Question
Strange things are happening to the formation of the leaves on my ensete 'red abyssinian' red banana.  I've had it for over 2 years, first in a 15 gal container and for the last 9 months in the ground.  It has a big diameter at the base, almost 12 inches.  Recently the new, inner leaves are malformed on incomplete although the central spine of the leaf seems unaffected.  The new central shoots at their earliest stage are now only partially formed.  The plant has never flowered.  2 weeks ago I trimmed off some of the older outer leaves and fed it with some liquid miraclegrow.  The latest inner shoot appeared better and the last leaf to unfurl was more complete except at the tip.  I can't find any insects or fungus.  Do you know what's wrong.  Is is curable?  Is it contagious?.  If I dig it out will a new ensete develop the same malady more rapidly if planted in the same spot?

Answer
Hi Bob, what you are describing are the symptoms from Choke throat, an affliction from cold stressed Bananas, where growth is inhibited from the cold and then attempts to catch up when it warms; but this time of the season that is obviously not the case. It is however a stress of some sort, be it something foreign in the soil or a nutrient deficiency; can you give me a history of care for this plant, how and what type of fertilizer over the past 6 months and how much irrigation it has received. It isn't a fungus or disease, so you can put your mind at ease there, the symptoms are all wrong for that, but it is definitely an issue that needs to be addressed, from a stress standpoint. Nick