Too much or too little water?
 

I live in Dallas where we are just having our 23rd day of 100+ degrees...
One of my biggest Icecreams (that spent the winter in the garage) I don't think looks that good, pict 1, neither does my Dwarf Orinoco, pict 2.

I am curious if you think I have have watered too little or too much given how they look.
They both have quite a bit of sun on them but not full day.

Any insight highly appreciated so I can make sure they survive this record summer heat.

I have the sprinklers go off every second day and they get like a pint or so water from that at least. In addition I try to water manually half a gallon each once or twice a week.

Thanks

Re: Too much or too little water?
 

Not enough water. A pint of water won't even wet the soil and a half gallon isn't much better.I thik you need maybe two gallons every couple days at least.

Re: Too much or too little water?
 

Ok, thanks

Was a little worried since at times the soil looked a little moist so didn't want to over water but given the temperature is seems low risk.

Re: Too much or too little water?
 

Dig down and see if it's wet or not.

Re: Too much or too little water?
 

If you have good drainage, it's almost impossible to water them too much in heat like that.....

Re: Too much or too little water?
 

Good post, I've been wondering about the same here in Omaha. While not 100deg, it's been abnormally hot for a few weeks and don't want to over water and cause root problems. Leaves are getting scorched bad though. I've been trying on doing 1 gallon every other day.

Re: Too much or too little water?
 

I live in Indiana and my potted ice creams get like 5 gallons of water a day. You are just underwatering. Kick up the water and see if they don't get happier!

Re: Too much or too little water?
 

If they are not mulched, definitely mulch them too. This will lower the soil surface temp which will make the roots happier as well as lowering the evaporation rate of water from the soil surface so you don't have to use as much water.

Re: Too much or too little water?
 

Thanks for all the info. What about using lavarock instead of mulch? I have good success in the past. Also should I avoid watering too close to the p-stem?
It seems that one of my smaller plants (Cardaba) is rotting away...

Re: Too much or too little water?
 

Mulch is a more or less a general term for any non-living soil surface cover, rocks will work too. It's about having the barrier, not so much what the barrier is. Depending on the situation there are better choices than others. For bananas, rocks should be fine but you want the layer to be thick enough to be effective, if they are small rocks maybe a 2-3" thick layer should be fine.

Re: Too much or too little water?
 

Too little water.

Water is used by the plant, evaporates from the soil, evaporates from the leaves, moves out of the root zone laterally and horizontally, etc.

Factors affecting quantity of water needed are temperature, humidity (less humidity = more evaporation from plant and soil), sun exposure, soil type (drainage), shade and sun percentages, area of leaf surface, mulch (evaporation and soil temperature control), etc. When any of these changes, water input needs to change

Water intake by the plant is affected by the amount of root mass. Intake is reduced by insufficient input (rain and irrigation), disturbing the roots (such as removing pup which reduces root mass), insufficient roots because of crowded planting space (next to a wall, driveway, etc. with no place to expand), too small of a pot, loss of roots because of root rot caused by too much irrigation.

Water inputs are rain, and irrigation.

You have pretty much maximum sun and temp. Depending on what your weather is, plenty of humidity or not much.

Here in San Diego, with 4-6" of compost mulch, a mat of bananas, with 5-8 plants, at 80-90F, with relatively low humidity gets as much as 30 minutes of water from the hose, as full flow every 4-5 days. In the winter they get very little other than rain (10" per year).

Unless you have exceedingly wet soil that holds excessive moisture, in your summers you will have a very hard time over-watering.

Re: Too much or too little water?
 

here in Mexico, when the dry season goes tooooooo long, the leaves dry up and the whole thing croaks...but doesn't bend!...you're quest for bananas either needs you to give sooo much more water, or buy them at wallmart...banana plants are rivers of water up and down in their leaves...if they don't leak when you cut off a leaf, you've cut them off!

Re: Too much or too little water?
 

Hello there, after looking at yor pics it looks tl me that their is so little water. A pint of water every other day is absolutely nothing. With the leaf footprint or leaf area, in the hot weather it is surely not enough water. Seeig that both of the emerging leaves on both of the plants are acting the same leaning over it is extremely rare that both would be suffering from the same dimise at the same time unless it was the same issue. I live in Florida in zone9-b. Although we dont get such intense heat as you have we go months in the spring without a drop of rain and seldom above 90°. We do however have great woinds that blow constantly living only a mile and a half from the beach (Daytona). So without rain and constasnt drying winds we have to water constantly. One of your banana plants is an orinoco. That banana comes from South America and got its name from the fact that it is most commonly found growing directly on the river banks of the Orinoco river. Here I have a friend that has a stand of Orinocos that are the most beautiful sight. They are also growing in a bit of a clean water creek a few foot across and there in the water are thousands of pure white roots waving in the current. I also have Ice Creams and for a fact I can tell you thast my banana trees are absolutely fabulous, but as for mine I waqter copously. Bananas love water. I have an AeAe that gets at least 5+ gallons of water every other day. I actually keep my sprinklers running non stop for the past 2 months. Our rainy season that gives us daily rains (that the bananas love). It isnt a problem for me I have a well. There is also something else you need to take into consideration, and that is also root growth. I am sure by now this late inthe season that there has been plenty enough root growth. There are plenty leaves on your plants so That migfht not ba an issue but there is definitely not as many as would be there if not been dug up and having to start a new every spring. So with possibly less roots and especially deep roots for more water absorbtion then for sure you will nbeed to drastically incre4ase their water. But your leaves are sunburned and nothing else; and from your regimin I can tell you to WATER WATER WATER. I hope I have not gone on too much, and have explained how this problem can be fixed. Thanks for asking your question and have a great day.

Sakute'
rick

Re: Too much or too little water?
 

The type of mulch onl matter when it does to your liking. Organic mulch is good if your interested also in improving your soils nutrients naturally and also improving the soil, and that is great and inexpensive. But the use of lava rocks if that is your liking will also work greatly. After all the results of using mulch is to keep the hot sun off of the soil, thus decreasing the amount of water loss. So you see either one if used in a thick enough layer will do it's job so use what you prefer, either asthetically or nutient wise.
Salute'
rick

Re: Too much or too little water?
 

Well after reading all the experienced posters in this thread I went home last night and decided to separate two larger pups from it's mother thinking it would be less competition for the water I was giving it. I did notice when separating the pups of the lack of moisture there was in the dirt in the ground. Here I thought I was doing a good job watering it, but obviously not. Not bone dry, but barely damp. I guess they do drink a lot of water when it's this hot out.

Separated two pups with ease and they each have their own home now planted in some compost cow manure I picked up, and also used it to pack around the void I took from the mother. We'll see how they all do in the coming weeks. I will also do a better job of watering in the summer.

Thanks to all in this thread for their experienced insight.

Scott/Omaha

Re: Too much or too little water?
 

Thanks for all advice. Good thing I started to water more since they now indicated we could get up to 1-08-110 next week here in Texas...!

What to do with the bent cigar leaf on my big Icecream?
 

What do I do with the cigar leaf that has folded in the middle before it grew out fully?
Do I cut it where it folded or will it be able to unfold itself even though it is bent in the middle?

Thanks

Re: Too much or too little water?
 

I grow bananas in water. This one has been in water for years. It says in water all winter in my basement. This year it is having a growing spurt.

Re: Too much or too little water?
 

For some reason, that's an incredible picture! I want to put a banana in my pond so bad. I see some Absynian today at Home Depot, should've bought one. I forgot about the pond as a growing medium. What type of "soil", if you use any, for that banana? Would Absynian survive in the pond? Should I just submerge it right away (provide the right soil, of course), or do I need to acclimate it to the water gradually?

Thanks!

Re: Too much or too little water?
 

I think this one is dwarf cavendish. It is planted in yard dirt, packaged soil will float out. I got it use to water slowly over 2 months. I started with it sitting in a saucer of water. Then put it in a bucket of water. And raised the water level slowly over the top of the pot for 2 months. It has been in water now for years.