hurricanelyly

So my friend bought me a blood leaf banana for my birthday in early September. It used to look like this:

Banana Gallery - my blood leaf, healthy

I have planted it in tropical plant soil. It was living on my front porch in Indiana and doing very well, with new growth pretty regularly.

By the end of October I brought the container inside because it was getting cold at night. I don't have a south-facing window but I put it in my living room which gets the most light in my house from a west and a north facing window. The plant was still producing new growth for about a month and seemed like it was doing well. I overwatered it once and then did not water it for a while until the soil dried out. I would say that water is not the problem now. However, over the past month it has rapidly declined. The only new center leaf I got at that time was bare of all red markings and thinner than previous leaves. Now it is looking like it could give up the ghost at any second:

Banana Gallery - dying and sad!

From reading other posts it seems like maybe I should cut off the remaining leaf, pull the root ball up from the soil and let it hang out in my basement until I can replant it in the spring. If this is correct, what is the best way to go about this? Is there something else I should be doing instead?

Thanks for your help, this is my first banana and I would really like it to survive the winter! It was so pretty and really cheered up my porch!

2woodensticks

posted some help on coments of your pics..hope it helps

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got to love em..{neotropical rattlesnake..cascabell}

Dalmatiansoap

Take it out from that pot, wash and inspect the bulb, cut all brown, mushy and dead and repot in almost straight perlite in smaller pot provide enough heat and it will recover.

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Abnshrek

A portable lamp w/ a grow light might help. If its cold a heating pad works great. :^)

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I'm a Nannerhead :^)

hurricanelyly

Thanks everyone! I will give your suggestions a shot and see how it goes.

oakshadows

if it gets too bad I can help......

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hurricanelyly

Thanks so much for your help! I have tidied up the plant and replanted it, and have seen about 1.5 inches of new center leaf growth shoot up in just over a week. Below is a picture of the banana looking decidedly less pitiful than before:

Banana Gallery - replanted and regrowing!

I am cautiously optimistic that this plant will continue on its recovery, thanks to your helpful hints!

sandy0225

hate to change the subject but the picture of the calf made me laugh. I had some potted bananas too close to the fence one year, I didn't know how far a determined steer can reach over the fence when it wants a banana to eat. They grabbed them by one leaf, pulled it over the fence and chowed down on about six pots about 5 feet tall before they ran out of ones they could reach. From then on, every time I cut a banana leaf off, they got tossed over the fence. They would come running every time.

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Sandy Burrell



Northern Tropics Greenhouse
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