Ablessed

I am growing bananas indoors in southern Manitoba. I was doing fine, thanks to great advice from many of you. See original post here:
Too cold for bananas?
But a new problem has arisen: the flowers on the underside of the stalk have begun to get moldy. White, moist fuzziness is what I see. (See pics in post below) I was hoping that the stalk was getting more air circulation since it began to hang downward more, but it's still happening. I have begun pulling off the shrivelled red bracts to allow the flowers to get more air. And today I set up a fan to help circulate the air. The flowers on top are fine, but growing extremely slowly. I have been keeping the temps at 70 deg and have put in four CFL lights to help the five big windows with the lighting. I thought the conditions were good. It is not as humid now as it was in the summer. Is this a sign of the end? Is there anything else I can do?

JP

I'd take off the petals... Might help. I never tried it though but hey, at that point, what do you have to lose?

Ablessed

Yes I did that. It seems to be helping. Had the fan going all last night too.

JP

Do you have a dehumidifier? What banana is it (just curious!)?

Ablessed

I have a dehumidifier. I'm surprised that it would be necessary because banana plants like humidity. I'm very surprised to find mildew at a time when the humidity is decreasing.
I wish I knew the type of plant. I lost the tag. But I'll ask at the store where I purchased it. It is a type of dwarf plant.

merce3

i think bananas thrive on humidity plus heat... if the temp drops then mold is going to be a problem.

__________________

JP

At least you've put your fan on.

Ablessed

Thanks for the tip.
I thought 70 F was warm enough. And it will be a struggle to keep it there as the winter sets in. So I think I'll keep the fan going (and maybe a heater).

RobG7aChattTN

It might just be the nectar that's getting moldy. Outside ants and hummingbirds keep it from accumulating.

Ablessed

I hope you're right.
I've got the wood stove on in the basement now. It usually dries and warms the house.

JP

Try adding your location in your profile my canadian friend. Wood stove is a great idea.

Ablessed

Here I finally have some pics to show:

JP

I think you should take off what's rotten...

Ablessed

I'll try that, once I can access them better. I am wondering how far inward the mildew goes. Maybe the banana part is okay. I hope the fan will stop the mildew from spreading to the actual bananas.

Coug99

My Gran Nain is doing the same thing after I brought it inside. I am going to cut off the flower where the flower starts to mold. I hope everything goes good for you.

Chris

Ablessed

That is unfortunate. I've got the fan on 24 hrs now.