Thread: Newbie!
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Old 10-25-2009, 09:13 AM   #14 (permalink)
Eric
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Default Re: Newbie!

Welcome aboard, Claria ! For a 1.5 to 2 foot plant, I use a 9 inch wide/tall pot. That may actually be a little small but it worked last winter. For anything larger, I'd use a pot almost twice as big.
Most banana plants grow very slowly in the winter. To avoid corm-rot (soft spots on the stem which can kill banana plants), I water very little in winter & always let my plants sit dry for about a day. I also keep them by a Very sunny window & give them very little food (because of the slow growth).
Tony (Sunfish) is definitely right about Scott's. I've heard a Lot of bad reports on that fertilizer. As a rule of thumb, bananas like 2-1-3 type mixes (nitrogen-phosphorous-potash). This means 1 1/2 times more potash (potassium) than nitrogen.
For soil mix, I use 40% potting soil, 40% compost, & 20% sand (or vermiculate). Bananas are heavy feeders But need lots of good drainage (sand or vermiculate etc). Also, I gave up on pots with attached trays. Be careful about the roots But re-potting wouldn't hurt a thing right now.
Also, Bananas grown indoors usually like to stay at about 72 degrees F (22 C) or higher. If they get too cool, they can go dormant (quit growing). If that happens, stop all watering & feeding till spring.

This is ONLY how I take care of mine. I've only been growing & over-wintering them for 3 years now & there are Lots of other members who know a Lot more than I do.

For Identification, you can post a photo in the "Banana Identification" section. The experts here will look it over & let ya know what you have. Each species has different needs for care.
If ya need help with photo stuff, me & my dad created a guide. It's a little complicated but if ya do it once, it gets easy from there on. Just click on the link below:
Creating Albums & Posting Photos
(On the "Michael James" thing, that was my Old Username)

Anyway, it's a very friendly & info-packed site. If ya have any questions about using the forum, just ask!
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