mattachu

Hey,

I have three banana plants, California Gold, Grain Nain(Chiquita) and a Basjoo fiber plant. The plants are still in 6" pots and when I place them out in the morning sun they seem ok but the leaves get really soft and when the sun gets a little stronger I put them in the shade but seems the dry heat of Utah is messing with the leaves. They seem to be struggling so far and I am really thinking it's because the moisture in the air is nowhere near what Florida is (these plants origin). The Basjoo seems stronger so far but I have also had that plant for about a month an a half and the other two I just recieved them 2 days ago. When they arrived the leaves looked thick, dark green and strong but now not so much. How can I help these little guys along?

sunfish

You need to acclimate them to full sun. Start them out in full shade and over a couple weeks give them more sun.

Bob3

In addition to what Sunfish says, be sure to resist the urge to over-water the critters, at least until they get well established.

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sunfish

Thank You

Bob3

Yer welcome.
You have 67°??? We just cracked 100°!!!

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sunfish

I know it's been pretty cool down here.Fog. It's pretty nice though.

palmtree

I agree, overwatering and too much sun are big problems for young banana plants. Give it as much shade as possible. Once you see a new leaf unfurling put it in just a little more sun and hopefully it will be in full sun around June. Once bananas get older they acclimate from indoors MUCH easier because you can just cut off the indoor leaves, send it into full sun and wait for it to fill out. When they are young you cant afford to take off all the leaves.
Good luck!

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Location: New York City, zone 7b

bananarama2

I'd say you are right on track with your thinking. The fresh, green and healthy growth of the plants when they were in Florida is a result of the roots being able to supply as much moisture to the tissues as was being lost to the atmosphere. Utah is obviously much drier than Florida, and the rate of moisture loss is going to be considerably higher as a result. Bananas require a lot of water to maintain their soft tissue health, so you just need to supply more soil moisture to them. Lots of organic matter in the soil will help hold moisture, and if kept in pots, a large saucer that can maintain extra moisture for the roots to access will go a long way toward healthier plants in your heat and dry conditions. I always start new plants off in bright shade for at least a week to allow them to acclimatize to local climate conditions, especially if imported from a significantly different climate area. Hope this helps, and good luck!

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