illipse

Hi everyone,

I am a brand new banana enthusiast. I bought some seeds from rarexoticseeds.com and have been germinating them in a Jiffy plastic greenhouse in peat pots with seed starter mix on a heating pad. So far I've had 7 (of 50) germinate - I have 3 m. ornatas, 2 m. sikkamensis, 1 m. siamensis and 1 m. zebrina.

The first two that germinated were a sikkamensis and the siamensis. I left them in the greenhouse until they were touching the plastic roof (in fact the leaves were growing against it for awhile). I potted them in 2 inch plastic pots in seed starting mix a week ago and put them on my kitchen table in bright, indirect sunlight. I have been top watering them. They are both about 4 inches tall and each have one leaf. The tips of the leaves seem like they are dying. They are soft and darker green than the rest of the leaf. On the siamensis especially it is worrisome, as the softness/dead part of the leaf is advancing from the edges in.

What did I do wrong? Why are they dying? I worry that I potted them too soon, but they had already outgrown the greenhouse. Did I pot them in the wrong medium? I used the seed starting mix for good drainage. Are they a lost cause or can they grow new leaves? The other 5 are still little sprouts in the greenhouse. Help them avoid a similar fate!

Thanks,
Michael

southlatropical

If drainage is poor, a seedling can quickly rot if overwatered. Or maybe they are not getting bright enough light.

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bigdog

Seed-starting mix is well-draining, but it also holds lots of water. Young plants need a coarser mix, something with a good amount of perlite or coarse sand in it. It wouldn't be that much of an issue if they were in a warm greenhouse or outside in warm temperatures. The combination of room temperature, indoor lighting or no direct light, and a moist medium could be doing them in. The damage you are describing sounds like the leaves are being exposed to a draft though, maybe from a vent or fan. Sort of like a wind-burn. Find a different spot for them where they will be warmer and get lots of light, and no air blowing directly on them. Good luck with them!