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fergus banana · 06-24-2009, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by buckeye5755

Hello everyone,
I am growing 2 Dwarf Cavendish and a Gran Nain plant. I am leaving them outdoors now, and bringing them into the garage under a 600 Watt Metal Halide/HPS system over the winter.

My primary goal is to get them to fruit. However after much reading I see that the Gran Nain for example can get 6-8 feet tall. I knew of this fact, but didn't get until recently that that height is the P-Stem and not how high the leaves reach. My garage is 10 ft tall, and i know you should keep at least 2-3 feet between the leaves and the light source.

So, I have a few questions. First, if I am growing it primarily for fruit, can I cut the leaves off that extend that high, and if so would that prohibit the plant from fruiting? Second, could I have the light source hanging at an angle, a few feet from the plants? Also, is it more important for the light to be hitting the leaves, or reaching all the way to the soil?

Lastly, so that I do not assume incorrectly, if I am simulating outdoor conditions in regards to light, humidity, and temperature, should I also water and fertilize as such?

Thanks for all of your help. This site has been a lifesaver so far! With the time and money I am spending on this, gotta make sure I do it right, or the wife will really let me have it!

i am growing my bananas indoors under 600W HPS as well. they have been growing under these lights for about 2 or 3 weeks. i run them 18 hrs and from what i have seen, they drink a lot and require a lot of fertilizer. i am still worried about overwatering and fertilizer burn, so i am slowly increasing the watering/fertilizing.

as far as the light source, you probably would have to angle them to keep from burning the leaves when the plants get too tall. i will be growing mine permanently indoors but since i just started i dont really know what to expect from the plants in the long run. i am hoping to get them to fruit by running them at 18hrs for several months, then switching to 12hrs to get them to fruit. for now they are growing well.