jacobelias

Hello,

I am new to banana growing; I would like to know how many litres of water require per day for a plant around a couple of months old (see the attached photo). The temperature during the day is around 40 degrees Celsius and goes up to 45 to 48 during peak summer.

Appreciate any insight and suggestions.

Thanks

Attached Images

Banana.jpg (1.86 MB, 15 views)

sirdoofus

Nice looking plant. Do you know what variety it is? And where are you located?

I can't tell you how much water to use on that guy, I am not aware of any specific formula, you will get an idea as you watch the plant grow and become familiar with its needs.

However, I would certainly suggest you put a goodly layer of mulch, whatever you can easily access really, on and around it....and don't be stingy. That will help retain moisture and decrease irrigation requirements.

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JaredZone9a

Wow, 45-48 Celsius during summer. Where do you live? That’s pretty hot. :-)

jacobelias

I have update my location.

Yesterday, I have mulch (dry leaves from tree), not sure about the variety tough; I have created a post in Banana Identification section.

Does banana survive in such hot high temperatures?

Thanks

edwmax

A lot for. In ground nana plants .... Do a forum search for 'water needs' for older post.



Here is a link to one of my post .... Misting system during hot weather ok for everyday?

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JaredZone9a

I think most banana varieties do well in hot temps because they are most growing in those tropical island type environments like the Philippines, Maldives, Hawaii, etc.

A lot of people grow them in Arizona which can get really hot depending on the area and from what I’ve seen on YouTube videos most seem to do well.

Maybe somebody can chime in and let us know if there are any places that get too hot for bananas.?

pitangadiego

You want it always moist, never soggy. Smaller amount of water more frequently is better than larger amount less frequently. Temps, humidity, soil type, mulch, etc are all things that need to be taken into account when figuring the quantity of water.

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edwmax

When the temps get into the upper 90s and over 100 deg F, you will see the leaves fold down. This is a self preservation mode of the plant to conserve water within the plant (transpiration stops). .... In the tropics the yearly total of rain fall is 80" to over 100" per year. So what is the yearly rainfall in your location????


Also, those BIG leaves on banana plant have a purpose. The leaves catch dew & early morning rain for the plant (foliar) as there is much competition for soil water in the dense jungle.

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JaredZone9a

Thank for that. Very interesting!

smeash

It will be tough to grow in your hot and dry climate, i believe Bahrain gets around 3 inches of rain per year .. you will need LOTS of mulch, and maybe some shade cloth to reduce the effect of the afternoon sun.. I would allow any pups that emerge to stay in the clump.. bananas benefit from growing in mats or groups. It help hold in some humidity and shade each other.

edwmax

I forgot to mention at about 120 - 125 deg F (48 -52 C) banana leaves start to blister & burn. .... This can happen even when ambient temps are in the upper 80 to low 90 deg F (upper 26 to low 32 C) from the radiant heat of the blistering sun. .... Bananas need afternoon shade from the (summer) heat of the sun.

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AaronTT

I have found that bananas will grow very well (at least in our hot and humid climate) in mostly shady conditions. I thought perhaps they would not fruit, but was proven wrong.
On another note, you don't want to water every day. Even if the soil drains well, certain minerals such as calcium cannot be absorbed in wet soil, and needs dry conditions. This is why some plants get yellow leaves that experience too much rain fall, yet are adequately fertilized. Some plants like peppers really prove this point as they have a high demand for calcium, and will yellow after a while from too much water. Too little water though can have the same effect. The same is true if the soil is too alkaline.

jacobelias

Thank you all the valuable inputs.

I do have a tree which does provide a shade (to some extent) in the afternoon; say from around 1:00 PM.

I will observe closely the progress of the plant as well the temperature to decide whether it needs a green sun shade mesh or not.

Appreciated.