Bananas.org - View Single Post - Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter

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.

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 : 297,528 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.