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wheelman1976
11-29-2012, 09:52 PM
Can anyone tell me what I'm seeing here in these two bananas? Ones a dwarf brazilian the other I'm told is a cavendish eventhough the store I got it at had a tag calling it a basjoo.

In each photo I'm seeing over the past couple months indoors for the winter, all the leaves on the main stem are dying off. I water around one time a month and I make sure to not soak them. I've been using a spray to keep mites at bay as well. Now for the weird part.... I have a pup coming up on the dwarf brazilian and two pups on the cavendish that seem to be growing alot the last couple weeks. I thought bananas in the winter months didn't do great indoors, and now I'm seeing new growth?

http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb418/wheelman1976/5E366C8E-DD9B-4CB6-91F4-E0C154F90E5E-9036-000007F0F469AD5E.jpg

http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb418/wheelman1976/50AAF3C8-B7BF-4143-B02D-5284539F7C97-9036-000007F0FC14CE16.jpg

caliboy1994
11-29-2012, 11:02 PM
That looks like a very bad case of potassium deficiency. Thankfully that's an easy fix. Get them some fast-absorbing fertilizer high in potassium as soon as you can. Don't apply too much though, or you'll burn the plant.

wheelman1976
11-29-2012, 11:34 PM
banana fuel?

caliboy1994
11-30-2012, 12:14 AM
That would work, it's 30% potassium.

Abnshrek
11-30-2012, 12:17 AM
If you take a scoop of ash from burning leaves or a fire place it does wonders for shoring up the banana. :^)

Hammocked Banana
11-30-2012, 11:58 AM
Do they get any any light?? What kind of "spray" are you using?
Also cut off those dead leaves if your trying to fight off mites, it'll look a lot better too!

wheelman1976
11-30-2012, 06:06 PM
Do they get any any light?? What kind of "spray" are you using?
Also cut off those dead leaves if your trying to fight off mites, it'll look a lot better too!

They're in the middle of my living room which faces north. No direct sunlight. Should I move them closer to the window?

Here's what I use for mites, so far it's seemed to work well. For the record, the leaf die off started before I used the mite x in earnest.

http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb418/wheelman1976/338C2986-87D9-4BC9-AEC4-FD938D443C0B-9036-000007F0EEAEC4D1.jpg

wheelman1976
11-30-2012, 06:07 PM
I gave them a watering of banana fuel. I had to laugh at how much I put in a 32oz cup.... it was next to nothing.

caliboy1994
11-30-2012, 06:27 PM
I would give them direct sunlight, especially if you're planning on bringing them out in the spring. But wait until they recover from the deficiency before you do that, as you might burn their only viable leaves.

Hammocked Banana
11-30-2012, 06:32 PM
I think the only deficiency, is a light deficiency! Since it's a north facing window I don't think moving it closer to the window will help much. Do have any south facing windows near by?

caliboy1994
11-30-2012, 06:36 PM
I think the only deficiency, is a light deficiency! Since it's a north facing window I don't think moving it closer to the window will help much. Do have any south facing windows near by?

Lack of light doesn't cause the leaves to die and curl under like that, but potassium deficiency does.

Hammocked Banana
11-30-2012, 06:43 PM
I disagree. This happens to all my nanners when I bring them in, until they get acclimated. And mine are in south facing windows with supplemental lighting. I think the difference is in a K deficiency the tip of the leave will start to curl down when the rest of the leave is still in a somewhat decent shape. These are leaves that the plant is getting rid of bc they are using more energy then they are producing. Most dead leaves curl under. Do yours curl up?

caliboy1994
11-30-2012, 07:01 PM
It's a classic sign of potassium deficiency as well. One of my plants had a few leaves curl up like that at one point, but once I gave it fertilizer it stopped doing that. Normally dead leaves don't curl up. The petioles just break and they hang down, brown.

stevelau1911
11-30-2012, 07:55 PM
A few years ago, I tried bringing a basjoo banana indoors, and it did the same thing, eventually rotting all the way through despite getting minimal water. This was by an east facing window with a 105 watt CFL for supplemental light, but it wasn't enough to keep it alive. I think that indoor conditions are just not good enough for most bananas.

I ended up getting new bananas in the spring, and after 3 seasons of growth, I was able to get the basjoos up to 14ft tall as they were planted about 1ft deep.


Right now, I have 3 ensete maurelii bananas by my south facing windows, and after 2-3 weeks, they have each put on 1-2 leaves and appear to be completely healthy as their stems have fattened up a little bit.

blownz281
11-30-2012, 08:19 PM
I have IC,Saba,Mysore,Siam Ruby,Orinoco,M Red all of them are in a storage closet attached to my house. I have two 40watt T12 6500k bulbs on them for like 8-10 hrs a day. They are growing without any problems,and have a 30B fish tank with heater to keep the closet warmer. 39* it was still almost 80* in there even with the light off. I still want a HF 6ft-8ft GH though :)

blownz281
11-30-2012, 08:38 PM
Oh forgot D.Namwah also.

wheelman1976
11-30-2012, 09:39 PM
I should say these are in the middle of my living room, not right by the north facing windows. I could move them closer if my wife doesn't kill me.

I agree that bananas just don't do well indoors. Being in michigan, I have low humidity indoors all winter (even with a humidifier).

Would some type of light help? What type do I want to be looking for?

Hammocked Banana
11-30-2012, 10:04 PM
Well moving them closer to the window will only give them slightly more indirect light. In the northern hemisphere we get the most light from the south so if u have a window in that direction that would be best. Artificial lights can help but that's a whole new ball game, that's how u know when ure hooked. Wife might kill u for setting up lights also ...

cincinnana
11-30-2012, 10:20 PM
I disagree. This happens to all my nanners when I bring them in, until they get acclimated. And mine are in south facing windows with supplemental lighting. I think the difference is in a K deficiency the tip of the leave will start to curl down when the rest of the leave is still in a somewhat decent shape. These are leaves that the plant is getting rid of bc they are using more energy then they are producing. Most dead leaves curl under. Do yours curl up?

Hey fellas, this is my 2 cents worth. Most of my overwintered bananas are in my basement. They are in pots stacked about 10 deep away from a double door walkout. Each week I hack out about a quarter garbage can of leaves. Oh the carnage! Most of my plants have been trimmed to 3 or 5 half leaves for space considerations and corm health.

The leaves are bent, dried, broken, curled up, and curled down,mushy, all displaying the signs of light/heat deprivation. For me this is normal and expected.

When I bring my plants in it is just to sustain them, I do not try to grow them. However, my ensetes and bloods I put in a upstairs
loft to give them more heat and light because they cannot tolerate the basemant conditions.