ja4s

Hello!

Family planted some Musa Basjoo and Grand Nain earlier in the year on mediocre soil, not very well draining soil. We live in South Texas and have been averaging 100-110 degrees Fahrenheit a day (Very dry and very hot) The plants have been growing well, especially since I have been watering them everyday, but I recently heard that they should not be watered everyday and it could result in root rot.

A google seems to tell me some people water twice or three times a week and another link tells me to commercial plants water multiple times a day, so I thought I'd ask the experts rather than rely on random websites.

Given the temperatures and conditions, should I continue to water everyday or every other day?

sunfish

When it's that hot I don't think you can over water them.In cool weather it could be a problem

bananimal

During hot weather, like now, I water 2x a day. Emitter irrigation for 25 mins. In a few months when it gets hotter 3x a day for 20 mins. Each emitter is rated for 5 gal per hr and each mat has 4 emitters. When it rains I shut off the system which also waters the grass.

In winter it's 20 mins once a day.

I just posted this at 12:27 AM ---- why does it say 12:32 AM?

If my water controller computer ran like that I'd have dead naners!

caliboy1994

It also depends on the size of the plants. Bigger plants get more water.

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ja4s

Ill keep watering them regularly then!

Good Point, Thanks for the help!

I should get me one of those!

sunfish

The bananas don't need to be constantly wet. If you water one day and the next day the soil is still wet/damp you can skip a day.

TommyMacLuckie

The problem with watering them everyday because of the heat is they won't grow deeper (and stronger) roots. They need some stress to make them root even better. Even with heat like that, you shouldn't need to water more than 3 times a week. Longer watering times on the 3 days (in the morning before or at sunrise) is what is best (in general) for yards in the summer. If the plant is struggling then it hasn't grown right. If it/they is/are established than even with the heat it's over watering.

I purposely don't water my bananas to make them grow when it's extremely hot out. If you went 3 or 5 days without watering them, when you do water them they'll have a burst of growth.

ryanalan

You have some good info already.

Also, one good thing about this type of plant is that you really can't over water it during the growing season.

Keep it moist and use common sense...

I would never let the ground get very dry in this Texas heat.

hybridpower

I feel your pain, it's been in the 110 degree range here in AZ the last two weeks as well. The heat appears to not have a major effect on the bananas, as they are still growing well, but the lack of humidity (111 degrees, and 0% humidity last friday) does impact them.

A few ideas; have you mulched up the bed area well? I've put about 4" of mulch on top of mine, and have seen a dramatic decrease in the water needed, as well as a decline of leaf fold / margin burn on the hottest days. Secondly, think about using a piece of pipe (1/2" pvc will do) to bring the water from your drip system down below the surface a few inches (mine are about a foot now). You can increase the depth as the plant grows, and encourage deep root growth, as well get the water off the surface (where the evaporation is so high).

Good luck!

danielle

Bananas like a minimum of 5 mls of water a day (35mls/week). Less more often is best. Daily watering if possible would be ideal for your bananas.

Kostas

I am with Tommy on watering and believe deep watering them less often is best as it makes them establish a better root system and minimizes the risk of rot. They also dont seem to be affected by drought as much once established,even if the irrigation fails for some reason. In my Pyrgos garden,i water them every 5 days now and we are in the 30's C. Of course humidity is high and ground water level is high as well,which helps a great deal as the bananas can get self sufficient once established in my case as i guess in Tommy's case as well.
Of course,i dont have experience with a desert environment but my palm loving friends from AZ have had the best success using deep watering on their palms once a week and their palms grew perfectly. So,i would guess twice a week at most would satisfy the bananas if deep watering(slow watering via drip emitters for a long period of time). The adjustment needs to be gradual though if you want them remain in excellent condition as the current root system is most probably shallow and wont be able to use the water available deeper until it expands following some drought stress.