andy17

Hi everyone,
I have an Ice Cream Banana currently growing in what I estimate to be about a 2 or 3 gallon pot (11" x 8") that it is rapidly outgrowing. It has been a blast to watch it grow, and just two months after I got it, the pseudostem is almost 2 feet! However, I've noticed the leaves continue to get more and more droopy and wilty looking each week despite thorough waterings and moist soil. It just doesn't look happy anymore. I have a 30 gal. Smart Pot on the way, but it will be at least another week before I can repot it. I really believe this is a Tall Namwah type because of all the pink, orange, and red on the plant rather than a true Blue Java. Is this normal for this plant? My Basjoo in comparison (also in a pot) doesn't look anything like this. Also, would a 30 gal. be sufficient for it to be relatively happy? I know this plant gets huge, but a 30 gal. is probably the limit as to how big a container I can currently manage. I'm not quite sure what's wrong. The only thing that comes to mind, however, is those poor plants you see at garden centers that have long since outgrown their pots but still try to struggle on until the midday heat hits and they get all wilted looking. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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sunfish

Maybe some shade until you can re-pot

Abnshrek

I have a mister on my banana's in smaller pots (<25gal) and they are doing great. :^)

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I'm a Nannerhead :^)

venturabananas

To me it looks fine except perhaps heat stressed. How hot has it been where you are?

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andy17

Glad to hear! It's been pretty hot. Two weeks ago we had near record heat with temps pushing 109-110 F. The last week or two, temps have cooled down noticeably to the low to mid 90's, but as the plant continues to get bigger, the droopiness during midday increases as well. A good watering in the evening around dusk revives the plant pretty well and the leaves perk up, although not completely. Only my ice cream seems to do this though, so I was curious if it was maybe a characteristic of the variety?

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"Gardening is the purest of human pleasures." --Francis Bacon

venturabananas

Well, sounds like it is fine -- with temps like that, you'd expect to see some droopy banana leaves as it's a way they avoid losing water. I haven't noticed any varieties being particularly susceptible, but I don't live in an area where heat stress is very common. My guess would be that this particular plant has a lot of leaf surface area relative to roots, corm, and p-stem, and so it gets water stressed more easily that others you have.

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andy17

That's a really good point. This plant is in a pot smaller than my Basjoo and has easily three times the plant mass, especially the leaves, which are huge in comparison. Thanks for your help btw are you a diver (profile pic)?

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"Gardening is the purest of human pleasures." --Francis Bacon

venturabananas

No problem. Yes, I dive for research (I'm a marine biology professor) and play.

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andy17

That's awesome! I recently got diving certified this year.

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"Gardening is the purest of human pleasures." --Francis Bacon