mgutierrez

Hi everyone. I'm new to the site and to banana plants. I recently bought a large banana at a garage sale. When I bought it, it had roots growing out of the plastic pot in was in and into the ground. I brought it home and had to cut the plastic pot to get the banana out. I also got a very large clay pot from the garage sale so I bought some cactus soil and re-potted the banana in the large clay pot. I had to thin the roots out quite a bit to get it to fit in the pot. I then brought the banana inside. Its a really tall plant probably 10 ft but I have very high ceilings so it fits. After being inside for about two weeks I came home today and one of the leaves had gotten soft and fell over. The stem part of the leaf has a lot of really small black spots on it. Another one of the leaves also seems to be getting soft and have the same spots. I think the pot is probably way too small but its larger than the plastic one it was in when I bought it. I'm really worried about the plant and I'm not really sure what to do now. Thanks in advance for any help. I uploaded pics in my gallery

Abnshrek

Repotting always involves some sort of shock if can take up to 2 months in the winter for it to get comfy in its new situation. :^)

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kubali

hello, If it was my banana plant, I would put it in a bigger container my self.
That is a pretty big plant to be in such a small container, it must think it is in jail....................................kub

mgutierrez

When I woke up this morning another one of the leaves was wilted over. I will definitely look for a bigger pot. Thanks for the replies

Funkthulhu

I agree, Bigger Pot!

What you're seeing is a lot of growth up top that was acclimated to more roots down below. Now that you've thinned out the roots it can't pull as much water as it needs to keep the top happy.

I'm going to suggest (after up-sizing your pot) you trim off all but the newest leaves now, give it a chance to root out and play catch up. When I pulled mine out of the ground this fall to bring inside I had a pot twice as big for half the plant you have and I still trimed it down to 4 leaves (and two of those wilted off before it caught up!). Now we're 2 months along and it is going like gang-busters, filles a pretty wide patch of my basement with a new leaf every other week.

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Kat2

I agree that pot is far too small plus it appears to be a glazed clay container; I've had limited success with them.

Take the rest of this with a grain of salt: (Been a while since I did inside plants.)

If you can't find a decent sized pot, get a large plastic garbage can, cut it down about 2/3rds horizontally, punch/drill many drainage holes in the bottom, put about 3" of gravel or wood chips or even packing peanuts in the bottom, fill your "pot" with sterile potting soil (it can have fertilizer in it) and replant your baby. You need an "underneath" to catch water so you don't ruin your floors; if you're creative, you can probably use the lid. (Remove handle then block up the rounded parts to balance it.) If you used unfertilized potting soil, then mix up some general liquid fertilizer and apply according to directions for soil amount/pot size--follow the directions--better to under feed than over.

It's too bad you pruned roots but you did. Good luck!

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mgutierrez

Thanks for all the suggestions. How large of a pot/gallon size should I look for?

Abnshrek

25-30 gal.. :^)

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Richard

Use fluorescent lights rated 6500K (Kelvin) overhead in either the CFL or T5-HO format.

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Funkthulhu

Yeah, look for livestock feed tubs/buckets for a cheap durable solution. You can often find a 25 gallon black rubber/plastic round tub for about 20-30 bucks. They're easy to modify and if you plunk down for two you can make a nested self-watering planter.

Check Amazon, but also Tractor Supply Co. or other farm supply big box store in your area.

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"Ph'nglui musaglw'nanna Funkthulhu R'Omahaea wgah'basjoo fhtagn"
"In his house at Omaha, dread Funkthulhu plants bananas."

Richard

I don't recommend self-watering pots for banana plants - especially indoors for beginners. It is too easy to rot the corm.

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Kat2

I used to pick up huge used tree pots free; I lived in a commercial area next to a trash business that gladly gave them (and anything 2 gallons or more) to me rather than spend money on dump fees. Alas I've moved 2x since then and lost them to "no space on the truck" if I wanted to bring my cast iron and kitchen stuff. How I miss my pots!

Seriously, a large round trash can is cheap and would work. Just saying....

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mgutierrez

Thanks everyone for the helpful replies. I'm gonna search out a bigger pot. How much should I be watering a plant this size and how often? I've been careful not to over water.

Richard

I know you'll be using a pot indoors, but the "Watering" section of the following document applies to pots as much as plants in the ground: Guide To Growing Fruiting Bananas In Temperate Climates

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