Containers and fruit
 

I've been growing Misi Luki bananas in the ground in Southern California successfully for several years, but now want to grow them in containers, if possible. My question is if I will get fruit with container grown bananas, and if so, what size container I need per plant?

If anyone has had success with growing bananas in pots to full maturity, I'd love to hear as much as you can tell me regarding size of container, how many plants per container, type of soil, drainage issues, etc.

Obviously, my concern is that my plants will grow fine, but that they may not flower or provide fruit. All help is really appreciated!!

Re: Containers and fruit
 

I currently have 5 banana plants in containers! I haven’t got any fruit yet tho....I think my pot sizes range from 25-35 gal

Re: Containers and fruit
 

I have had White Iholena and Raja Puri fruit in 45 gallon pots . I used potting soil mixed with perlite. I would advise staking any fruiting pseudostems . Given our California Santa Ana winds.

Re: Containers and fruit
 

:woohoonaner:

Re: Containers and fruit
 

I have an ensete seeded this spring currently in flower in a 25 gal pot.

Re: Containers and fruit
 

45+ gal and up.

1 plant per container.

Dwarf varieties do well in the same large containers.
There are a number of forum/nursery members in your area which can better give best advice.

Youtube has some good videos that will enhance your decision too..


Up potting Progression of using larger pots
by
Hostafarian,
on Flickr

Re: Containers and fruit
 

Great pics of upsizing pots - how often do you generally find you change pot sizes? Or how do you decide when to upsize? Looks like quite a big one in the picture in what I would consider a small pot (very small :-). I would love to leave ours in smaller pots - much easier to manage, but I give them a lot more soil.

Re: Containers and fruit
 

Most of my plants in containers and in the ground are on variable drip irrigation.
I can grow a bigger plant in a smaller pot with less issues.
The container weight has to be kept under control too...all I got is a two wheeler to move them.

Notice next time at a finer nursery the size and quality Monrovia plants, they are grown on irrigation mats or drip and in a smallish 3-5 gal container.
Their Ensete are huge in these pots. These plants are given everything they need except pot size.

For me it is personal preference when to repot or just do a soil refresh.
You kinda just know when to do it.....sometimes I am way too lazy and one gets away from me.:)

.

Repot by
Hostafarian,
on Flickr

Re: Containers and fruit
 

Thanks for this info and the excellent photo!

Are you getting fruit from your potted bananas?

Re: Containers and fruit
 

Wow! Thank you! As we have never grown on in pots (basically propagating for planting out), this is a new experience. The few we have tried have been difficult. You mention Ensete from Monrovia. Our Ensete in the ground have been fabulous, but in the pots, 3rd rate - and we thought we had good soils - need to do some testing, maybe not enough nutrients . . . And yes, smaller is better!
If you use drip, how do you control different demands? We have different drips (1/2 gal hr, 1 gal, etc.) but as plants grow they need more, so do you add drippers, let them run longer, or what? Especially as some plants will grow faster than others, so would need to have different "lines" where usage is the same (otherwise one over or under waters), which would mean moving pots all around :-(.

Re: Containers and fruit
 

No.... my growing period is only 150-170 days a year.
I will get an occasional flower from an Orinoco though.

Local garden society members which have commercial hothouses get flowers and late season fruit.
But the fruit is for show.....not good for anything.

If your not in a tropical zone....your fruit will not be as good as you would have hoped.

Re: Containers and fruit
 

Is that small pot and big banana going to be transplanted into the BIG pot??
And thank you for the detailed description - I have never used variable emitters - need to check them out. We do all our own irrigation, electrical, ditching with two farm workers and my wife hauls rocks and a shovel with all of us - trying to get some volunteers to come in as we hope to donate these when completed (but keep our house).
Meantime the bananas are a new challenge and the Ensete is totally wild - at least compared to the one banana flower we have had (or seen in our travels).

Re: Containers and fruit
 

Back to the original posters question is a larger container will get a better chance of a flower or possible fruit in their zone.
My experience is A larger container will possibly make a plant flower or fruit within a few years.
Usually it is a 3 to 4 year cycle in a non-tropical zone.
This is Not a guarantee. Local growers should chime in and help you out.

Re: Containers and fruit
 

I grow about half of mine in pots, they don't produce fruit quite as soon, but so far I got quite a few dwarf Cavendish, super dwarf Cavendish, Iholena, gold finger to fruit in pots, they take around 1 1/2 year, some would have been a little less than that. My pot size ranges around 20 -30 gal. I dont always use a real pot.
I normally water them every day in the summer but not quite as often in the winter, never had the problem of roots rotting from water.

Re: Containers and fruit
 

That's pretty fast. It takes me about 12-14 calendar months to get a flower and another 4 months for development of the fruit in my plants that are in the backyard year-round in my zone.

Re: Containers and fruit
 

I was expecting 3 years because thats what the catalog said, so I was pleased when it started fruiting. And yes I still have filling time, around 4 -6 months especially if it went through winter