Newbie Help-I know nothing
 

Hi

As the title implies I need help and know almost nothing.

First, I am horrible at gardening, I have a black thumb and kill plants by the hundreds. I have very limited gardening knowledge, so if you give advice please be as explicit as possible and break it down into the simplest possible terms.

I bought dwarf banana tree several years ago, I think from Amazon. It was around 7 inches tall when I bought it and over the years has taken off.

A few years ago it sprouted a second tree which is now as tall as the first. I'll try to attach pics but they are both around 29 inches high. They live in a 16 inch high pot. I live in the NYC area and the plants are indoors by a sliding glass door in the winter and outdoors when the weather is better. I'm preparing to take them indoors now.

In the past it grew well outside and the one time we left it indoors during the summer when we were away it took off. I'm guessing because we didn't have the AC on and the house was hot and humid.

I have a second 16 inch pot that I can use as well as 2 larger tubs that I bought and might use for the trees.

I've used potting soil, fertilizers and compost for them. It was very impressive seeing how they literally "eat" the soil. That over a few months the soil level drops a few inches.

We would love to get bananas off of the trees, my kids would be absolutley thrilled if we did. They think I'm nuts (they might be right) for having a banana tree in NY.

Another website I read said that I should split the two trees and have them in 2 separate pots.

My questions are,

1. What should I do to help them thrive? Should they be split? Re-potted?

1(a) If they should be split, how? Please be very detailed, my gardening knowledge is very limited.

2. What should I do to help them have fruit? Is it even possible?

3. Should I add anything? A grow light?

I'm uploading pics under NYVet in the gallery.

Banana Gallery - NYVet

Please remember that I have almost zero gardening knowledge so break down any advice into the simplest possible format. Assume you're giving instructions to a child.

Thank you in advance for your assistance. I greatly appreciate any and all help.

Doc
"NYVet"

Re: Newbie Help-I know nothing
 

Anyone? Come on, one of you banana's must have some knowledge

Re: Newbie Help-I know nothing
 

Urea and MOP are good fertilizers. Yes, biggest container possible. I would not split them. It would shock them too much. Looks like what your doing is working :nanadrink:

Re: Newbie Help-I know nothing
 

I agree with Backyard, I wouldn't change anything now, do what you've been doing over the past winters. Your nana is surviving and to make any changes now would surely shock it, now is the time for them to rest. The one thing I will add is to be extremely careful of your watering over the winter, make all the changes in spring and for us ( New Yorkers ) I don't make any changes until late May.

Re: Newbie Help-I know nothing
 

I agree with the above. Because the 1st stem is now 2 or 3 years old and is nearing it's end of life. Then the younger stem will take over. If it will bloom it should do so with in the next year. ... You didn't say what type of banana the plant was, so I assume it is a Dwf Cavendish (DC ) or may be a super dwf Cavendish (SDC). .... If or when you get any new pups, take them off when about 12 to 18" tall. You do that by cutting the corm between the two plants. Be sure to gouge the main corm a bit and get some roots. .... In the field we do that with a shovel while angling it back toward the main corm while pushing down.


I think the DC takes 270 to 280 'warm growing days' ( 70 deg F to 90 deg F) from planting as a small plant to mature and flower. Any days in which the temp drops below 50 Deg. F is time out (winter) The banana plant normal goes dormant below 50 deg F. Thus dormancy adds 1 to 2 years to the flowering cycle in the US. After which the stem is spent & dies.




.... Hahaha ... After reading your opening statement my first thought was to advice you to buy one of the really nice & realistic looking artificial banana plants with a fruit bunch (Musa Faux Amazonian) from Amazon. but if you have been growing that plant for 2 or 3 years in NYC then you are doing something right. Keep doing it. Just watch the water; make sure the pot drains and the soil drys a bit between watering. .... Good luck on getting fruit.

Re: Newbie Help-I know nothing
 

I agree with the previous posts....:lurk:

Do an internet search on how to grow tropical plants indoors.

Best advice in video form can be had there...

Thanx for asking the question..