Klee

Hello, I have two small Ae Ae / Musa paradisiaca / Variegated Hawaiian banana plants that are not doing well. They are my favorite plants and don't want to lose them! I got them 16 months ago. One has a trunk of 24" high and the other 14" high. They grow very very slowly and once in a while, they grow a new leaf (never have more than 3 leaves), but one leaf always gets brown before too long and I remove it. Unfortunately, one of the plants only has two leaves now, one alive and one brown, but I don't want to cut it down to one leaf. They get 75% shade from my other types of banana plants here in Soiuth Florida, so I don't think that's the issue. They have black mulch around them right now and I worry that the mulch may have damaged them. I plan to pot at least one of them and want to figure out how to help both of them. Suggestions would be most appreciated! Thank you!

parillo12

Are they always cold?

__________________
.


On a traffic light green means go and yellow means yield, but on a banana it's just the opposite. Green means hold on, yellow means go ahead, and red means where the hell did you get that banana at...

Klee

Thanks for your response. They are almost never cold. I live in South Florida where winter tends to be 80-50F, though there are dips in temperature once in a blue moon. I don't believe that tempereature is the issue because they suffered in hot months, too. Do you have experience with Ae Ae bananas? Do you have other ideas? Thanks!

Abnshrek

What do use for Fert? :^)

__________________


I'm a Nannerhead :^)

Klee

I use tropical fruit tree fertilizer 8-3-9. If my ph reader is accurate, the soil is at 6.5. Thanks. I am so worried about my plants.

sunfish

I think I would dig them out and pot them up in some good potting soil with extra perlite. Your plants should easily be 3 times that size in 16 months

Klee

Thanks, Tony. I think that's what I'll do. Thanks, everybody!

Greenie

Get them out of the 75 percent shade ASAP.They need "full sun" just like any other banana.You might also be over watering and with these colder night temps,its not a good thing.
I would make 2 new different holes the are at least 4 feet in W. and 3 d. Add a ratio of 3 to 1 of good potting soil and black cow.Some vermiculite,minerals and only water them on the initial planting.
With these cold temps I only water once a week.

pushak513

How do you keep the white from burning if left in full sun? I know they need just as much light as any other banana but my struttgart cannas look awful in full sun with a similar leaf type.

iz

I had problems too when I just got my pup variegated banana back in spring 2012. What was happening was that it was forming root rot and some rot on the top trunk. I snipped/cut off the rotted area on the root, bulb and the trunk until I didn't see any rots. I got rid of the old soil that had .25% perlite and sprayed the affected bulb/root with fungucide spray. I planted my v.banana on .80% perlite and .20% soil, and it is doing great now. This spring, I will put it in a larger pot w lots of holes for good drainage and rest the pot in ground. It should do well on full sun w about .20 shade because i did this on my other healthy bananas last year.

__________________
Going banana 4 bananas,
iz

Klee

Hi there,
My Ae Ae bananas are still suffering. I changed the soil, new leaves still form, but then they still get brown and die. I saw photos of Black Sigatoka fungus online and it looks like what happens to my plants here in South Florida. Is there a special fungicide I should try for my variegated bananas? Thanks!