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Sixwing · 04-10-2009, 04:35 PM

Hi all!
I've tried the search function seven ways from Sunday and can't seem to find what I'm after, so here goes:

I'm thinking of getting a banana plant. There's a few obstacles, not the least of which being that I live in zone 6 and it gets cooooold here at night - so no shipping until it quits freezing every day, and the Theoretical Banana will have to live inside, in a container. Specifically, I'm thinking Dwarf Cavendish.
Also, it's high desert here - I don't know how much plants care about altitude, but they do care about humidity, and we have not much.

I know for some outdoor plants that want more moisture around their roots, a small, spreading ground cover can be really useful. I happen to have some Soleirolia soleirolii as a houseplant - it, too, likes bright, indirect light and lots of moisture. It also spreads like a weed, and I have no idea about any allelopathic tendencies from either it or Musa sp. If I pot it up with the Theoretical Banana, will it perform its insulating function and be cool, or is this a bad idea?

I may be able to overcome the lack of humidity by placing the Theoretical Banana by the fish tank - it's open top (and loses half a gallon a day to evaporation, sheesh) so the humidity is higher in its little region. Think it'll work?

The aquarium also has its own powerful lighting, which spills over and illuminates the surrounding area. Right now, I'm sprouting marigolds in the light spill. I'm about to upgrade from a 6500K CFL floor lamp to a 50/50 10000K/460nm actinic T5 light, which will still have plenty of light spill; another thread wondered if bananas might respond well to the actinic. I don't care much about it since it's a freshwater, planted tank, and the plants don't seem to care either - anyone have experience with that high of a color temperature?
(The 50/50 bulb comes with the fixture, unfortunately; I'd much prefer the 6000-8000K range. Maybe I should look into a replacement bulb while I'm looking at that shiny new fixture.)

My other houseplants get used fishtank water when I do the water changes. It's a mild and somewhat inconsistent fertilizer (Nitrate 5-20 ppm, no idea P or K; there is some, no doubt, but I don't have test kits for it). Would the Theoretical Banana like some, too? Or does it want something different, more consistent, less often? They seem to be pretty heavy feeders from what I've read online.

Thanks!

04-10-2009, 04:35 PM	#1 (permalink)
Sixwing Bananawanabe Location: SW Colorado Zone: 6 Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 40 BananaBucks : 12,603 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 10 Times Was Thanked 20 Times in 16 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 13 Times	First banana, indoors, many questions Hi all! I've tried the search function seven ways from Sunday and can't seem to find what I'm after, so here goes: I'm thinking of getting a banana plant. There's a few obstacles, not the least of which being that I live in zone 6 and it gets cooooold here at night - so no shipping until it quits freezing every day, and the Theoretical Banana will have to live inside, in a container. Specifically, I'm thinking Dwarf Cavendish. Also, it's high desert here - I don't know how much plants care about altitude, but they do care about humidity, and we have not much. I know for some outdoor plants that want more moisture around their roots, a small, spreading ground cover can be really useful. I happen to have some Soleirolia soleirolii as a houseplant - it, too, likes bright, indirect light and lots of moisture. It also spreads like a weed, and I have no idea about any allelopathic tendencies from either it or Musa sp. If I pot it up with the Theoretical Banana, will it perform its insulating function and be cool, or is this a bad idea? I may be able to overcome the lack of humidity by placing the Theoretical Banana by the fish tank - it's open top (and loses half a gallon a day to evaporation, sheesh) so the humidity is higher in its little region. Think it'll work? The aquarium also has its own powerful lighting, which spills over and illuminates the surrounding area. Right now, I'm sprouting marigolds in the light spill. I'm about to upgrade from a 6500K CFL floor lamp to a 50/50 10000K/460nm actinic T5 light, which will still have plenty of light spill; another thread wondered if bananas might respond well to the actinic. I don't care much about it since it's a freshwater, planted tank, and the plants don't seem to care either - anyone have experience with that high of a color temperature? (The 50/50 bulb comes with the fixture, unfortunately; I'd much prefer the 6000-8000K range. Maybe I should look into a replacement bulb while I'm looking at that shiny new fixture.) My other houseplants get used fishtank water when I do the water changes. It's a mild and somewhat inconsistent fertilizer (Nitrate 5-20 ppm, no idea P or K; there is some, no doubt, but I don't have test kits for it). Would the Theoretical Banana like some, too? Or does it want something different, more consistent, less often? They seem to be pretty heavy feeders from what I've read online. Thanks!