Quote:
Originally Posted by saturn
Yes, it's still heavy.
I don't have a greenhouse. What can I do to simulate this?
It's in my warmest and brightest room, but not getting direct sun at the moment. Decent humidity.
Daytime is about 70F but can go up to nearly 80F. But down to 65F night.
Do I need more consistent warmth?
What do I need to do differently, because after 3 months of being potted up, it hasn't done anything.
Should I put it in a clear storage tote out of direct sun? I would also point a cfl bulb just above the soil.
So what's better about coarse sand, than my usual peat based potting mix? I have sand but it's not very coarse. I would be tempted to try pine bark fines instead, if having an open substrate is key.
Perhaps I should note that I also really cut back on watering, as I was waiting for signs of life.
Thanks for the help trying to save this plant.
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Those temps should be fine. I've tried it all (including bark fines). I love to experiment and I bet I have tried rooting corms in 50+ mediums, including different types of sand. Banana corms love to and do best in a simi dry well draining medium. On the other hand banana roots love to be wet and in super organic material.
They are very resistant plants and can grow in almost any soil if the moisture level is correct for that medium. If they are established and actively growing. Rootless corms (dead roots) or dormant plants can die in the same conditions.
Coarse sand is by far the best I have found to get roots to grow. It amazes me how well it does this. I only use sand to root corms. After they have roots I move them to a peat/perlite mix if potted. The best coarse sand is swimming pool filter sand or #8-16 sandblasting sand. Any sand would be better than pine fines IMO.
I put pebbles in the bottom of the pot to stop the sand from draining out of the pot. Then I fill sand and cover just to the top of the corm. Water very well slowly. Lots of water will drain out. After this first watering you will not water again for at least a week. Let all the water drip for an hour or so then move it inside so it won't make a mess. Or into a plastic tote would work great also to keep the house clean. If the corm is alive it will grow roots in coarse sand. Others reading this can confirm. Corse sand and perlite is a banana growers best tools.
I also would stay away from the corm in a bucket of water. Corms hate water and if it is not actively growing it could kill the corm or make it rot. Just my opinion.
Good luck with whatever method you try and keep us updated. We can all learn and improve. With bananas there is no "righ way".