Gabe15

I grew 'Aeae' fine in my house in the Colorado Rockies, very dry, 8,500ft in altitude, not tropical or humid at all (especially in the winter). I think there are a lot of factors to consider, humidity levels alone do not entirely affect the health of a plant. In my experience humidity is one of the less important things I worry about when trying to keep plants healthy because it can be difficult to control and can be offset with other things. Humidity mainly affects plants by slowing transpiration (creating a water potential in the air that is closer to the water potential in the leaves), this can be easily offset by giving extra water so as transpiration increases and water is lost in the plant, there is plenty more water to take its place and keep a proper water potential gradient. The water potential is the demand for water in areas in and around the plant, if there is low water levels in one of the areas, water will flow from areas with more water to those with less (this is what moves water from the soil, through plants, and into the air), and if it flows without being replaced, you will see wilting, burning and damage to the plant. One of the best ways to prevent them from burning is to not put them in the sun, they grow fine in shady spots as well, sometimes slower than a banana normally would, but they can stay healthy. Heat, light levels and air flow play an equally important role in keeping a healthy water potential, humidity levels alone are not that controlling.

And although I completely believe that you may have had less than good luck with variegated bananas, I don't think its the best policy on the forum to discourage other growers from trying out for themselves if they want to. I was laughed at and told I was lying when people herd I grew bananas, but anything is possible if you know what you're doing.

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Growing bananas in Colorado, Washington, Hawaii since 2004. Commercial banana farmer, 200+ varieties.