New To Bananas
 

Hello! Firstly, thank you for being so knowledgeable, and open to newcomers! This is my very first banana plant, and I am already in love with it!

I do however have a few questions and concerns - just to make sure I'm on the right path to taking care of my wonderful banana plant. (For context, I live in northern Ohio (zone 6, I think), and have a west-facing covered deck.)

On July 2, I bought a lovely ~18" plant just labeled "Banana", so I have no idea what the variation is. I let her acclimate on the deck, where she got sun in the late afternoon for about a week, then moved her into full sun. She has since sprouted one full leaf, and the second newest is about half-unfurled. She came with some pups attached, that at first were not large enough to be concerned with, but after a week, had all opened new leaves, and made the whole plant look very bushy and crowded.

July 14, I went to the local nursery and picked up a bag of lava rock, cactus soil and new pots for the three largest pups (about 10-14"). I drilled holes in the bottoms for better drainage, put lava rock on the bottoms of the pots, some mixed into the soil, and separated the pups into their own pots. They've been on the deck and just receiving late afternoon sun. It's been almost a week, and I think they are doing okay so far. I water everyone in the morning, but the soil seems to stay pretty damp.

I'm always open to constructive criticism and advice. I'd love to identify the variation of my plants, and I will post pictures as soon as I figure out how!

Thanks in advance,
Quenn

Re: New To Bananas
 

Wow ... All good.
Welcome to the Jungle....

Re: New To Bananas
 

welcome to the site and good luck with your nanna plant I to am in northern ohio very close to medina where did you get the plant if it came from boyerts on rt 3 its a cavendish

Re: New To Bananas
 

Welcome to the forum.


From your description, You wont have the plants much longer, 3 or 4 more months, if the soil is staying wet/damp. Commercial potting mixes hold too much water causing the pot bottom to become soggy & stagnate. Bananas need FRESH water & AIR for the roots. Wet soil keeps the roots from breathing and promotes root rot. Water the pot about every 10 to 12 days and mist the plant 2 Xs a day.



I understand that cactus mix is supposed to be a fast draining mix, but still not fast enough & it has too much peat. .... The soil needs to be 50%/50% mix of potting soil & perlite (or course sand). Get rid of the rocks in the bottom. This only fools the pot that it is shorter & less soil by making the pot 'water table' higher. Use a bit of landscape fabric if you are worried about soil coming out of the drain holes.


OH, when potting the plants, only bury the plant til the soil is just above the roots. About where the pstem turns from green to white at the top of the corm.

Re: New To Bananas
 

Welcome! I am new here too. People here have been incredibly welcoming and helpful. Great resource!

Re: New To Bananas
 

Hello! Thank you for all the responses!

To duaneh: I got the plant at Pettiti's in Strongsville.
To edwmax: Wow, thank you for the advice! I've been so nervous that I did everything wrong since I read your post, so I've been keeping an eye on my bananas. I let them dry out, by resisting the urge to water them for a few days, but unfortunately, we got a pretty heavy rain on Monday. I have taken some pictures of the plants, and I will do my best up upload them in a few!

Re: New To Bananas
 

Edwmax: I did as you said, and replanted them in the 50/50 organic potting soil and perlite. They definitely have some new, white root establishment, but they are a bit unstable if it gets too windy. I'll make sure they don't get full sun for about a week again after their transplant.