Thanks to plant bucks and my birthday (last week) I picked up a Banana (Musa acuminata 'Dwarf Cavendish') at the nursery, along with a few other plants. I think the Banana might need repotting but I'm not sure how to tell or what soil mix to use.
Advice needed: I have a banana
This link will answer your questions:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110613131040AAmosDE
I grow all but my red banana in the ground, which is compost and sand, meaning it's fast-draining and full of good organizisms.
Thank you KayJones
Show us pictures and let us know how it grows for you!
Yes, Please do!
Here is my Banana. I had to wait until this morning because we only have a tiny lamp in the living room. They had a much larger one (just under 6ft) but this one fit so perfectly in the little cardboard box I was carrying.
Ignore it's current location because it'll be moved Sunday afternoon. I am moving the TV it's by so I can set up another table for it and my new plants.
Well he looks healthy and happy. Don't worry about the leaves turning yellow - when it puts out a new leaf, the old leaves turn yellow and can be cut off.
The way to tell if your plant needs repotting is to slide the pot off to see if the roots are going 'round and 'round. I'd be inclined to try the Moisture Control potting mix with some added perlite in it, so perhaps you won't have to be watering that little fella every day, and twice on hot days! I'd put some composted manure in the mix, too. Bananas love that.
I grew up in Vancouver BC, and had a banana plant before we moved to the US. Whoo, I lugged that beastie around our house there a LOT, until I got a plant caddy with heavy duty wheels for it. Biggest challenge was giving it enough light, up there in the land of grey and rainy weather! Get that baby out in the sun whenever you can while it's summer, (keep it warm!) then I'd invest in a couple of good Grow Lights so you can keep it green and healthy indoors through the long, gloomy winter. A few hours of good light through a window isn't going to cut it
Unless you have a greenhouse and can give it tropical conditions through the winter, it will slow down a lot or go dormant, but still needs good light. It will retain its leaves but may not grow any new ones once the nights cool down, until spring when it warms up again.
i agree with dyzz..
here in utah..its only summer for my bananas.. well..except a few that dont get huge over the
summer that i can pot up.. i have a huge south facing window..that during the winter is full of plants..
ive even thought i should get a set of lights over them too..
your banana will slow down alot over winter.. lack of heat..and lots of light..but
get a good start in spring..i do.. haul it out on sunny days.. will give it a head start for summer...
potting mix.. i use my own compost.. coco coir..shredded bark..and perlite..
i use to use sand..but wow..the weight.. lol
a good soil mix..and good drainage..thats what u want...
good luck to ya..
fyi..its addictive.. :)
That is a very pretty banana but I don't think it is a dwarf cavendish, they do not have red variegation on the leaves.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/60087/
The link you posted is for Super Dwarf Cavendish. I think I have just Dwarf Cavendish which is this one: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/532/ Several of the photos do appear to have reddish/purple on it.
I can't wait to see this little one grow up. It's just over a foot right now (not counting the leaves) and the pf says it gets 6 to 8 feet tall!
My mistake, I never knew there was a dwarf and a super dwarf. I learn something every day around here.
Alice, I didn't know that, either - mine is about 4' tall and has just stalled there.
There is a tag that the nursery put on that says it gets 3-4 ft tall. I wonder if their estimate is based on the typical height or our location.
Kay may I see your Banana?
I think I want to add a few more Bananas to my collection. Everyone here seems to like them and the cats aren't very interested in them.
Today at HD Dad and I spotted a Banana. Dad bought it for me after making fun of my other banana and the price I paid. Here they are together. New one is on the left. I wonder if they are the same.
check to see how petioles attach to the pseudostem for each... how the leaves develop and unfurl for each...
It looks like the left one has definitely been ferilized more. Check the midribs on the bottom to see if they look similar!
The only differences I notice is that the one on the left is greener and has larger leaves. The rest is very similar. They also came from the same grower but were bought at two different places.
probably same plant... see if you can get the growers web address through whom you purchased the plants. ..send some pics. and ask him are they the same!
I have a question and I don't want to start a new thread for it. Can someone grow the larger banana trees (that get at least 8 ft) in containers? I assume my location wouldn't produce as large of plant as one in Florida. My Dad is really fond of these and I'd like to get more, especially large or edible ones.
Dwarf Orinoco and Rajpuri are a couple that come to mind real quick IF you have PLENTY of light in the winter! Are you on the west side of the mtns.? If you are and you are in 7-b, I see no reason that you couldn't do it.
I have a Basjoo in a large pot; 25 gal., that is close to 6'. I have not paid that much attention to it.
This message was edited Aug 25, 2011 4:39 PM
Do you mean the Cascade mountains? I believe we are.
I'm not sure about the amount of lighting but I do have all my tropical plants sitting right at the brightest windows in the house. They get south and west facing sun but never direct. I'm very particular about adjusting the blinds so some of my other tropicals don't get burnt.
I have all three of those on my list along with a few others. I'm looking up each and narrowing the list down. I think I might want to find some closer to home due to the temps on the East Coast.