katykat

I am so grateful for the advice I've been getting from the experts on this forum! One last question and I'll quit being a pest . . . at least for a while :-)
I have two Ensete Maurelli plants that I purchased from big box stores. [IMG][/IMG]Both are planted in part sun/part shade and get most mid-day sun.
Both develop brown edges and the lower leaves curl up and die; the cigar leaves have spots along the edges almost as soon as they unfurl. I tried Sevin dust and --after one developed holes in the leaves--slug/snail bait.
I'm in Zone 8b, outside of Houston, and it is very hot and humid here, especially right now. Please take a look at my pictures and tell me what you think the problem is . . . I'm totally stumped!
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edwmax

1. check the soil PH.
2. what type of mulch is that?

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cincinnana

Black mulch will COOK your plants.

For giggles place a thermo on the mulch .......should read 125-140...great for ribs..... but not for plants...
Add the fence ouch...for the radiant heat
Black mulch looks nice.......but it will cook your plants.
Red is almost as bad....

An alternative is needed if you want to continue.

I know.......wrong answer, but that is what is needed.

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a.hulva@coxinet.net

What do you think the pH should be?

katykat

Oh, no--I have that mulch EVERYWHERE. Most plants are doing fine, but that spot gets some killer sun in the middle of the day. I suppose it would explain why the Australian tree ferns are frying also.

Cincinanna, you're growing Datura? Do you sell the plants? I'd love to get one.

edwmax

Bananas like slightly acid soil. There are varying opinions on the acid range but usually about 5.8 to 6.5 Ph. Ph above 7 or below 5 indicates a problem for bananas possibly wrong type of fertilizer being used OR (mulch as stated below) ...

The purpose of the above question was to determin if anything was going on with the soil. The mulch looks like a colored ground 'white wood' which will steal nitrogen away from the plant and likely change the soil Ph as it rots. .... Yes, the nitrogen will eventually become available again for the plant, but by that time it may be too late.

And I (now that I think about it) also agree with Cinci about 'black' or 'red' mulch being HOT, which also accelerates rotting of the white wood.

I suspect several things needs to be done for those nana plants.

1) Remove and replace the mulch with straw or leaf litter.
2) Amend to soil to correct the Ph.
3) (may be ?) change type of fertilizer

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katykat

The mulch is dyed--the first time it rained, I had black water everywhere. Unfortunately, I can't remove the black mulch--there is WAY too much of it--I basically have a back garden rather than a back yard, and it's all mulched. I can possibly put straw under and around the plants that are getting cooked and at least reflect a bit more light away from them.
Amazingly, I have other areas with bananas, hibiscus and ginger that get more sun but the plants are doing fine. The spots with the ensetes are (1) on the side of my house, where it is protected from sun except between about 11:00 and 4:00 (I have another young banana in virtually the same position that is doing fine). The second ensete is in a different spot that gets sun for maybe or two hours of sun, tops. Otherwise it's shaded by my Namwahs, the fence, or something else.
Do ensetes have a higher need for balanced Ph than other bananas?

edwmax

I think you need to determin the soil Ph first. Then you will know what to do. Other wise we could be just spinning our wheels here.

A good option would be to pot (large pot) the plant in good soil for rehabilitation. This would give you a chance to inspect the roots and clean if necessary. ... Otherwise rake back the black mulch and replace with straw/leaf litter and see what happens.

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a.hulva@coxinet.net

I have five. Four came from a local Lowes store and had a stem 2/3 feet. They have doubled in the last two months. I have another in a different location that I have had going on it's third year. It looked the same as yours or worse. I jerked it out last week and it had a sorry root system. I have potted it in half perlite and half potting mix. We'll see.
I have watered with very hard well water for years and I believe the calcium has built up in the soil until now it has a pH of 7.5 which in my opinion is way too high for bananas. Should be 5 to 6. I have put pelletized sulfur on with little results. I am now going to apply powered sulfur an see what happens.

katykat

Al, thanks for the comment. I hope you'll update when you know how your perlite/potting soil intervention works out. I think I'll pull one of my Encetes up and check the roots . . . pretty wet soil here.

Lokalrunde

For me that plant looks like it needs potassium.

Tytaylor77

I agree! Looks like it could be a potassium deficiency problem. The coloring and way it's dropping leaves. Could be a lot of other things also. What kind of fertilizer do you give them?

I'm just a couple hours above you and I agree with the black mulch! NOT IN TEXAS LMAO! Hope you get it figured out.

edwmax

Sulfur takes time to work. The elemental sulfur has to be converted to sulfate by soil microbe activity before acidification of the soil takes place. This link gives guid to calculate the amount of sulfur needed: Soil Acidification: How to Lower Soil pH | Ohioline.

Another general 'rule of thumb' for potted plants is to apply (wet of dry) 1/2 teaspoon of sulfur per 6 inches of pot diameter to lower pH
by half a point.

Aluminum sulfate will work the quickest at 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lb per 10 sft to lower 1 point.

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edwmax

I agree, but that could be due to a problem of the roots causing an inability to takeup the available fertilizer. Checking the soil Ph would verify or eliminate problems within the soil which may be effecting the roots.

If we know what type of fertilizer used and how often it was applied, we could then determine if the fertilizer was adequate.

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edwmax

Rake the mulch into piles and burn it. Put the ashes back into the flower beds. It's potash (aka: potassium).

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a.hulva@coxinet.net

I have several Maurelii. Three are in the ground two are wonderful. Doubled in 2 1/2 months. Three are in my banana bed, one in a pot and one dead. The one in the pot did great for about a month then stalled out. No leaf damage. One the the ground did the same thing. On removel the one in the pot had very few viable roots. I planted in the wrong soil mix and not nearly enough drain holes in the pot. The combination rotted the roots. It's hopefully slowly recovering, I hope. Another in the ground was not in quite as bad shape. May have had a Vole eating roots or too much water or both. These plants don't have roots the same other varieties and are very sensitive to water. They love full sun and heat and excellent drainage. When the look like yours it is in big trouble. I would dig it out and I bet most roots are black. Replant in a pot with 50% of a good quality soil MIX and 50% or more perlite. Let us knock how it does.