Claria

I just bought a banana tree today, apparently a musa. I honestly don't know much about plants at all, I just know a friend who has one and its like 7 feet tall and Ive always admired it. Anyways, Im keeping it indoors right now, I live in Alberta, Canada and its crazy cold right now. It came in a small pot which is doesn't seem removable from its drain tray. There is a slit in the middle but that is all. Will this be a problem? I just would love to know any information you guys can throw my way. I really don't want this tree to die. Thank you!!!

palmtree

As you can see by the number of posts I have, I havent been to active on this fourm but Ive been growing bananas for a while now. A few things Ive learned are that most love sun, so when the last frost of the year has passed and spring comes it will be very happy outside but keep it in the shade for the first few weeks (ive burnt alot of bananas bu keeping them in full sun too soon after going outside). They also like water when outside, but when inside like to be treated like other house plants with waterings only when dry. Try to keep it away from a heater or drafts and get some nice potting soil and a mice sized pot. They usually wont grow too fast when indoors, but sky rocket once they go outside. They do best when they are planted in the ground but its probably easier for you to keep it in a nice sized pot.

Most banana plants are very very sensitive to freezing weather but they can come back up if the duration was short or if the banana was cold tolerant (like a musa basjoo, but thats a different story).

Good luck!

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Location: New York City, zone 7b

Claria

Thank you! If I repot it now, will that be okay? Also is regular potting soil okay or is there some special mix I need?

palmtree

I think you can repot it now without a problem, and I dont use anything special for my bananas. Just make sure the potting soil is capable of draining water well!

Good luck.

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Location: New York City, zone 7b

LilRaverBoi

First off, welcome to the site! Don't forget to start an intro thread! (or maybe this will get moved in there by the Mods) As far as your plant goes....give it as much direct light as it can get inside. Since the plant is so large, I suggest repotting it in a 10 gallon pot minimum...25 gallon would be even better. As far as watering goes, let the soil dry out before watering again. Make sure you repot with a well-draining soil. Bananas drink a lot, but they don't like being kept moist all the time, either. Hope that helps!

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BANANA RAVE!
Feel the beat from start to stop, dancin' and movin' from bottom to top!
lilraverboi@genxglow.com
RIP Tog Tan. We love you and will always remember you!
I'm Bryan with a Y! There is no 'I' in BRYAN!

sunfish

A good ptting soil for bananas is Sunshine potting soil and should be easy to find in Canada. LilRaverBoi I don't think Claria said how big her plant is.

Claria

Well, here are some pics. As you can see, it's quite small but the pot does seem small for it. Is 10 gallon okay then?




Here's a pic of the bottom, Im not sure how well it's going to drain.


I currently have Scotts potting soil, is that acceptable? Since its tropical, do I need to mist daily?

LilRaverBoi

Oops...misread. I thought you said YOUR plant was 7' tall. My bad. I guess pot-size depends on how big the plant is. I planted my 12" pups in 7 gallon pots and 8 months later, it's time to repot them....they're getting root-bound. So I guess make a judgment call on the size of the plant....but realize they get large and grow fast, so you can put em in fairly large pots.

__________________
BANANA RAVE!
Feel the beat from start to stop, dancin' and movin' from bottom to top!
lilraverboi@genxglow.com
RIP Tog Tan. We love you and will always remember you!
I'm Bryan with a Y! There is no 'I' in BRYAN!

sunfish

Do not use Scott's potting soil


Here is what a member said about Scott's

Abnshrek

something that's 7 ft. is probably better off in a 15-25 gallon pot unless you want to hold it back till spring. Most ceiling heights are 8ft...

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I'm a Nannerhead :^)

Claria

Is anyone able to tell me what kind of musa it is? Ive noticed that the bottom leaf has started to peel off the trunk, what does this mean? Also, should I be misting it daily? I can see a new leaf begining to unfurl, however the edges of the leaves are turning a bit brown and they look limp. What's wrong with it? So, for the size that I have, I can plant it in a bigger pot? 7 gallon? Thanks once again!!

Abnshrek

As long as your upper leaves are green the lower leaves are going to die off as the plant gets taller..and you get new leaves..

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I'm a Nannerhead :^)

cherokee_greg

welcome

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Greg zone 9 Fresno,CA
http://gardenjot.com/garden/view/1980/Gregs-Banana-Farm

Eric

Welcome aboard, Claria ! For a 1.5 to 2 foot plant, I use a 9 inch wide/tall pot. That may actually be a little small but it worked last winter. For anything larger, I'd use a pot almost twice as big.
Most banana plants grow very slowly in the winter. To avoid corm-rot (soft spots on the stem which can kill banana plants), I water very little in winter & always let my plants sit dry for about a day. I also keep them by a Very sunny window & give them very little food (because of the slow growth).
Tony (Sunfish) is definitely right about Scott's. I've heard a Lot of bad reports on that fertilizer. As a rule of thumb, bananas like 2-1-3 type mixes (nitrogen-phosphorous-potash). This means 1 1/2 times more potash (potassium) than nitrogen.
For soil mix, I use 40% potting soil, 40% compost, & 20% sand (or vermiculate). Bananas are heavy feeders But need lots of good drainage (sand or vermiculate etc). Also, I gave up on pots with attached trays. Be careful about the roots But re-potting wouldn't hurt a thing right now.
Also, Bananas grown indoors usually like to stay at about 72 degrees F (22 C) or higher. If they get too cool, they can go dormant (quit growing). If that happens, stop all watering & feeding till spring.

This is ONLY how I take care of mine. I've only been growing & over-wintering them for 3 years now & there are Lots of other members who know a Lot more than I do.

For Identification, you can post a photo in the "Banana Identification" section. The experts here will look it over & let ya know what you have. Each species has different needs for care.
If ya need help with photo stuff, me & my dad created a guide. It's a little complicated but if ya do it once, it gets easy from there on. Just click on the link below:
Creating Albums & Posting Photos
(On the "Michael James" thing, that was my Old Username)

Anyway, it's a very friendly & info-packed site. If ya have any questions about using the forum, just ask!

stumpy4700

Hello, Welcome to the site.

IndianaSue

Welcome to the site!! You will find great amounts of useful information here!