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View Full Version : A little help for a novice grower?


cheveyo75
10-03-2016, 09:37 AM
Hello,

We've had a banana plant gifted from a friend for a number of years now and this has been a recurring problem: our leaves have always weighed too heavily for the plant to support. Can you offer some advice to help us help this plant become stronger? We really love it and want to keep it healthy. I'm attaching a link to a picture below.

Thanks ahead of time!!
Cheveyo75

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5aeuj4rdfnrzesj/2016-10-03%2010.19.55.jpg?dl=0

Tytaylor77
10-03-2016, 01:57 PM
I say it needs more sunlight.

Starstryke
10-03-2016, 07:44 PM
Yep, more sunlight, or perhaps a plant light or two, maybe a re pot if it has been in that one for that many years and some time release fertilizer is my advice but might want to wait for some of the others around here with more experience to chime in before you do anything drastic.

edwmax
10-03-2016, 08:52 PM
haha ... may be a new owner. Send it to Tytaylor or Starstryke. They can nurse it back to good health. ...

Kegas76
10-04-2016, 06:14 PM
Maybe I'm crazy but I zoomed in and it looks like it already flowered.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=60691&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=60691&ppuser=21573)

edwmax
10-04-2016, 07:21 PM
I can't tell when I zoom in. The photo isn't clear. But, that would explain the strange looking leaves hanging down. ... This plant must be an ornamental type which only has flowers and no fruit.

... Actually looking closer, I don't think that is a banana plant. There is too many leaves growing out at the stalk top (on right); the stalk looks to be split and new sword leave (on left above the old flower); the leaf veins are different from banana. My guess, this plant is a Bird of Paradise. A close up view of the stalk would help to identify it.

Island Brah
10-05-2016, 07:31 AM
... Actually looking closer, I don't think that is a banana plant. There is too many leaves growing out at the stalk top (on right); the stalk looks to be split and new sword leave (on left above the old flower); the leaf veins are different from banana. My guess, this plant is a Bird of Paradise. A close up view of the stalk would help to identify it.

Weird looking plant indeed with the split stalk. I wouldn't discredit it being a banana plant because there are too many leaves growing out of the top of the Pstem. I have a Basjoo that lives in filtered light/shade from oak tree and it produces a new leaf per week but doesn't have crazy height growth so all the leaves really have nowhere else to hang out on the Pstem other than the very top. I'd say this is somewhat similar to the amount of light yours gets from the pic. My Basjoo gets taller but much slower in my opinion compared to my Tall Orinoco in a 5 gallon pot with about the same amount of sun. Also, if you look at my pic, the veins look kinda similar but its a little hard to tell since yours is needing more light and/or food so the leaves aren't as puffy.

(neighbor's cat keeps guard of all my banana plants from the chipmunks lol)
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o169/mets2007/cat%20basjoo.jpg (http://s120.photobucket.com/user/mets2007/media/cat%20basjoo.jpg.html)