Minnesotan Ice Cream
 

Hello from the cold north - although not as far north as I see some Canadians in the forums. :) I recently bought an ice cream and dwarf cavendish, and have them potted and cozy near my gas fireplace. I'm already a mom to 3 so the new additions have me mothering them too. :)

The forums have been helpful so far. The plant leaves have burnt tips but the soil seems moist. I'm hoping it's only stress and will wait a few days to a week before watering again. Any advice is welcome!

Re: Minnesotan Ice Cream
 

Well, your Ice cream is probably a Namwa but we'll see. The sellers of ice cream cultivars are historically unreliable. On the flip-side, the Namwa is probably a better cultivar for your situation anyway :ha:

I'm glad the forums have been of help ... so often people charge in without reading the long history of experiences here.
:lurk:

I agree your climate is a lot colder than mine, and when I was in Alaska the folks in Anchorage proclaimed their climate was less harsh than yours!! On the otherhand, I have a colleague growing bananas indoors in Nome, AK ... :eek:

Re: Minnesotan Ice Cream
 

Hi. Stop watering! Let the soil dry out competely before watering. Too much water Will kill them. Good luck.

Re: Minnesotan Ice Cream
 

Welcome aboard,
pull up a chair and have some fun learning.

Re: Minnesotan Ice Cream
 

:whew: I didn't know there are variations of ice cream - will look it up.


That claim is hard to believe - I've watched so many Alaskan reality shows that things seem tame here! :D Maybe it's because oceanside cities tend to have a microclimate. Did your colleague get fruit from his plants?

Re: Minnesotan Ice Cream
 

Thank you! Does that mean the soil needs to feel bone dry before watering again? or is it more like a dry washcloth after a bath?

Re: Minnesotan Ice Cream
 

:0518:

Re: Minnesotan Ice Cream
 

1st: the place to check moisture are the holes in the bottom of the pot. A toothpick makes a great probe.

Next:
There are 5 levels of soil moisture -- you can count'em on the fingers of one hand ;)

1. Saturated (soggy). Often how the soil is while you are watering.
2. Wet. The soil after it's had a chance to drain.
3. Moist. Some aeration is present. The favorite zone of most plants.
4. Less than moist. Needs attentions soon. Some plants (not bananas) start wilting.
5. Dry. Many kinds of plants start wilting at this stage, some are dying or dead.

When you water, water thoroughly and let the container drain for a day. For bananas especially, having the pot sit in a tray of water is a poor idea.

If the soil on the surface starts to dry out, the plant might or might not need water. Check the holes at the bottom of the pot.

Re: Minnesotan Ice Cream
 

Thank you for the in-depth information, Richard! I didn't know to check the bottom of the pot -- that's news to me. The black pots here are unique in that there's lots of ventilation at the bottom. I'll check the area underneath.

UPDATE: Still moist, felt some drops of water. Seems enough for now.

Re: Minnesotan Ice Cream
 

Welcome to the Jungle!!!! :woohoonaner:

Generally in our zones when you and I bring our plants in for the winter you will see notice in Jan, Feb, March that your plants are screaming(like little kids)that they want to go outside to the brighter sun and natural warmth.

In this three month span my plants will start to show yellow/brown leaves and a general decline in the vigorous healthy growth they had outside. Some of them will lose all their leaves, however they all will grow back.

It is human nature to overwater you plant once it shows any kind of problem.
The previous posts pretty much sum it up.

Re: Minnesotan Ice Cream
 

Hi Adrean. Welcome to the forum.

Re: Minnesotan Ice Cream
 

Whew, thanks - I've been moving the plants around whenever sunlight comes in the window. Hope they pull through to April!

Re: Minnesotan Ice Cream
 

I'm in a 7b/8a, but I keep mine in a heated porch with sun during the day and then place them on the floor at night in front of the open duct. It heats the soil up to the low 70's. They seem to be doing great with this method. Might give it a shot.

Re: Minnesotan Ice Cream
 

Thanks -- we have a balcony but it isn't enclosed. For now I keep them in front of the gas fireplace and chase the sunbeams. :)

Re: Minnesotan Ice Cream
 

Yeah, it sounds like you have a similar routine then. Mine came in from Florida on 1/2, and by doing this, they still think they're there.

You might consider putting them on a warming mat at night too. I've been putting mine on the concrete, but I'm fixing to put a sheet of Styrofoam down to insulate them from the chill of the cement.