delta
    A bit of a boast but then a question.

    My banana in Delta BC flowered last year with about 8 blossoms. They even set fruit although they did not mature. The plant is about 10 years old and this was the first year it flowered. It was a sensation and very popular with children who walked by.

    But as I was told to expect; the stalks that flowered died back the next year. This year the bunch of plants was noticeably smaller. Again this year I have about 6 blossoms. I am worried now that the plant will be even smaller again next year.

    Will cutting off some of the flowers potentially save the stalks or is their death inevitable?
     
  2. Daniel Mosquin

    Daniel Mosquin Paragon of Plants UBC Botanical Garden Forums Administrator Forums Moderator 10 Years

    Messages:
    10,609
    Likes Received:
    645
    Location:
    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    I'm fairly certain that the dieback of that particular pseudostem is inevitable now that flowering was initiated.
     
  3. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

    Messages:
    21,373
    Likes Received:
    834
    Location:
    WA USA (Z8)
    The fruits of Musa basjoo are small and not suitable for consumption, maybe what you saw as failure to mature was just how they normally are. 10 years seems like an inordinate amount of time for flowering to commence. And of course, the plant should be increasing in size over time rather than diminishing. So apparently something is missing from the situation your example is in. Maybe adequate soil fertility.
     
  4. Sulev

    Sulev Contributor

    Messages:
    1,228
    Likes Received:
    379
    Location:
    Estonia
    Banana plant consumes a lot of nutrients. It is recommended to rotate land for another crop after bananas have grown there for 8 years (or even after 5 years, if plants are not managed well).
    Probable causes of diminishing:
    1. Nuteients are exhausted from the ground.
    2. Too many suckers / pseudostems have left to grow.
    3. Root nematodes.
     
  5. ladner6

    ladner6 New Member

    Messages:
    2
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Delta
    That is what I expected.

    actually, I think the plant overall pretty healthy. Last year about 60% of the pseudostems flowered and those stems did not come back this year. This year again about 60% of the remaining are flowering. It’s just that the smaller suckers take a year to get to full size and fruiting takes a lot out of the plant.

    I am not raising bananas here. I like the plant for the vegetation and that is what I want to optimize for.
     

    Attached Files:

  6. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

    Messages:
    21,373
    Likes Received:
    834
    Location:
    WA USA (Z8)
    Plant looks dwarfed and proportion of dead stalks to live is off - more of the clump should be live. And stone mulch will not provide any soil improvement properties.
     

Share This Page