hi, i just discovered this forum and was hoping someone can help:

i've been growing banana trees in my backyard in austin tx for about 3 years. this year they really took off, w/ several well over 20 ft tall. problem is several of them bloomed this year w/ bananas then died a few months later. is this normal? a friend of mine said they die once they produce bananas and that you're supposed to dig them outta the ground to make way for more to grow. but most of them are sandwiched between other trees and several of the newer, smaller ones i think are growing off the rootballs of the ones that have died, so i'm worried digging out the big, dead ones might kill the little guys. any advice would be greatly appreciated.

thanks,
joe emery
jemery@pstrategies.com

Hey Joe,
I think I can help you out. From what i know, it is ok to cut down the old stalks after you harvest the fruit bunch. In doing this though, you do not dig out the base which has the root mass attached to it, you simply cut the stalk about a foot or two from the bottom. However, I have read studies that say you get better production from the suckers if you let the old parent die and dry up on its own before cutting it down. I think many people like to cut them right away because they look ugly while they are dying and also because of a lack of space.
Well, i hope that helped. Good luck.

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Hey i love plants, but girls are fun too. Send me a private message!

Nana... is right. After flowering, the main stem dies. It should produce suckers so don't cut them down or dig them up before you give it a chance to procreate.

skatayama

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I didn't do it...