Musa Basjoo - Whats wrong with mine?

[piechnik99]

HELP!

I have two Musa Basjoo nanas planted in fair sized pots in my front and back garden.

The back garden pot gets good sun in the afternoon (till sunset), and the one in the front gets full sun.

Both are planted in good homemade compost (with grit), enriched with chicken pallets. Pots have decent drainage. I have fed recently with nitrogen feed a couple of times (once a fortnight). I have also done a couple of foliar comfrey feeds, in between the nitrogen feeds.

As you can see from the pics both plants have relativly green new leaves, but older leaves (around 2 weeks old!) have brown/black spots and are basically dying before the plant gets going.

The ones in back have small 'pups' growing at the base - the one at the front did too until I propgated them off and planted them into smaller pots. This hasnt really helped - and to be honest I see pics online of groups of Basjoos so surely it can't be this?

Any ideas or tips? Once these get going It will set of my newly planted tropical border nicely....

I had wondered about overwatering, but generally I have found pots dont really hold much water anyway - but does this mean I am underwatering? I am giving them at least 2 full watering cans a week each (on top of normal rainfall).

I am desperate to get them going - especially when I see the results of other Basjoos on the forum. I overwintered them in the greenhouse last year without any problem.

Thanks!

[pdid]

Are they new or have you had them a while?

It could be a few things, sun burn, over watering, over fertilizing, mites.

Check back of leaves with a magnifying glass for mites.

If you are planning on planting them out I would just do it and leave off the fertilizer for a month or so. Keep them well watered during the heat we're expecting at the end of this week and hopefully you'll see results.

If leaving in pots rinse through with a few gallons of water to remove any excess fertilizer which may be upseting the ph balance of the soil and consider repotting into a bigger pot with fresh compost.

[cordyman]

I'd say fert burn, too much for the size of pot, or not hardened off to the sun. Also taking pups from such a small plant would take a section of corm with it, also stressing it.

I'd get them in the ground, im guessing at night ground temp is warmer than pot temp too.

[kata]

Wind burn maybe,

I would also have gone for overwatering/feeding same as pdid, check roots for Vine Weevil.

http://www.gardenforumhorticulture.co.u ... weevil.htm

[fieldfest]

i had a small one doing that last year in full sun in a windy spot in baked dry clay soil

this year in the same position all is ok so my guess is now its got its roots down and it must have been lack of moisture

[piechnik99]

The 'Fert Burn' makes sense - Ive been foliar feeding and thats possibly why the new leaves arent brown (yet!)

After reading your comments, I'm going to plant them in the ground and leave of the fertiliser for a good few weeks (and take advantage of a bit of warm weather)

From experiance is it best to leave them in situ over winter (root hardt arent they?) - with a chicken wire/straw construction; or dig them uo to overwinter in a cold greenhouse?

[piechnik99]

Wind burn maybe,

I would also have gone for overwatering/feeding same as pdid, check roots for Vine Weevil.

http://www.gardenforumhorticulture.co.u ... weevil.htm

Had vine weevil larve in a redcurrant raised bed, yeah will be checking in the basjoo...

[flounder]

Thats not weevil damage. Unless you've experienced freezing cold winds whilst the leaves were wet, I'd say fert burn.
If you've watered a nitrogen feed onto the leaves of the plant, stop it! It's not a foliar feed. Comfrey mix won't cause that so I'm going with the nitrogen.

[cordyman]

The 'Fert Burn' makes sense - Ive been foliar feeding and thats possibly why the new leaves arent brown (yet!)

After reading your comments, I'm going to plant them in the ground and leave of the fertiliser for a good few weeks (and take advantage of a bit of warm weather)

From experiance is it best to leave them in situ over winter (root hardt arent they?) - with a chicken wire/straw construction; or dig them uo to overwinter in a cold greenhouse?

In situ with chicken wire, straw, fleece bag, bin bag over the top


wrapped mine on the 1st December, its now 9ft tall, unwrapped ones are less than 1ft tall

http://www.hardytropicals.co.uk/forum/v ... =1&t=18536

[piechnik99]

The 'Fert Burn' makes sense - Ive been foliar feeding and thats possibly why the new leaves arent brown (yet!)

After reading your comments, I'm going to plant them in the ground and leave of the fertiliser for a good few weeks (and take advantage of a bit of warm weather)

From experiance is it best to leave them in situ over winter (root hardt arent they?) - with a chicken wire/straw construction; or dig them uo to overwinter in a cold greenhouse?

In situ with chicken wire, straw, fleece bag, bin bag over the top


wrapped mine on the 1st December, its now 9ft tall, unwrapped ones are less than 1ft tall

http://www.hardytropicals.co.uk/forum/v ... =1&t=18536

Great tips & Great post.... thats it, they're going in the ground after work!

[piechnik99]

i had a small one doing that last year in full sun in a windy spot in baked dry clay soil

this year in the same position all is ok so my guess is now its got its roots down and it must have been lack of moisture

I take it the Basjoo overwintered on clay? Have you mound planted? Do they do ok in clay over winter?

[fieldfest]

i had a small one doing that last year in full sun in a windy spot in baked dry clay soil

this year in the same position all is ok so my guess is now its got its roots down and it must have been lack of moisture

I take it the Basjoo overwintered on clay? Have you mound planted? Do they do ok in clay over winter?

yep they're all in clay, not mounded, not a problem

[piechnik99]

If leaving in pots rinse through with a few gallons of water to remove any excess fertilizer which may be upseting the ph balance of the soil and consider repotting into a bigger pot with fresh compost.

I have left one in a pot, and rinsed it through, the heat over the past few weeks has got the growth growing, pups coming on strong too....

[piechnik99]

i had a small one doing that last year in full sun in a windy spot in baked dry clay soil

this year in the same position all is ok so my guess is now its got its roots down and it must have been lack of moisture

Planted one in the from garden in enrinched clay soil - been watering well over the past week or so, one new leaf a week over the past few sunny weeks good news!

[piechnik99]

Thats not weevil damage. Unless you've experienced freezing cold winds whilst the leaves were wet, I'd say fert burn.
If you've watered a nitrogen feed onto the leaves of the plant, stop it! It's not a foliar feed. Comfrey mix won't cause that so I'm going with the nitrogen.

I've left off the nitrogen feed, and they have looked a lot better