pharazon

I recently purchased a pair of Ensete Ventricosum "maurelli" cultivars, after doing some research and deciding that these plants would do well in my garden. They were placed in an area that receives full sun for five to six hours a day, with a bit of wind. I anticipated that the wind might be a little bit of trouble, but I do believe the sun is doing its fair share of damage. After two days in the decided location, the bananas were pretty much beat. When I brought them home, they had beautiful, floppy leaves and looked to be in perfect condition. Today, they have yellowing all over their leaves, and most of them are folded inwards. They look, to put it plainly, beat up! I've moved them from their former location to the porch, in hopes that the relief from the wind and sun would help them recover, but they continue to look stressed.

I'm sure they don't recover instantly, but is there anything I can do to help them out? I water twice a day. I am in zone 9, Temecula, CA, at the top of a hill, and the mid-day sun is absolutely brutal. Even the plumeria get stressed out from time to time after a full week in the same sunny conditions. I don't mind not being able to have the bananas where I originally intended, I just want help them get back to their former glory. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appareciated, thank you!

Bananaman88

What kind of conditions were they in where you bought them? Sun, shade, etc? I would guess that they probably came to where you purchased them either straight out of a greenhouse (no wind and probably at least some shade cloth) or were grown in a lath type house with some shade so they probably weren't acclimated to full sun. I'd suggest trying to slowly adjust them back out to the sun.

pharazon

They were in shade. I'm sure it's that they just weren't ready for it, but is there anything I can do to help them recover? Or are the leaves permanently damaged? Will this affect the overall growth of the banana?

Thanks for your help =)

damaclese

im in total agrement with Bananaman i live in zone 9 in las Vegas and i cant put my Bananas in the sun at this time of year but for mabe 3hr a day and i have to mist them at leas ones a day around 2ish they like that alot purks them right up like in 5 mints flat i burnt one up prity bad about 2 weeks ago and its just now puting out a new leaf they are probly in shock id baby them dont over or under water them and keep them out of the sun for a wial Temecula is forgiv my frnench dam-hot
mabe you sould in the long run consider a difrint place for them the are tuely bettiful plants mabe a pot that can be move here and there to keep them cool or erect some shade cloth over them

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natedogg1026

Put them in a less harsh enviornment for a while till they recover. They should grow great in full sun and have great color. Sounds like you need to acclimate them for a while and ease them to their new home. Adding a stake will also help with wind adjustment and can be removed later. I'd put 2 bricks at the base of the plant for a week or two to keep the roots stable until they "bite" into the soil.

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AltadenaGarden

Banana can recover from strong sun. I planted a banana under extreme sun conditions. It was intended only as a temporary space filler. It was planted on a full south facing wall in the summer. About ten hours of sun and very hot. The leaves bleached out but didn't die and now this year have managed to regain their color.

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Lagniappe

I say if the damage is already done ,go ahead and put them in the end location . This way the new growth will be acclimated to that spot from the start. It seems like a crazy thing to do but it works for me . Once you've planted them leave em be . They'll do fine.
I have Maurelii planted in full sun (brutal all day ) in the center of my yard and they're doing great. They weren't happy at first but got there quickly.

pharazon

Thanks to all of you, for the great replies.

They are still in the pots I purchased them in - they were just placed out in the garden to get a feel for how things will look. It's been 100F all week here, and the leaves are just looking weak. I'll get a picture later.

My first thought was just to say whatever, and throw 'em out there anyways, and hope they can come to terms with the conditions. But I really do baby my plants, and I haven't been able to make that decision on my own.

I live at the top of the hill, and we have terrible wind that ravages the garden , which is built up to a fence at the edge of the hill. Maybe not the best place for it, but really the only option. I think it's the combined stress factors that is really taking its toll. Not only do they have to deal with extreme heat, but also heavy winds. I think I am just going to plant them - put in supports, keep 'em moist and hope for the best.

Thanks again, for all the help!

Jozon

When planting new plants to a full sun situation I use a beach umbrella to shade the mid-day sun allowing plants only morning and evening sun until they can take it, usually a couple days.

pharazon

That's exactly what I have covering the bananas.

Unfortunately, today they are looking even worse. It's over 100 degrees right now. My cannas are also taking a beating. I think I'll just cut my losses and plant the bananas late afternoon, when there is a break in the heat. If they die, I've learned a valuable lesson.

On that note, can anyone recommend a heat tolerant banana for zone 9?

Chironex

This is such a great statement. It is adaptation by the plant's internal genetic switches that makes them grow back more resistant to abiotic stress. This is exactly what we are going to try to do in Las Vegas. Eventually, mother nature will provide answers and while they may not be realized during my lifetime, there is always a possibility that the environment itself will produce a sport. After all, genetic mutations happen and what greater source of radiation than the sun. If we gradually increase the daily dosage of sun exposure, the plants will create their own defense mechanism.

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pharazon

I'm wondering if I should remove the worst damaged leaves before planting the bananas? They are almost completely yellow, and entirely drooped over. They don't seem likely to recover.

damaclese

put them in the shade until the hot weather passes then plant them I'm sure they will do grate I'm telling you are weather is ruffly the same and they wont adapt to full sun and 110 deg weather its outside of there rang of tolerance at least if you do plant them put some shade over them

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wolfebc

Hi All, I live in Canada, so I really have to experiment with my
bananas by slowly aclimate them to full sun in the spring by taking
them outside every day for several hours and moving them inside
at night. Once they are acclimated to the sun and it is warm enought
I plant them in the yard. I've learned that Ensete Maurelli does much
better if given some shade. And most importantly lots of High Nirtogen
Fertilizer. I use 30-10-10. Fertilizing at least once a week. These are
fast growing Bananas with huge leaves that requires a lot of Nitrogen.
I also use 24-8-16 wich works well but I found 30-10-10 is best for these banana plants. Perhaps part of the problem is lack of Nirtogen?? I also
have found Maurelli to bounce back well from almost anything, and
aclimate to almost any conditions. I have had some of the sorriest looking
plants on the planet but they looked fantastic by mid summer to late fall.
I would just go ahead and plant them in the yard, water and fertilize the
**** out of them. Good Luck. (I wish I could live where it was warm
all year round.)

Chironex

Check out the posts for Heat Tolerant Bananas. We are trying to find the most heat tolerant banana cultivars for the desert environment.

So far we seem to think Mysore may be the most tolerant along with Monthan, Ice Cream and Raja Puri. Here is the link to the thread: high temperature banana growing habits

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pharazon

Thanks a lot for the help! Of the four, I think I am going to give Ice Cream a shot.

Now, of the four, do you suppose any is more wind tolerant than the others? xD

Bananaman88

I have heard that Raja Puri is pretty wind tolerant. It seems to have nice thick leaves, plus it doesn't get too tall, which always helps.

Chironex

Mysore is the most wind tolerant according to MGIS.

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pharazon

Just thought I'd post some pictures of how my Ensete looked after two days of sun and wind torture. This was about a week ago.





The lowest leaves have since deteriorated, and the top leaves have suffered some sunburn, but overall, they seem to be making a recovery, and both are putting out new leaves.

pharazon

The lowest leaves are now all pretty much brown and yellow, but the stem is still very, well, squishy! Should I cut these leaves off, and if so, where at?