So I bought a musa cheeka about 3 weeks ago and when I got it it was pretty beat up from being on the crowded shelves of a lowes. There are now 3 pups, 2 that just popped up and one that was there when I bought it. The mother plant is not doing so well, the newest leaf has yet to open out full but it is turning black/brown from the bottom up. What should I do? Other than that the plant looks healthy. I'm pretty certain this new leaf isn't going to make it, but will another grow in it's place? -Kris
Likely not - leaf browning from the base indicates that the mother plant is on her way out. What I'd be doing at this point is separating the pups into their own soil - they'll have more space then to keep growing, and hey, you got 3 plants for the price of 1....
That's sad, but you're right at least there will be 3. On another note the same leaf that is turning black/brown is developing a white fungus. What should I do? I spray with dish liquid/water solution everyday, twice a day. I've been fighting with spider mites as well. The pups are growing quite fast, doubled in size easily over the past 2-3 days.
10% milk solution as a spray will knock the fungus out. However, if it's only on the mother plant, I'd concentrate more on getting the pups away from her. If you set the pups' pots ontop of dishes filled with stones and water, you'll get a humidity assist that will help keep the mites down.
Thanks for the reply Lorax. If the 10% milk solution doesn't work and the fungus continues to spread, should I chop the mother down to reduce the risk of it spreading to the pups? The pups are about 2inches tall now. The mother is about 12-14inches tall. It's a musa cheeka, very similar to the super dwarf cavendish. I'll post pics tonight when I get home.
From what I understand, you could cut the stem of the mother plant back to where there is no black showing, and it should start again. lorax, is this right?
It should, as long as there's no issue in the corm itself - which crown rot normally indicates in the SDC variants like Cheeka. However, I recently did a top-cut like you're describing with a choked Limon plantain, and it's working fairly well so far. MangoMan: you should be aware that if you do this, it's a last-ditch effort and that the plant is going to bleed gooey sap for about 15 minutes after you cut. To avoid tearing, use a very sharp, straght-edged knife, and sterilize it first using either heat or hydrogen peroxide. You can avoid reinfestation by the fungus of the cut area by dusting it lightly with powdered cinnamon after it's stopped oozing. The pictures below show the top-cut operation on the Limon plantain - this is how it should go. If the top-cut is going to work, you should see growth almost instantly. You'll also be able to see if more of the pseudostem is rotted - healthy pstem is white to pinkish in colour, while diseased/decaying/unhealthy pstem is brown to black.
Thanks for the tip Lorax! Based on the pics in this post, what would you say my best plan of action would be? Kris
OK. The mother plant isn't salvageable - that's full blown crown rot and judging by the yellow colour of the upper pesudostem, it's not something you can address by topping the mother. Take the whole thing out of the pot, and remove the pups, splitting the corm between them; dust the cut lightly with cinnamon to prevent fungal infection, and pot them up separately in their own pots with fresh soil. The mother can go in the compost - she's very high in potassium and phosphorus and will help to balance your mix.
