njbananas

Hello everyone, this is my first post here and i'm super excited to be growing bananas.

I have recently brought my plant outside from being under a grow light all winter into direct sunlight about 80 degrees F. The nights have been between 50-60 F and i've noticed a worrying amount of black spots. They are mostly on the leaves but one has it really bad on the spine. I have put images in my gallery please tell me this is normal and not anything to worry about.

Thanks everyone in advance

edwmax

Was the spots on the plant before be moved outside? ....


fungus or dust/dirt ... does the spots wipe off?

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cincinnana

Short answer.....your good.
The next set of leaves will be hardened off the outdoors.
And any plant growth after that will be strong and sturdy


Hopefully some more forum members will chime in to share information too.

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njbananas

Hey thanks for answering, no the spots were not there before and i'm hoping its not fungus. The dots are definitely not dirt and won't wipe off. If they get worse and it does turn out to be a fungus any recommendations on what to use?

njbananas

Thanks for answering, so you think the black dots are just some form of sunburn or shock from the big move outside?

cincinnana

For me this happens to the oldest leaves on the plant before they turn yellow and I cut them off.

The spots(mold or mildew) are an indication the leaf is deteriorating and at end of its useful life. You might also notice the leaf has lost some of its water repellency .

They will replaced with new growth and the process will repeat as older leaves die.

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edwmax

Try some copper sulfate spray. The spots wont go away tho. .... Also, check to see if the spots are above the leaf; ... they could be an insect egg sack.


The real problem here is to figure out what caused this because this is likely to occur on other nana plants.

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edwmax

To njbananas


Where are you located and from where did you obtain the nana plant with the spots?

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njbananas

I am from NJ and I bought the plant online very young, overwintered it in my house with a grow light and then finally moved outside 2 weeks ago. The spots came after a few days of high heat intense sunlight.

njbananas

It seems to be going as you said, the old leaves are getting worse but the new growth seems completely fine and pups are coming up. If it was more serious I feel the plant wouldnt be growing as normally as it is?

cincinnana

Just to show you it is a non issue here is an almost daily cleanup of leaves in the fall once the days get shorter.
Some plants are more sensitive to the day length and heat and react faster.

Same progression of mildew ,mold ,yellowing then final trim.
You could treat the symptom but you will still loose the leaf.

For a a full understanding of the process you could let the leaf run its course.
If you wish double click on the photo to see more banana related photos.

Good luck with your plant!


Dead leaf removal
by
Hostafarian,
on Flickr


Deteriorating leaves
by
Hostafarian,
on Flickr

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