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View Full Version : need help on ensete maurelii


v1rtu0s1ty
02-03-2009, 10:49 PM
I bought 2 of these about 2 or 3 months ago. They're in a pot. One is in the living room and the other is in the kitchen. There's more sunlight in the kitchen after 1pm. The banana in the living room only gets 10 to 15 mins of sunlight.

However, I'm having so much difficulties trying to figure out why the banana in the kitchen is not doing well. She is thin and with 2 leaves that doesn't look good. A new leaf is also coming out but it's very very slow.

I mist the leaves once a week.

What should I do so that it recovers?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks.

Neil

xavierdlc61887
02-04-2009, 12:51 AM
i would say put them in the ground but seeing your zone....hmmm :P i live in zone 10 so dont have that problem as i grow all my plants in ground year-round :D um i would say maybe the container size....might want a bigger size?!?! just my 2 pennies

v1rtu0s1ty
02-04-2009, 01:04 AM
I'll change the container tomorrow. Is it ok to use potting mix for this plant?

Here are the pics.

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn134/s1mpl3k1d/ensetemaurelii20090203pic1.jpg

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn134/s1mpl3k1d/ensetemaurelii20090203pic2.jpg

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn134/s1mpl3k1d/ensetemaurelii20090203pic3.jpg

Thanks.

xyzzy
02-04-2009, 04:26 AM
Looks like the leaves are drying out to me. Too low humidity. Would like a bigger pot too - they have BIG! roots.

xavierdlc61887
02-04-2009, 07:49 AM
there ya go....its like if u are a size 10 shoe and your using a size 8....its gonna cramp up your feet and mess u uppppppppppppppp :P ahhha i dont know i just felt like being silly....but yeah just change containers and see what happens :D

v1rtu0s1ty
02-04-2009, 10:23 AM
I recall when I lifted them up about a month ago, there were few roots. I will try it again today. If you notice, I put a string so it doesn't fall.

How many times should I water them? I read somewhere on gardenweb not to water them a lot during winter or else the roots will rot.

sandy0225
02-04-2009, 12:12 PM
I wouldn't change the pot right now. If it doesn't have too many roots, it has plenty of room anyway.
It looks to me like the humidity is too low. Have you checked for spider mites? Spider mites love ensetes! If the plant doesn't have spider mites, then overall it looks pretty good for Feb in Chicago. The stem and main sections of the leaves look healthy, so the edge damage is just cosmetic basically. What is the plastic wrap for?

xyzzy
02-04-2009, 03:17 PM
I think too low humidity and too high expectations during winter. Get through winter and plant it out and it will thrive.

v1rtu0s1ty
02-04-2009, 04:59 PM
I put the plastic about 3 weeks ago. I read somewhere that if we don't want our soil medium to dry out too quickly, a plastic wrap should slow down the drying. Before I put the plastic, she already looked like that.

I'm very worried that if it loses all the leaves, it might die.

Also, why is it so wably?

How do I increase humidity? Or is it always going to be like this during winter? My setting is at 67F.

sandy0225
02-04-2009, 05:17 PM
Overall, it looks very healthy. just a little edge drying to the leaves. If that's the worst that happens to it, you'll be able to carry it through winter just fine. If it's still wobbly in the pot, it just hasn't rooted in fully most likely. 2-3 months during the winter isn't very long to root in when it's really wanting to go dormant instead of active growth. I think your expectations may just be too high on the one plant.
Why does one look better than the other? Who knows...why don't twins always look the same? just as people don't always turn out the same when they get the same care, so are plants.

v1rtu0s1ty
02-04-2009, 07:10 PM
If assuming it goes dormant, would that mean that when I plant them out around May, it should bounce back after few weeks?

Taylor
02-04-2009, 09:47 PM
Water! Water! Your plants looks wilty!!!!
:eek:

Lagniappe
02-04-2009, 09:53 PM
And a lil' more light. I think you should take the plastic off. They're in glazed pots already and there may not be a lot goin' on in the way of oxygen. Just my opinion .

Taylor
02-04-2009, 09:55 PM
Agreed. I didn't even see that. Good eye, Pete. All that will do is prevent exchange of necessary gasses, or cause mold when they are watered. No need...

v1rtu0s1ty
02-04-2009, 10:42 PM
Ok, will do. But I read somewhere that giving them a lot of drink will cause the roots or corms to rot. Is it true? If false, is twice a week of deep watering good?

Taylor
02-04-2009, 10:47 PM
Once a week deep watering in winter should be fine...if that. Just make sure it's not bone dry for more than a week in the winter.

By deep watering, I do not mean water coming out of the drain holes....just what you would think a plant hat size could handle. Maybe 2 cups of water per week, or less.

r3tic
02-04-2009, 10:52 PM
Are you letting the leaves touch the window? The cold could be causing the leaves to die where they touch if you are. Just a thought.

v1rtu0s1ty
02-05-2009, 12:30 AM
Ok, here is an update. I lifted the pot. At the bottom, I saw roots coming out of the pot about 4 inches long. I'm sure they were really roots! However, there was something attached to it that was disgusting. There were dark gray to almost black tiny circles attached to the roots. TONS! Maybe, the diameter of the circle is like 2mm. I grabbed a stick to break them but it was hard. Or maybe, the stick was bending. What could be it?

xyzzy
02-05-2009, 04:37 AM
circles or spheres? Could they be black slug eggs?

v1rtu0s1ty
02-05-2009, 05:34 PM
circles or spheres? Could they be black slug eggs?

Yeah, I was thinking that they could be eggs. So looks like I may need to transfer it to a new soil medium.

Patty in Wisc
02-05-2009, 08:20 PM
I would shake all the soil off & pot up into bigger pot with some good potting mix. I think it's too late to let it go dormant so just let it grow. I used miracle grow mix and added lots of perlite for drainage. Mine got potted up in container more than twice the size of its roots late Oct-Nov & it is already rootbound! If they get some sun & 68-70* heat, it will grow.
To keep bugs out of my pots, I put fine screen at the drain holes. Also, do my 'stick trick'. Put a unpainted dowel all the way down into soil & after few minutes, pull it out to see how wet it is. If wet, don't water. If on damp or dry side esp toward bottom, then water. I leave it in pot & check weekly.
Forgot to say that I fertilize every 7-14 days!

Taylor
02-05-2009, 08:47 PM
I have to say that I think fertilizing ever 7-14 days is too much. In winter, I don't at all for mine in pots, even in the greenhouse. The ones in the ground in summer are only fertilized about once a month/5 weeks.

xyzzy
02-06-2009, 04:22 AM
I doubt slugs will touch your banana. Banana plants do get tatty in winter and grow more straggly with lower light levels of winter. I dont think there is anything wrong with your plant other than too low humidity and maybe not enough water.

v1rtu0s1ty
02-16-2009, 09:42 AM
After drowing it last Feb 4(hahaha), I can't believe how fast it produced new leaf. That means, I wasn't giving enough water before. :)

Thanks folks!

just j
02-16-2009, 11:33 AM
it looks good for this time of year in a house try this replant it in a bigger pot and take a wire tomatoe plant thing i dont know what they r called lol those things you put around tomatoe plants so they dont fall over and put it arould your ensete and put a clear garbage bag over it and mist the inside of the bag and place in front of a south window it will act like a mini green house and keep it real moist i have had good luck with this and the leaves r perfect on some of mine the others that r just sitting in the house i mist ever day but they still look just like yours it will grow out soon when u place it outside this summer

lcweber69
08-05-2011, 09:09 AM
First off, the first photo doesn't look like an ensete maurelii, but a musa bajoo. Anyway, I live in z5, and have had musa's and ensete's in huge pots out on my deck for several years running. One of them is now 14 ft tall, even though I cut her down to one leaf each fall, and keep her in my house by a window. They get full sun out side, and are in huge planters with good soil. Bananas need a lot of water. You can't over water them. Yours looked really dry and in small pots. Why not put them outside in larger pots-more moisture?:drum: