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'Real' pups vs sucker pups

17 years ago

What's the story on this issue?

I read on a grower's website that they only sell 'real' plants that dependably fruit well as opposed to other sellers that sell suckers that may never fruit. The 'real' plants can be identified when first putting out leaves by the spear shape of the leaves, rather than the typical banana leaf shape. As the 'real' plants get to be 4-5' tall the leaves change to the typical banana leaf shape.

I have a small banana stand of about 7 different varieties. Since reading this I now preserve the spear-leaved plants (up to three pups on a pseudostem). Whereas I recycle into the stand's compost, other pups with typical banana plant leaves.

My stand is relatively new, not old enough for me to have observed followup between different types of pups. Only 2 of my plants are now fruiting for the first time and I couldn't tell whether they had spear-shaped leaves as pups because they were 3-4 feet tall already when given to me.

Since I'd never heard or read anything about this distinction before or since, I'd love to hear from all of you who know about this what the real skinny is. Is it true, or what?

-Arabesque

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Comments (4)

gardenguy_
17 years ago
It is true that the desired suckers to keep are maiden suckers or sword suckers.
http://www.iita.org/info/trn_mat/irg66/irg664.html
pitangadiego
17 years ago
The ones which have leaves early and at a short height are called water suckers, and in my experience seldom thrive or reach their expected potential.
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sfhellwig
17 years ago
I have only seen reference to sword leaf and water leaf suckers. For my first few years I only had water leaf (the broad leaf ones) and they seemed fine. Last year I stared to get sword leaf suckers which I have read are the ones used by banana plantations. I can support the evidence that sword leaf suckes do grow with much more vigor. However unless you are looking for less strain on the mother, I never cut down a pup. Every sucker deserves the chance to grow big and strong and I have sold/given away many plants grown from water leaf suckers. YMMV.
hector
17 years ago
I think this is only a real concern for commercial growers - where a 2% difference in crop yield may be the difference between profit and loss. When your grove has 10x more pups than you need for new planting, the sword leaf plants are the ones to pick. The studies show that they are a bit more vigorous and fruit a little sooner.

For us I don't think the difference is very important. They are still all genetically identical. The "water sprout" will grow up and itself produce both types of pups. I'll take a 3 foot tall "water sprout" over a 4 inch spear leaved one any day.

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