Spring temperatures determine deflasking time
The timing of deflasking of tissue cultured banana plants in NSW is limited by the climate. The deflasking process cannot begin until temperatures are warm enough to enable vigorous root growth from the tiny plants as they become established in the pots. This usually means plants are not deflasked before mid August and that even though the banana planting season begins in NSW around October, planting of tissue cultured plants cannot usually happen until December, and often January, if growers wait for the plants to grow ‘big enough’.