Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter

laserlight · 10-25-2011, 01:07 AM

I have been looking for instructions for growing a dwarf cavendish banana plant indoors all winter but i cant find anything. i dont wanna protect it outside all winter cuz its too little. i really need advice cuz ive never tried this before and i had a lot of problems growing it inside last summer. thanks for any help. =)

nannerfunboi · 10-25-2011, 09:21 AM

hey punkrocker!!!
only 3 seasons for me growing nanners..but here in utah overwintering
plants ive learned. give the plants as much light u can.. and
maybe once a week..if they arent to big..take into the shower..and let a
light spray of water on them.. helps keep mites down..and washes the leaves
off..
i back off from fertilizing too.. since the plants dont do that much growing
in winter because of less than optimal growing conditions..
good luck to ya !!!!

saltydad · 10-25-2011, 02:53 PM

The biggest problem I've noted with potted bananas inside is overwatering leading to rot. I try to err on the dry side.

laserlight · 10-25-2011, 04:48 PM

wow thanks that was fast! =D we have really big windows and it can have tons of light and stay warm cuz its really warm inside in the winter. just spray it once a week and thats all the water it needs? and no plant food? ok. i can do that. i had to learn how to make insect soap in another thread so i can do that too if it gets mites. it had mites last summer and that killed them yay. =)

Olafhenny · 10-25-2011, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saltydad

The biggest problem I've noted with potted bananas inside is overwatering leading to rot. I try to err on the dry side.

I still think, while cutting down on watering is a defense against root rot, it is not the optimal solution.
Place any plant into porous soil, provide positive drainage through the bottom of the pot and make
sure, that there is no standing water in the catch tray, which can be wicked back into the root zone
and I cannot see any way you could incur root rot.

Bananas do need sufficient water. They do get it at home in the tropics and a heated indoor environment
is fairly dry, while it is cold outside. I am saying that with little authority on banana culture, because I
bought my first banana only 18 months ago, but with significant experience in other potted plants.

My experience with indoor banana cultivation is restricted to a Basjoo throughout last winter, which
did little growing, but survived in a healthy condition until spring and two Ornatas, from early March
until late May. The latter I had to chop off the whole pseudo stems one or two inches above the corm in
order to hide them in my suite case during my trip from Vietnam home. Without any greenery the plant
should be maximal susceptible to root rot, but none did occur. I watered liberally but provided positive
drainage, i.e., I did not let the water in the catch tray rise high enough to touch the soil in the pot.

The reason, why the Basjoo did not grow much is most likely, because I did not provide any artificial light.

lcweber69 · 10-28-2011, 08:20 AM

I live in Vermont, and have overwintered my nanners inside easily. I have several different species of ornamental bananas in huge pots on my deck, and up until this year, on the really big ones I'd cut off all leaves , leaving the center one, and brought them inside under T5 lights. They all did fine. Some were small, around 3ft, and one I had was 8ft. I just watered lightly all winter, kept the heater at around 65 or so, and put them all back on the deck in the spring.
Use safer soap for any mite problem. Hope that helps.

DoctorSteve · 10-28-2011, 10:43 AM

I was looking for insight on this as well. I have had one banana die of some kind of white mold in the pseudostem when I kept it inside last winter. This winter I will have 2 that are in 7 gallon pots and if kept in the garage they may stay to wet for to long. Not drying easily that is.

I was thinking of putting them in one of the extra rooms and setting up my grow lights in there with a fan.

Olafhenny · 10-28-2011, 01:49 PM

...this discussion about wintering and watering is taking place here and now, so I will risk crowing prematurely.

I brought the two Ornatas in on or about October 11. They have shown some positive growth since then,
and I defy anybody to show me healthier looking bananas this time of the year, or any other time for that
matter. The first picture below was taken on October 14th. I had posted it before in an other thread, but
am doing it again for comparison. The second photo was taken this morning, exactly two weeks later,
before the daylight got too bright and would interfere with the definition of the picture.

The little ‘spike’ you see in this picture has grown into that fully developed leaf, which is sticking up
highest in the photo below

The new spike is probably not quite as tall as the previous one in the top photo, but it is safe to say,
that the full growth cycle of a new leaf was 15 days, - not much different from summer.

Here is, what I did:
• I selected two nice big pots; 15 litres (4 gal) for the little one and 35 litres (9 gal) for the larger plant*
• Tossed a few rocks in the bottom, which I covered with fly screen, before I added the soil
• The soil consists of roughly equal parts of compost to which I had added previously some sand and peat moss
• I water whenever the top ½ inch feels “dryish”
• Due to the covering basket, the actual bottom of the soil is roughly the same height as the rim of the catch tray
• No artificial light**

*IMOEO many of the bananas pictured in this forum often appear, at least judging from to photos, to be in pots,
which are too small for proper root development

**I live at 49^ 27’ N. Therefore there are only few people in this forum with even shorter daylight hours in winters.

Jack Daw · 10-29-2011, 06:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by laserlight

I have been looking for instructions for growing a dwarf cavendish banana plant indoors all winter but i cant find anything. i dont wanna protect it outside all winter cuz its too little. i really need advice cuz ive never tried this before and i had a lot of problems growing it inside last summer. thanks for any help. =)

If you decide to overwinter the plant actively (water it, put it in a sunny spot), you will most probably encounter the problem of insufficient light. It simply isn't possible to provide the plant with as much light as it would require, so one way or another, it will be partially dormant... growing inproper and low quality leaves and tissue. Needless to say that it's close to impossible to make these new leaves wanna like the sunlight in spring again...

The very concept of growing indoors and in/outdoors seasonally is very difficult. In general, keep your eyes open and don't water too much. The naner needs very little water when inside during the winter, but it needs lots of water when it's outside in the garden during the summer. Less is more in this case. Good growing to you.

lcweber69 · 10-29-2011, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jack Daw

If you decide to overwinter the plant actively (water it, put it in a sunny spot), you will most probably encounter the problem of insufficient light. It simply isn't possible to provide the plant with as much light as it would require, so one way or another, it will be partially dormant... growing inproper and low quality leaves and tissue. Needless to say that it's close to impossible to make these new leaves wanna like the sunlight in spring again...

The very concept of growing indoors and in/outdoors seasonally is very difficult. In general, keep your eyes open and don't water too much. The naner needs very little water when inside during the winter, but it needs lots of water when it's outside in the garden during the summer. Less is more in this case. Good growing to you.

I did overwinter my nanners indoors and they did a little too well actually. What I mean is that I had taken and potted up some basjoos pups (5) from a mother plant, who I'd left out on my deck to sucumb to the cold, (she was just too big to get the pot inside) I put them under T5 lights in my studio. I have no decent natural light to speak of, and it's only my studio as I have no other space to paint in. Anyway, I digress. These basjoo pups were initally around 1 1/2 ft tall, and by March of 2011, they were too tall to be under the T5's without the leaves pushing against the light fixtures. Around 4ft or so. They all put out new leaf after new leaf. I also had a huge Ensete Maurelli, that was way to big to be under any light fixtures at all, and I had her over next to the only decent sized window I had, facing east. This plant initally put out several new leaves, pushing up against the ceiling.

Eventually though, just prior to spring, it began to show signs of suffering. Despite this, by May, all had survived, most had flourished, and I had 6 very large plants potted on my deck this summer. The basjoos all had pups of course. This winter I am storing them all bare root in my basement. I have no experience with this, but I have faith!

Jack Daw · 10-29-2011, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lcweber69

I did overwinter my nanners indoors and they did a little too well actually. What I mean is that I had taken and potted up some basjoos pups (5) from a mother plant, who I'd left out on my deck to sucumb to the cold, (she was just too big to get the pot inside) I put them under T5 lights in my studio. I have no decent natural light to speak of, and it's only my studio as I have no other space to paint in. Anyway, I digress. These basjoo pups were initally around 1 1/2 ft tall, and by March of 2011, they were too tall to be under the T5's without the leaves pushing against the light fixtures. Around 4ft or so. They all put out new leaf after new leaf. I also had a huge Ensete Maurelli, that was way to big to be under any light fixtures at all, and I had her over next to the only decent sized window I had, facing east. This plant initally put out several new leaves, pushing up against the ceiling.

Eventually though, just prior to spring, it began to show signs of suffering. Despite this, by May, all had survived, most had flourished, and I had 6 very large plants potted on my deck this summer. The basjoos all had pups of course. This winter I am storing them all bare root in my basement. I have no experience with this, but I have faith!

Sorry, I thought we were talking about edible subtropical and tropical varieties.

Kostas · 10-29-2011, 12:15 PM

I have to agree with Jack that edible cultivars are more sensitive than the commonly grown wild species, although Ensete ventricosum also hates overwatering.

So far,having only overwintered my bananas indoors once,under artificial lighting,25C temperature and high humidity with little water provided,i have found them easy to a degree,to overwinter that way. I am doing it again this winter and hope i have similar success. Its better if their soil has dried out some before bringing indoors as it takes a long time for the soil to dry once indoors and rot can start in the meantime. When spring comes though,and they are let outdoors,they loose all leafs with just light wind and they are very easy to rot in cool spring weather coupled with the rains of spring. This spring,i will only get them outdoors when the weather warms up well to avoid the serious rot problems i faced the past spring which happened to be unusually cool.

laserlight · 10-29-2011, 05:01 PM

thanks for more information. =D
i know Jack Daws right cuz i had another banana plant last summer a basjoo banana plant and it was under a light in my room but i put it outside so it could have tons of sunlight and it turned brown and died. =( they dont like it if they have to move to a different light. i only have one banana plant now but i can have 2 more in March on my birthday cause i kept this one alive and im getting 2 velutina banana plants that make red bananas yay. this banana plant really kicks cuz it got knocked off the shelf by a cat and now it has 2 new leafs.
i didnt know there was bananas that people cant eat but i only want to grow eating bananas. Caliboy told me about velutina plants that they make bananas faster and thats why i want those and cuz there red. oh and i read about the rot disease but theres zero soft spots on my banana plant and i will be checking that out all winter. i read about Christmas lights too and im putting them around my banana plant pot cuz the dirt feels kinda too cold and that can help keep it warm.
i just took this picture before mom went shopping today.

[IMG]

[/IMG]

stevelau1911 · 11-04-2011, 01:26 AM

I successfully over-wintered a musa sikkimus indoors last year, and it made some progress over the winter, but I had it in an undersized pot all summer so it didn't make much progress until I finally planted it in the fall.

This winter I'll try over-wintering an ensete mauralii by a south facing window(no artificial light) and will water it only if it really seems necessary so perhaps a cup each month. It does seem to get pretty good light on sunny days, and I'm pretty sure it is enough to get it through the winter. It is also in a cooler room that averages 65F over winter. I think this is a pretty safe way to get it through the winter.

Here's how it looks.

fmu65 · 11-06-2011, 06:02 PM

If you have adequate light, warmth, water, and fertilizer, is it unreasonable to hope for some good growth over the winter indoors on edible bananas?

Olafhenny · 11-06-2011, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fmu65

If you have adequate light, warmth, water, and fertilizer, is it unreasonable to hope for some good growth over the winter indoors on edible bananas?

Not at all! Just make sure, that you have reasonably porous soil and positive drainage through the bottom
of the pot and you do not even have to worry about watering too much. I will post more on that on Tuesday.

If bananas are dormant, then they are sensitive to moisture and rot, but when they are actively growing they
do need water, They have it in great amounts, where they are at home and they do need moist soil here,
similar to any other actively growing house plants.

The Hollyberry Lady · 11-06-2011, 08:03 PM

I keep my banana plants thriving all winter with water, food, and lots of sun. I'm fortunate to have huge sunny windows to offer them and plus a metal halide system if things become desperate and there's no sun for weeks without end. Not too often though.

If you don't get a lot of sun however, I wouldn't water too much and barely feed either. My plants actually grow throughout Fall and winter and throw up many new leaves. I have a super dwarf cavendish, among others.

I also shower my banana plants over the winter each week, so that spider mites won't take over. I'm careful to shower the undersides of the leaves most especially.

Good Luck, Kevin.

: )

Olafhenny · 11-08-2011, 09:54 PM

Okay, it is now Tuesday and here is my post:
The top picture shows my Ornata on October 28; - the second today, Nov. 8, the day, when our daylight hours
(9 hrs 27 min)dropped below the ones in San Francisco, CA on December 21 and 22, the shortest days of the
year (9h 32m 54s).
See
for Penticton: Penticton Sunrise & Sunset Times - Finding Film Locations - Filming on Location Pre-production Guide
For San Francisco: Sunrise and Sunset for U.S.A. – California – San Francisco – December 2011

What I am driving at is, that this Ornata has shown vigorous growth over these 11 days, without any artificial
light The lights in our living room, if on at all, are usually quite dim and away from the plants. Accordingly
anybody who lives in the belt (at 37^ 46’ N) from San Francisco across Santa Fe, Oklahoma City, Muscogee,
OK to Raleigh, NC or south should have no problem maintaining good growth throughout the winter with light from
a south facing window alone, at least for Ornatas.

As the plant has not really slowed down yet in a 35 l (9 gal) pot, I am hopeful, that we can push the "all
winter growth" without artificial lighting still further north.

As for the watering, which has been discussed in other threads, I see no reason to quit doing, what I do with
all other house plants: When the top1/2 to 1 inch appears dry, I add water, while taking care, that there is
positive drainage through the bottom of the pot.

Frankly this plant looks healthier now, than it has ever looked outside. I attribute that to the lack of dry winds.
In spring I will decide if it makes a good house plant, as it will bloom at a height of under 5 feet. It is interesting
to note, that the leaf, which has fully matured indoors, has a slightly different colour, taking on a blue hue.

This photo was taken on October 28 and shows the little spike of the new leaf emerging

This picture, taken today, 11 days later than the one above shows that the little "spike" has attained full height
and is starting to "unroll" the leaf, - proof positive, that the plant is still growing vigorously.

Olafhenny · 12-24-2011, 02:16 AM

Two days ago was the shortest day of the year. There has been noticeable growth since then, even though
it has slowed down. The previous two leaves have averaged out at about 18 days each, but the last one
took a full month, but it did it without any artificial light(!).

My hope is, that growth will again accelerate as the days grow longer. If that mirrors the rate of decline,
we could have a sinus curve and have almost 3 more leaves by the time we return from Vietnam on March
14th and another three by mid May, when they can go outside again. At that time this Ornata should
have achieved the height at which I have seen them flower. That would be the ideal time of the year for
it to happen.

However, there are lots of “ifs”. Meanwhile I have watered it whenever the top of the soil got “dryish” and
the plant looks as healthy as it possibly can. I might post another picture of ia now much bigger plant, before
I leave on January 11.

laserlight · 12-25-2011, 03:28 PM

My banana plant is growing really slow but its healthy and has 3 leafs. =D

10-25-2011, 01:07 AM	#1 (permalink)
laserlight laserlight's Photo Gallery Location: In a Teremok near Novyy Arbat Zone: 6 Name: Kevin or Kevz Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 611 BananaBucks : 98,293 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,197 Times Was Thanked 717 Times in 354 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 78 Times	Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter I have been looking for instructions for growing a dwarf cavendish banana plant indoors all winter but i cant find anything. i dont wanna protect it outside all winter cuz its too little. i really need advice cuz ive never tried this before and i had a lot of problems growing it inside last summer. thanks for any help. =) __________________ Вырвем оранжевому хорьку его гнилые зубы.

10-25-2011, 09:21 AM	#2 (permalink)
nannerfunboi nannerfunboi's Photo Gallery Location: provo utah Find me on the map! Zone: 6 Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 393 BananaBucks : 31,799 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 692 Times Was Thanked 481 Times in 251 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 23 Times	Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter hey punkrocker!!! only 3 seasons for me growing nanners..but here in utah overwintering plants ive learned. give the plants as much light u can.. and maybe once a week..if they arent to big..take into the shower..and let a light spray of water on them.. helps keep mites down..and washes the leaves off.. i back off from fertilizing too.. since the plants dont do that much growing in winter because of less than optimal growing conditions.. good luck to ya !!!!

10-25-2011, 02:53 PM	#3 (permalink)
saltydad saltydad's Photo Gallery Location: Silver Spring, Maryland USA Find me on the map! Zone: 7a Name: Howard Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 4,552 BananaBucks : 153,412 Feedback: 2 / 100% Said "Thanks" 14,712 Times Was Thanked 4,662 Times in 1,778 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 824 Times	Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter The biggest problem I've noted with potted bananas inside is overwatering leading to rot. I try to err on the dry side. __________________ Men In Nursing- "A Few Good Men" "Gardening is the purest of human pleasures." - Francis Bacon "If by a liberal, they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind; someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions; someone who cares about the welfare of the people, their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, their civil liberties; someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicion that grips us; that is what they meant by a liberal, I am proud to be a liberal." John F. Kennedy, September, 1960 http://flickr.com/photos/saltydad/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/saltydad http://s751.photobucket.com/albums/xx151/saltydad/

10-25-2011, 04:48 PM	#4 (permalink)
laserlight laserlight's Photo Gallery Location: In a Teremok near Novyy Arbat Zone: 6 Name: Kevin or Kevz Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 611 BananaBucks : 98,293 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,197 Times Was Thanked 717 Times in 354 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 78 Times	Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter wow thanks that was fast! =D we have really big windows and it can have tons of light and stay warm cuz its really warm inside in the winter. just spray it once a week and thats all the water it needs? and no plant food? ok. i can do that. i had to learn how to make insect soap in another thread so i can do that too if it gets mites. it had mites last summer and that killed them yay. =) __________________ Вырвем оранжевому хорьку его гнилые зубы.

10-28-2011, 08:20 AM	#6 (permalink)
lcweber69 greenpassion Location: Vermont Zone: z5 Name: greenpassion Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 25 BananaBucks : 16,368 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 30 Times Was Thanked 16 Times in 8 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 2 Times	Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter I live in Vermont, and have overwintered my nanners inside easily. I have several different species of ornamental bananas in huge pots on my deck, and up until this year, on the really big ones I'd cut off all leaves , leaving the center one, and brought them inside under T5 lights. They all did fine. Some were small, around 3ft, and one I had was 8ft. I just watered lightly all winter, kept the heater at around 65 or so, and put them all back on the deck in the spring. Use safer soap for any mite problem. Hope that helps.

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10-28-2011, 10:43 AM	#7 (permalink)
DoctorSteve DoctorSteve's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Zone: 9b Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 390 BananaBucks : 178,552 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 81 Times Was Thanked 306 Times in 158 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 41 Times	Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter I was looking for insight on this as well. I have had one banana die of some kind of white mold in the pseudostem when I kept it inside last winter. This winter I will have 2 that are in 7 gallon pots and if kept in the garage they may stay to wet for to long. Not drying easily that is. I was thinking of putting them in one of the extra rooms and setting up my grow lights in there with a fan.

10-28-2011, 01:49 PM	#8 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 233,761 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Eighteen days indoors do not a winter make, but… ...this discussion about wintering and watering is taking place here and now, so I will risk crowing prematurely. I brought the two Ornatas in on or about October 11. They have shown some positive growth since then, and I defy anybody to show me healthier looking bananas this time of the year, or any other time for that matter. The first picture below was taken on October 14th. I had posted it before in an other thread, but am doing it again for comparison. The second photo was taken this morning, exactly two weeks later, before the daylight got too bright and would interfere with the definition of the picture. The little ‘spike’ you see in this picture has grown into that fully developed leaf, which is sticking up highest in the photo below The new spike is probably not quite as tall as the previous one in the top photo, but it is safe to say, that the full growth cycle of a new leaf was 15 days, - not much different from summer. Here is, what I did: • I selected two nice big pots; 15 litres (4 gal) for the little one and 35 litres (9 gal) for the larger plant* • Tossed a few rocks in the bottom, which I covered with fly screen, before I added the soil • The soil consists of roughly equal parts of compost to which I had added previously some sand and peat moss • I water whenever the top ½ inch feels “dryish” • Due to the covering basket, the actual bottom of the soil is roughly the same height as the rim of the catch tray • No artificial light** IMOEO many of the bananas pictured in this forum often appear, at least judging from to photos, to be in pots, which are too small for proper root development *I live at 49^ 27’ N. Therefore there are only few people in this forum with even shorter daylight hours in winters. __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

10-29-2011, 12:15 PM	#12 (permalink)
Kostas Kostas's Photo Gallery Location: Glyfada,Greece Zone: 10a Name: Konstantinos Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 787 BananaBucks : 206,031 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 2,137 Times Was Thanked 1,063 Times in 464 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 8 Times	Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter I have to agree with Jack that edible cultivars are more sensitive than the commonly grown wild species, although Ensete ventricosum also hates overwatering. So far,having only overwintered my bananas indoors once,under artificial lighting,25C temperature and high humidity with little water provided,i have found them easy to a degree,to overwinter that way. I am doing it again this winter and hope i have similar success. Its better if their soil has dried out some before bringing indoors as it takes a long time for the soil to dry once indoors and rot can start in the meantime. When spring comes though,and they are let outdoors,they loose all leafs with just light wind and they are very easy to rot in cool spring weather coupled with the rains of spring. This spring,i will only get them outdoors when the weather warms up well to avoid the serious rot problems i faced the past spring which happened to be unusually cool. __________________ ''To try,is to risk failure......To not try,is to guarantee it''

10-29-2011, 05:01 PM	#13 (permalink)
laserlight laserlight's Photo Gallery Location: In a Teremok near Novyy Arbat Zone: 6 Name: Kevin or Kevz Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 611 BananaBucks : 98,293 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,197 Times Was Thanked 717 Times in 354 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 78 Times	Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter thanks for more information. =D i know Jack Daws right cuz i had another banana plant last summer a basjoo banana plant and it was under a light in my room but i put it outside so it could have tons of sunlight and it turned brown and died. =( they dont like it if they have to move to a different light. i only have one banana plant now but i can have 2 more in March on my birthday cause i kept this one alive and im getting 2 velutina banana plants that make red bananas yay. this banana plant really kicks cuz it got knocked off the shelf by a cat and now it has 2 new leafs. i didnt know there was bananas that people cant eat but i only want to grow eating bananas. Caliboy told me about velutina plants that they make bananas faster and thats why i want those and cuz there red. oh and i read about the rot disease but theres zero soft spots on my banana plant and i will be checking that out all winter. i read about Christmas lights too and im putting them around my banana plant pot cuz the dirt feels kinda too cold and that can help keep it warm. i just took this picture before mom went shopping today. [IMG][/IMG] __________________ Вырвем оранжевому хорьку его гнилые зубы.

11-04-2011, 01:26 AM	#14 (permalink)
stevelau1911 stevelau1911's Photo Gallery Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 456 BananaBucks : 139,777 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 51 Times Was Thanked 558 Times in 256 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 24 Times	Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter I successfully over-wintered a musa sikkimus indoors last year, and it made some progress over the winter, but I had it in an undersized pot all summer so it didn't make much progress until I finally planted it in the fall. This winter I'll try over-wintering an ensete mauralii by a south facing window(no artificial light) and will water it only if it really seems necessary so perhaps a cup each month. It does seem to get pretty good light on sunny days, and I'm pretty sure it is enough to get it through the winter. It is also in a cooler room that averages 65F over winter. I think this is a pretty safe way to get it through the winter. Here's how it looks. __________________ I'm in zone 6 upstate NY, specialize in growing temperate cold hardy bamboos(mainly phyllostachys) and starting to get into bananas. my picture website is http://www.flickr.com/photos/31489820@N02/ http://stevespeonygarden.blogspot.com/

11-06-2011, 06:02 PM	#15 (permalink)
fmu65 fmu65's Photo Gallery Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 80 BananaBucks : 11,890 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 100 Times Was Thanked 49 Times in 25 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 14 Times	Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter If you have adequate light, warmth, water, and fertilizer, is it unreasonable to hope for some good growth over the winter indoors on edible bananas?

11-06-2011, 08:03 PM	#17 (permalink)
The Hollyberry Lady The Hollyberry Lady 's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 15,161 BananaBucks : 1,250,436 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 12,042 Times Was Thanked 11,325 Times in 5,310 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 102 Times	Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter I keep my banana plants thriving all winter with water, food, and lots of sun. I'm fortunate to have huge sunny windows to offer them and plus a metal halide system if things become desperate and there's no sun for weeks without end. Not too often though. If you don't get a lot of sun however, I wouldn't water too much and barely feed either. My plants actually grow throughout Fall and winter and throw up many new leaves. I have a super dwarf cavendish, among others. I also shower my banana plants over the winter each week, so that spider mites won't take over. I'm careful to shower the undersides of the leaves most especially. Good Luck, Kevin. : )

11-08-2011, 09:54 PM	#18 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 233,761 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter Okay, it is now Tuesday and here is my post: The top picture shows my Ornata on October 28; - the second today, Nov. 8, the day, when our daylight hours (9 hrs 27 min)dropped below the ones in San Francisco, CA on December 21 and 22, the shortest days of the year (9h 32m 54s). See for Penticton: Penticton Sunrise & Sunset Times - Finding Film Locations - Filming on Location Pre-production Guide For San Francisco: Sunrise and Sunset for U.S.A. – California – San Francisco – December 2011 What I am driving at is, that this Ornata has shown vigorous growth over these 11 days, without any artificial light The lights in our living room, if on at all, are usually quite dim and away from the plants. Accordingly anybody who lives in the belt (at 37^ 46’ N) from San Francisco across Santa Fe, Oklahoma City, Muscogee, OK to Raleigh, NC or south should have no problem maintaining good growth throughout the winter with light from a south facing window alone, at least for Ornatas. As the plant has not really slowed down yet in a 35 l (9 gal) pot, I am hopeful, that we can push the "all winter growth" without artificial lighting still further north. As for the watering, which has been discussed in other threads, I see no reason to quit doing, what I do with all other house plants: When the top1/2 to 1 inch appears dry, I add water, while taking care, that there is positive drainage through the bottom of the pot. Frankly this plant looks healthier now, than it has ever looked outside. I attribute that to the lack of dry winds. In spring I will decide if it makes a good house plant, as it will bloom at a height of under 5 feet. It is interesting to note, that the leaf, which has fully matured indoors, has a slightly different colour, taking on a blue hue. This photo was taken on October 28 and shows the little spike of the new leaf emerging This picture, taken today, 11 days later than the one above shows that the little "spike" has attained full height and is starting to "unroll" the leaf, - proof positive, that the plant is still growing vigorously. __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

12-24-2011, 02:16 AM	#19 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 233,761 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter Two days ago was the shortest day of the year. There has been noticeable growth since then, even though it has slowed down. The previous two leaves have averaged out at about 18 days each, but the last one took a full month, but it did it without any artificial light(!). My hope is, that growth will again accelerate as the days grow longer. If that mirrors the rate of decline, we could have a sinus curve and have almost 3 more leaves by the time we return from Vietnam on March 14th and another three by mid May, when they can go outside again. At that time this Ornata should have achieved the height at which I have seen them flower. That would be the ideal time of the year for it to happen. However, there are lots of “ifs”. Meanwhile I have watered it whenever the top of the soil got “dryish” and the plant looks as healthy as it possibly can. I might post another picture of ia now much bigger plant, before I leave on January 11. __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them. Last edited by Olafhenny : 12-24-2011 at 02:20 AM.

12-25-2011, 03:28 PM	#20 (permalink)
laserlight laserlight's Photo Gallery Location: In a Teremok near Novyy Arbat Zone: 6 Name: Kevin or Kevz Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 611 BananaBucks : 98,293 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,197 Times Was Thanked 717 Times in 354 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 78 Times	Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter My banana plant is growing really slow but its healthy and has 3 leafs. =D __________________ Вырвем оранжевому хорьку его гнилые зубы.

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