Zacarias

Hello all,

Haven't posted here in a while. Last month I got a smallish banana *20in pseudostem* and planted in a nice clay pot. I had in a corner outside facing northeast. It got a lot of shade but some afternoon sun and thus some of the leaves had some burnt edges. I've read on deserttropicals.com that the BEST place for bananas in the sonoran/colorado desert are east-facing walls. So I put the pot in that area that faced east. It got sun until like 1:30pm!! It fried all the leaves and everything stopped growing, it was awful. I've since moved and have chopped off all the leaves and have just left the pseudostem and I moved it back to like a northeast facing corner.
So what gives? Is eastfacing our southfacing better for nanners in desert summers? I'm having a heck of a time finding a place to put it where it would only get a couple hours of EARLY sun and then shade the rest of the day. 110 degrees just fry it. If the nanner were planted in the ground and VERY established, would it handle it better? Please give guidance.
BTW, on deserttropicals.com, I saw recommended both southern and eastern facing sites recommended.
Thanks!

Z

Dean W.

Perhaps a little experimentation in your case would best apply. However later it may do better in the ground. I am assuming it's in a pot.

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Gabe15

The side of the house its on, the temperature or the amount of sunlight it's receiving all have little to directly do with why your plant burnt. Bananas are capable of taking full sun all day, even when it's very hot. They may not grow sometimes if it's too hot, but they should not be damaged. The leaves a banana makes are adapted to whatever light level they were created in. If you have the plant growing in a shady spot, and then move it to an area of extended periods of full sun, the leaves will burn. It has to make new leaves while being in full sun in order to handle it for later. Additionally, since it is in a container, it was likely simultaneously drought and heat stressed in the soil. When a plant is in the ground, it's roots are much cooler and it has access to more water than in a container. This can be somewhat compensated for by making sure the container is extremely well watered all day, but of course this takes more careful monitoring and the container and soil itself may get too hot still.

If you can, it would be best to pick a spot with good sun and soil, plant it in the ground, mulch heavily, and keep it well watered. The only way it can get established in the ground is for you to give it the chance to do so.

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Growing bananas in Colorado, Washington, Hawaii since 2004. Commercial banana farmer, 200+ varieties.

Zacarias

Gabe,

Thanks for your clear explanation that makes sense perfectly. It makes sense that the leaf will tolerate whatever situation it was made in. Of course 110 degrees and stronger sunlight here doesn't help but I know it's a tough plant as it is not dead yet.
I also am aware of the possibility of overwatering container bananas in the desert. Now that it lost all its leaves and has just started to push out new leaves, I've eased off watering until it has more leaves so as not to rot it. Does that make sense?
Also, everytime I water, do I need to water so much that the water drains out the bottom? (it takes so much water to do that!) or only with occasionally waterings? Thanks again!

Z

Tropicallvr

I've had problems with leaves frying during 110F heat wave(normally high 90's here). M.balbisiana was unfazed, as was Musa Ornata, but the Himalayan types hated it. Also clay pots tend to heat up, and lose water quicker than other pots. If you can I'd plant it in the ground to save on watering.

nucci60

If I lived in zone ten ,Everything Would be in the ground. Why keep it potted?