Thursday, August 12, 2010

Hibernation of banana plants.

Hibernation.

Seeds do hibernate. Seeds must have encoded chemicals in them signaling not to germinate until the condition is favourable. The essentials for such condition includes water, sunlight, nutrients etc.. Some seeds found in the Arctic grew after an estimated 10,000 years. Some pine cones require extreme heat as in bush fire to crack open the hard seed coats. Only then seeds can germinate, otherwise they continue hibernating..

Seedlings too display such characteristic. Our extra banana seedlings are still behaving like babies and stay small whereas their friends in the open are enjoying the space and the sun, and never afraid of height.




 two big banana plants,
bitter gourds on the left are yellowing.

Small banana plants, remain as seedlings and look healthy. 
They are of the same age as those two in the first photo.
These are extra seedlings, kept just in case their friends in the open fail.

bangchik 

13 comments:

  1. Your banana plants look so healthy Bangchik. I dont know abt planting banana but I have 2 seedlings waiting to be planted, pisang berangan n tanduk. Do I have to fertilise them as often as the vegetable and flowering plants?

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  2. Wow, the difference is striking...I had noticed some plants really taking off once moved to a more location before but I never knew just how much some living plants could stall while remaining ostensibly healthy.

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  3. That's so obvious differences! I never have experience with planting banana before!
    Your banana seedlings and big banana plants look so healthy!

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  4. Bagng chik..pisang pun boleh tanam dgn seed ke?Saya baru tanam pisang mas tapi beli anak la kat pasar tani

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  5. Thanks for those interesing facts on seeds. I have been sowing a number of seeds recently. But some did not germinate. After reading your post today, it gave me some hope that they will eventually show me something then...

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  6. Wow I must say I had never seen a baby banana tree before. And to learn that the baby is not a baby is amazing. So is it true that bananas do not bear fruits twice?

    Selamat Berpuasa Bangchik dan Kakdah.

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  7. Hibernatioin of banana plants? They may think not to grow faster in order not to be old very soon.

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  8. The leaves size of the banana plant in the first pic is awfully big for its trunk size. Never seen one that bear fruits but comes with such leaves size before. I am so used to growing up in a garden where my mom loves pisang emas - the tiny sweet banana on tiny tree.

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  9. ~p3chandan
    You remember how our grand dad and father or mother grew banana... They more or less let nature handled the plants. Probably they cleaned up the drooping dry leaves once in a while. Putting fertiliser allows plants to grow better and healthier..

    ~college gardener
    For now, the extra seedlings stay in a cramped place. Yes, they stall for a while, probably envious about their friends enjoying the larger space in the open.

    ~malar
    Growing banana is interesting. If we plan for shade somewhere at the corner, banana plants can provide that. But their roots though soft can travel far, a few inches below the ground surface...

    ~YUZIE AMIR
    Not from seeds, but from seedlings, the little babies around the mother plant.

    ~steph
    we probably have wasted many seeds by not waiting much longer for them to germinate. On hindsight, I think our attempts with parsley was in the same fate.... impatience on my side.

    ~Aishah
    Banana has not been cheating yet so far about the promise of one fruiting season in their life time.

    ~Aaron.
    yes, the more we deal with them, the more we understand and appreciate... the why and why...

    ~Rainnie.
    Probably true. It's wait and see game. Anyway, they are now in a cramped place, not enough space to grow and breath, so they stay low. Who knows, they may just give up, and bear fruits at that size.. haha..

    ~RoughRosa
    Pisang, always the favourite... a fruit a gulp!!

    Cheers, have a nice day.
    ~bangchik and kakdah
    Putrajaya Malaysia

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  10. ~Kim and Victoria
    Banana plant is nice to look for a stretch of time. Once fruits develop, the leaves start to give way, definitely lose their charm. But we by then, will be busy enjoying the sight of the growing fruits no take note of anything else... haha..

    Cheers, ~bangchik

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  11. ~Ann
    They are pisang tanduk...
    -bangchik

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