my potted musas look all wilty.
 

I repotted my musas from a small pot to bigger ones about 6 weeks ago, and they are wilty looking. They are putting out new leaves well, and those ones look great until it puts out a couple more, then they start to droop. I think I had over watered in the beginning, but I have not watered them for some time. I have a moisture meter and it reads dry around the outer edges and top but moist in center and farther down still! The containers are more tall and narrow than wide. I actually pulled them right up and the roots are showing around the sides. The pots are also black. Could that be too hot for the roots in full sun? I do notice they are perkier in the early morning when it is cooler and in the shade. Its been a great June here, around 25-32C most every day and no rain. Very unusual for us!
Just waiting to get the stone patio down before I plant them in the ground. Not too sure yet where they will be going. Hope they will survive that long!

Re: my potted musas look all wilty.
 

Just sounds like a little plant shock & quit pulling your plants in & out of the pot. Your on the right track on backing off the water. Bigger pots hold more water, allot longer. One more thing you can do is to put them in the shade for awhile till the roots get hold. Good luck with them!!!

Re: my potted musas look all wilty.
 

Wilty looking? How so? Please post pics if possible.

Re: my potted musas look all wilty.
 

I am not sure how to get the pictures on this thread so I put them in my gallery. Any suggestions appreciated.

Re: my potted musas look all wilty.
 

Well, first off, the maroon one you didn't have a name for is an Ensete Ventricosum 'Maurelii' which is also known as the Red Abyssinian banana. Ensetes are actually not real bananas, they're 'false' bananas, being part of the genus 'ensete' rather than the banana genus 'musa.' Hope that helps ya (and I'm sure you can find more information on the wiki page about it).

As for the wilt, it looks like it's just stress from the heat during the day. The leaves on my bananas fold flat during the hot part of the day, then kinda pick back up at night. Nothing to worry about. Maybe someone else sees something I don't but that's my take on it, anyway.

Re: my potted musas look all wilty.
 

And I'm gonna post your pictures here so people can find them easily.




Hope that helps! I can also explain to you sometime how to post pics on the site if you're interested. Just let me know!

Re: my potted musas look all wilty.
 

Agreed, one more advice. When it is so hot and sunny, do not water the plant on the leaves, because they get easily burnt and that might be the last shock for them now.

Re: my potted musas look all wilty.
 

thanks alot to you both. Just after I repotted them and watered them, we had a few days of rain before our dry spell. I moved them to a sunnier spot to allow them to dry out as that was when they started to wilt. They are putting out new leaves and one has a pup that is growing. Now I moved them back to a place where they get the earlier sun and shade in the heat of the day. Now I am afraid to water them! The top 3-4" is dry and the outer sides are as well. Only the center is registering moist but only in a some places. It is a bit cooler now and there is suppose to be rain maybe in the next couple of days...
Yes, I would like to know how to post pictures on threads. I clicked on the attachment and it said not to but to click on the "this thread" and it came up no page found.
Thanks again!!!

Re: my potted musas look all wilty.
 

In the gallery, there is this text below any picture you will post to your gallery:
Just insert the text next to the descriptor saying Code for html site (copy and paste) you see in this picture to the thread:

Re: my potted musas look all wilty.
 

Just had to try it!!! Thanks again.

Re: my potted musas look all wilty.
 

I agree that most likely you are only seeing the banana's response from the heat. Even my large, well-established, in-ground bananas do this. Nothing to worry about unless you see them fold their leaves and then not open them back up once it cools off.

Re: my potted musas look all wilty.
 

Also, I wouldn't worry too much about shading them during the day. I have mine in full sun most of the day. They fold up during the hot hours of the day, but they love all the sun and have been growing noticeably faster since I moved them there. Bananas are tropical plants and love the sun. As for watering, just let them dry out a bit between waterings. With drain holes in the pot, well-draining soil and plants of that size, I don't believe you have to worry too much about overwatering.....but kinda let em dry out a bit before adding more anyway.

Re: my potted musas look all wilty.
 

banana leaves tend to do this: leaves fold in on themselves when under the sun/grow light, but they perk up when the sun/grow light goes down/turns off. totally normal. for my bananas the newer leaves that sprout since having them under the grow light tend to react better to the lighting. ie they dont wilt as bad as the leaves that were there when i received the plants (i have had them about a week). i blast em with 18 hrs. of grow-lightage and they are looking hella good.

Re: my potted musas look all wilty.
 

Not all the nanas do so. I've seen picture of plantains in Nicaragua and in the bright light, it had leaves pointed up and nicely flat...

Re: my potted musas look all wilty.
 

sweet!

Re: my potted musas look all wilty.
 

Thanks all! I noticed that today is cooler and they didn't perk up. They look like they are on their way out now (the older leaves) I guess I had good luck with the ones I planted in the ground 2 yrs ago. They didn't go droopy at all and hardly any bottom leaves yellowed or died.
I put more care in these ones in the pots with the soil and manure. Not the other ones in the ground. Go figure.....