I have a Dwarf Orinoco that I got in about a 4" pot this summer, and now it is 3' tall in a one gallon pot. It was outside over the summer, and I hope I can keep it going over the winter. I should probably repot it soon - should I do that over the winter? Do they have a 'dormant period'? Can I expect 'pups'?
Re: Growing a musa indoors kevind76 you can see in my picture that even the Dwarf Nam Wah had outgrown its 15 gallon pot. Since there is not naturally a dormant period for bananas I would repot it in the largest container you can manage and then consider growing it in the ground next season. It's growth will be stunted in such a small container. Over winter keep it as warm and brightly lit as you can.
Re: Growing a musa indoors Thanks. I'll repot it. As for growing it in the ground - I wish! A few points to consider 1. It would die if not dug up again in the fall (might as well just leave it in a pot) 2. The winds would rip it to shreds, and I don't have a sheltered enough spot where it would still get enough light. I could try it, as I can always get another one it this fails!
Re: Growing a musa indoors They would die overwinter here as well but the difference in growth rates are substantial. Last year , I had several different varieties that were grown in pots and in ground the potted plants had the early edge but by the end of the season the in ground plants were almost double the size of their counterparts. Since it's my goal to get one to flowering size I simply dug them up ,repotted and am overwiintering indoors. If they are too tall for your space you can simply whack the top clean off and they will start growing from the uppermost portion. I have a Blue Java aka Ice Cream banana plant that was shipped to me at 30" after being cut from 7 foot tall. It grew to about 8 feet(inground) and produced a 6 ft pup as well. I had to cut it back to about 6 ft to move it in my truck to a rented greenhouse for the winter. I visited it last week and is already pushing a new leaf. Fortunately the Super Dwarf Cavendish should be able to spend its entire life in a container and do well.
I might do that, but what about the wind? If they need high light, I don't have a spot that would protect it from the wind and still get enough light. How well do bananas take 70-100km/hr winds? This is extreme, but we do get strong storms, and all it needs is one to trash it for the season.
The plants leaves will get shredded and look like pinnate palm leaves after such high winds but remain viable as far as acting as the plants "solar panel". Damage is usually soley cosmetic. Larger established plants don't USUALLY get knocked over but there's no guarantee, You know your site better than I so go with your instincts on that. An alternative might be just using the largest pot you can manage. I bought a hand truck to move my largest and save the spine.
Could I stake the stem somehow so that when we do get a strong wind, at least it doesn't break? I understand the stem is almost entirely water, so how would I do this so I don't damage it?
