Ensete Ventricosum Maurelii - Pupping

[musa_monkey]

Dave, let us know how you get on with seperating them, I always find that the challenging bit given the shear number of pups involved.

[dorothy]

Hi thanks for letting me know.since I only have two plants I,ll leave them be.might try next year if I have the guts.and will probably buy a backup in case I screw up.

[Yorkshire Kris]

How are the pups getting on? Pics please!?

[Ian Cooke]

Yes this is a good technique to use. I was a bit concerned to see the mother plant covered with a glass dome. When we used to do them at the University the risk was always rotting so we used to be very careful to keep the crowns dry. We would do two or three plants and usually one or two would pup but the others rot. If you remove the offsets carefully you can usually get two or three crops of young plants from the same stock plant.

If they are very leafy when removing from the parent plant, its worth reducing the leaf area to help establishment.

[musa_monkey]

Here are the pups growing on. Not sure how many there are i think the technical term is "lots"

I have decided to let them grow on like this to see what happens. I will put them into bigger pots soon to give them more growing room.

[musa_monkey]

Yes this is a good technique to use. I was a bit concerned to see the mother plant covered with a glass dome. When we used to do them at the University the risk was always rotting so we used to be very careful to keep the crowns dry. We would do two or three plants and usually one or two would pup but the others rot. If you remove the offsets carefully you can usually get two or three crops of young plants from the same stock plant.

Banana prop (2)-qpr.jpg

If they are very leafy when removing from the parent plant, its worth reducing the leaf area to help establishment.

Ian, Plastic dome glass is way to expensive, not to mention heavy
You do have to keep a sharp eye on them, vent the cloche and water lightly but i find keeping the heat in seems to accelerate the process.

[Yorkshire Kris]

Here are the pups growing on. Not sure how many there are i think the technical term is "lots"

I have decided to let them grow on like this to see what happens. I will put them into bigger pots soon to give them more growing room.

Yes lots and lots!

They look like cannas at this stage. Surely better to seperate them though?

[musa_monkey]

[/quote]
They look like cannas at this stage. Surely better to seperate them though?[/quote]

Yes they do a bit.
Better in some way perhaps but i have never seen any detail on what happens if you let them grow on naturally.....and i have this nagging need to know.

That's the problem with being an engineer.....so many i wonder what happens if scenarios and so little time.

[gabriel]

great stuff,will try myself next year
thanks for sharing

[jase]

Alan, any chance of an update on this

[musa_monkey]

Alan, any chance of an update on this

okey dokey.............

I separated some pups about a month ago then re-potted the clumps to allow them to continue growing - see the pics below.

I have noticed that if I allow the clumps to grow on, the individual plants not only grow independent roots but are easier to separate by snapping off the plants around the outside of the the clump. I will carry on this practice for a while to see if it persists. Not sure how they will over winter so that should be interesting as well.

[jase]

Looking great.

What you gonna do with them if you get them through winter?

Anyone tried a plain green one, are they as easy?

[musa_monkey]

Looking great.

What you gonna do with them if you get them through winter?
Anyone tried a plain green one, are they as easy?

I usually just give them away to friends etc locally.
Not tried e.ventricosum yet, i have two grown from seed that have performed well this year so i may try it on one once it gets going in the spring.