GregTJ

New member here, just signed up! I've been an orchid grower for about 2 years now and I've picked up a lot of interesting plants along the way.

So on a whim 5 months ago I bought a Musa Double Mahoi TC clone. It was pretty small when I got it, but it's growing at an alarming rate.
I've been keeping it at ~70-90F (Night/Day respectively) and 30-40% RH under a mixed MH/HPS lighting setup where I grow most of my other tropical and desert plants.

So my question is; Is this pot big enough to support a fully grown Double Mahoi? (See attached picture.)
I think I have enough vertical space to grow it without a problem, but it's definitely going to take every inch of space and I may have to light it from the sides.
Has anything like this been fruited indoors before? Is it possible?

I have 7.5' ceilings and I live in Montana so outdoors is out of the question...

Sorry about the dark photo, it's too bright in my grow room to get a good picture so I took it in to my living room.

Botanical_Bryce

I would guess 30 gallon container would do the job.

Mark Dragt

I think it can be done. Larger the container the better. Jump up container sizes slowly. Only leave one pup at a time on the mat. Separate others and plant into their own containers. Keep in mind that when the plant gets closer to the ceiling that the leaves come out vertically and will touch your ceiling. So you may have to intervene and slowly move the leaf to the side.
Late spring through early fall your plant would love the outdoors. Then just bring it back in when it gets cold. This of course gets harder the bigger the pot, bigger the plant.
Good luck with your plant and keep the updates coming.

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GregTJ

Thank you both! Great advice. I will be sure to post updates in the future! I have an area of my house with vaulted 10+ foot ceilings, I can set up a light in there if I have to

Mark Dragt

10+ ceilings? Now you are talking.

Post a intro in the new member section. Tell us about yourself. Then other forum members can welcome you.

Also, Orchids? I love Orchids. You can post Orchid related stuf in the other plants section. I have two rescue Orchids that are blooming now. I may have to post some picts myself.

Welcome to the org.

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Gabe15

Here is a 'Dwarf Cavendish' (which for all practical purposes can be regarded as equivalent to the 'Double Cavendish') fruiting in a pot. The container in the photo I would estimate is about 14-16in across and 18-20in deep. Granted, this was in Hawaii outside, and getting the plant enough sunlight is difficult indoors, but it can be done. You can generally expect any indoor banana to be somewhat etiolated, and therefore also potentially taller than an equivalent outdoor plant.



On a somewhat unrelated note, the banana nerd in me must make it aware that using the name "Mahoi" (which is a misspelled version of the Hawaiian word "mahoe", which means "twins") should be avoided as there actually is/was a totally different cultivar called 'Mahoe', it hasn't been seen in many years however and is thought to be extinct now (though it wouldn't totally surprise me if there is one or two still hiding in the forest somewhere out there in Hawaii). It had the same mutation as the 'Dwarf Cavendish' sport known as 'Double Cavendish' or 'Double Mahoi', but is/was a Maoli-Popoulu cultivar. Using the name Mahoi/Mahoe for the Cavendish cultivar is misleading as it has sometimes been erroneously referred to as a true Hawaiian cultivar, which it is definitely not.

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Growing bananas in Colorado, Washington, Hawaii since 2004. Commercial banana farmer, 200+ varieties.

Starstryke

Hello,

A Musa Double Mahoi was the first banana that I bought early last year. It has since been in a 16 inch pot and is now about 4 feet tall. I moved it into the garage when what we get for winter came through but will move it outside probably next month. It seems pretty happy as I have it under a grow light and it has been putting out leaves pretty steadily over the winter months. Good luck with your container banana but watch out, I currently have 4 bananas in pots since I bought the double... you start with one but there are so many interesting varieties....

Mark Dragt

[quote=.. you start with one but there are so many interesting varieties....[/QUOTE]

It is so much fun to get just one more. And again. And again. Soon you don't know where you are going to put them for overwintering. If it's a curse, I don't want the cure.

BANANAS!

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CraigSS

My banana plant has been in the house for several months now and has not put out any new leaves. Top two leaves still very strong and green. The lower leaves have turned brown or are going that way. I keep my house in the winter relatively cool. 66*F during the day and 60*F during the night. I do have a standard fluorescent light on for 10 hours a day.
Question is: By adding a heat blanket around base of container will the plant start coming out of dormancy any faster? When the plant was outside it pushed out leaves every 7-10 days. Has not done that in months.
The heat blanket is used for starting seeds inside. I modified it so it wrapped around the container instead of being under it. The container is heavy and I was afraid of breaking the heater.

Any Thoughts?

Craig

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Starstryke

Not an expert but my thinking is to look at the light source and or the amount of water you are giving the plants. I give all of my bananas roughly 4 cups of water at the end of each week. They tend to like it but I have taken steps to prevent over watering by adding water absorbing crystals to a couple of places around each pot. I am using a grow light setup that I use to start seeds but you might want to check on the bulb you are using. Not sure if you need a full spectrum bulb or something to that effect but maybe some of the more knowledgeable people on here could help with that. Important note with this. none of my plants actually went dormant with this setup even though they were in an unheated garage.

Mark Dragt

I would be concerned with too much heat with the heat blanket. Lighting is probably more of an issue.

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Mark's Banana Forest Paradise