watering
 

Hi all,
so my bananas are showing signs of lack of water. eg brown rims around the edges of the leaves. they are in around 10-14 degrees celsius all day every day. that's the room temperature before the heater goes to pilot light. however, as heat rises and that may mean that the air temperature at the top of my polytunnel is a lot higher. so where the new growth is. around 8 ft in height.
so my question is:
do I water them? its winter and i don't want root rot however, temperatures are 10+ degrees Celcius.
so what should I do?
any suggestion?
thanks :)

Re: watering
 

That is definite signs of being over-watered and can be an indication of over or under fertilization. .... The leaves of banana plants that need water will fold down first and then start drooping later. Mature banana plants can with stand drought for several months because of water stored within the pstem & corm. ....Two things will cause normal banana leaves to fold down: excessive heat and lack of water.

Re: watering
 

thanks for the reply,
you sure? the soil felt quite dry to me. its just the heater does produce a lot of open heat so wasn't too sure.
and its winter so didn't think we are meant to fertilise. am i wrong? idk what im really doing. it maybe the excessive heat. the heat rises to the top of the tunnel. so the lower temp maybe 10 degrees but the higher maybe 30. maybe I should put a thermometer at the top of the tunnel and see
thanks for the reply :)

Re: watering
 

Your are in full grow mode....your going to need some water.
You might start thinking of a heatsink of sorts for when the sun goes down.

Re: watering
 

I agree with Cinci .... You are in full growing mode. The nana plants doesn't know it is winter. ... As for the dry soil feel .... ARE we talking about soil in pots or the ground? For potted banana plants, a 'finger feel' of the top 1 or 2 of the soil 'DOES NOT WORK'. Get a long stem moisture meter and check the soil at the middle and bottom of the pot. Push the moisture meter though the bottom drain holes if you need to.


I would also suggest maintaining the polytunnel temp between 10 deg C & 20 deg C. It gets costly to operate it as a 'hot house', unless that is your intention. .... The heat in my greenhouse is set to maintain a minimum of 50 F (10 C) and is ventilated during the day to keep the radiant heat down.

Re: watering
 

thanks for the reply.
there's a photo on my gallery. the bananas are planted out. they are in the polytunnel. yeah i agree with you its expensive as hell.
thanks for the advice :)

Re: watering
 

thanks for the helps :)
okay i will. I use the heater but the heat sinks is a good idea.

Re: watering
 

Re: watering
 

if you have any advice or criticism of the photo let me know. love to improve :) especially from more experienced growers :)