katgum

I've been wanting to grow banana plants the fruit and are small. It seems that the Super Dwarf Cavendish and Dwarf Orinico are about the right size, but I wanted to know how easy they are for beginners.

Also, what size containers should they be placed in? From what I'm reading, the final container should be about 35 gallons for the Orinico, or close to that. Is that correct? And would that also be the same for the Cavendish?

Also, if I used the Smart Pots in a landscaping setting, would they still self-prune without the light, or do they have to have the light to self-prune.

I'm in Zone 9, where the soil is very clay like. One reason for wanting the pots. Also, we have to worry about hurricanes, although not so much this year.

Thanks.

Kat

sunfish

From what I understand it is air pruning if the pots were buried you whould lose the self pruning.

katgum

Thanks, I just wanted to double check on the Smart Pots.

Eric

From what I've read, pot-size isn't as critical as some believe and the 35 gallon should work just fine. From one gardener's experience (Pits Newsletter), starting the dwarfs in 8" pots then re-potting in 15" diameter pots works well & produces great fruits. The reason for the smaller pots, at start, was to enhance stem & leaf growth of the pup. The 15" diameter not only increased later rhizome & root development but also prevented tipping (a special problem where wind is concerned).
The Smart Pots are a great choice & have been used very successfully indoors, as well. The fabric plays an important role in the root-pruning.
Due to all the great aeration, a slightly more moisture-retentive soil is advised. A mix of 40% garden soil, 40% sand, & 20% compost should do very well. Periodic rotations of the pots is helpful in case you might need to move the plants at some point. Root anchoring is a problem with this type of pot.
Oh, I've also heard that the Smart Pots can be washed in a regular washing machine using Oxyclean. Ya might wanna look into that too. I also heard that they should Not be put in a drier.
I grow both varieties myself (dwarf Cavendish & Orinoco). Best of Luck with the Hurricane issue.
Hope this helps .

jmoore

What's a 'Smart Pot'?

LilRaverBoi

Both SDC, dwarf cavendish and dwarf orinoco would be excellent choices. They all stay fairly small and produce edible fruits. These also are pretty easy to find at affordable prices and are great plants for beginners.

As far as pot size, 35 should work well for the mature plants, but I would recommend a smaller pot for early growth. I say this because if you put a plant in too large of a pot, the roots aren't able to use the water from all areas in the pot, which means it will take much longer to dry out (while parts around the plant are dryer) and can lead to issues like fungus, gnats, etc in my experience. Opinions do differ on this though.

Smart pots work well for bananas, but are difficult to move around, so they might not be the best choice if you're planning on moving the plants around.

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katgum

Thanks for all the advice.

Eric

It's a fabric pot (almost sack-like) that has been used by tree growers etc for about 20 years now. Because of it's fabric surface, it's also called an Aeration pot. Advantages are that it promotes a natural root-pruning effect. Root-pruning encourages smaller roots to branch from the larger ones which increases uptake of nutrients and, thereby, produces healthier plants. Since it's porous, it also has better drainage & reduces soil temps. An experiment in New Hampshire showed that, on a 80 degree F day, soil temps could rise as high as 125 degrees F in other types of pots.
One problem, however, is that they need to be periodically rotated to prevent root-anchoring when used outdoors on the ground.
There's been some debate about whether they make a good replacement for a Raised Garden but, for other uses, I'm pretty much sold on the idea.
Hope this helps .

Oh, almost forgot, they also tend to be cheaper than clay pots and are re-usable. Since ya can fold them up, they can be stored in a small space, and they can even be washed in a washing machine using Oxyclean. However, it's Not recomended that ya toss them in a drier. They come in lots of different sizes and, from what I've heard, last for years (the material they're made of is Inert).
BYE