Originally Posted by edwmax

While the air temp has been 95° + or as much as 105° (???), the direct sunlight on the leaf can be as hight as 130° +.


This why I previously suggested the plants need afternoon shading and misting several times a day to cool the leaves & plant.



Also, as you have noted the top soil is rapidly drying out each day after watering. This is soil-water evaporation. This is a measurement your local Ag weather service reports for your area. Find out what your loss rate is.



In my area soil evaporation loss runs about .25" to.33" per day per sq ft. This is approximately 150 gal/day for a 10ft circle around a plant. ... So some daily watering is not bad when done in a manner to replenish evaporation loss in the top soil and not flood & drowning the plant roots. ... Your evaporation loss due to the higher temps & soil structure would likely be more than this.


Applying a thick layer of mulch or straw will certainly help cool the banana plant roots.


Last summer when my temps were in the high 90° & 100° and drought conditions, my banana plant leaves never dropped because I misted 3 & 4 Xs a day and watered morning & evening keeping the ground around the plants moist. ... I'm not having that problem this summer.