effect of a small pot?

oil · 07-15-2009, 06:58 PM

I am new to growing bananas by myself and I need to keep it in a pot as I live in an apartment at the moment. My question is this: what is the effect of keeping the plant in a medium pot instead of a large pot?
Rot?
Will not grow as big?
Will not give fruit?
All of the above?
None?

LilRaverBoi · 07-15-2009, 07:39 PM

Well it shouldn't cause rot unless you have poorly-draining soil and over-water. The main thing is that the plant very likely won't get quite as large. As for fruiting, it's definitely possible, but may be more difficult to get it to happen. And when the plant does fruit, it will have fewer and smaller fruit than it would have had in the ground. If you can only do pots I'd stick with dwarf varieties or things that don't get more than 8' tall or so. Any of the large varieties will be very difficult to grow in pots....but I'm sure it's been done. There are plenty of people who grow container plants on the site (I'm one of them) and it works fine for most of us....so I'm sure you'll be just fine! When the plant gets large, just put it in the largest pot you can do with your given amount of space.....when it comes to container-grown naners, the larger the pot, the better luck you will have with plant health/fruit. Hope that helps!

oil · 07-15-2009, 08:47 PM

Thanks for the answer. I really don't want to treat the plant badly. But I am not a tall person and I don't want to get a pot that is too big for me to work with.

LilRaverBoi · 07-15-2009, 08:55 PM

My plants are in 7 gallon pots right now and the biggest is about 4 feet tall. I would say eventually you'll want a 25 gallon or so and for most dwarf varieties that should work fine. Like I said though...the bigger the better.

ewitte · 07-16-2009, 05:56 AM

Currently using

45gal - Raja Puri
65gal - Ice Cream

Dalmatiansoap · 07-16-2009, 06:00 AM

How do U handle with such large pots?

ewitte · 07-16-2009, 06:17 AM

They do not move. If I were to change houses and they had to move I would dig up the corm and repot.

A few weeks ago the 45gal. Its on the 3rd leaf since this picture. Notice the blue 25gal righ next to it is about the same height but this one is wider.

Patty in Wisc · 07-16-2009, 11:38 AM

My Ice cream is also in a 65 gal Smart Pot like Ewitte's. It is made of a heavy weed barrier type fabric & impossible to move unless you have it on plywood w/ casters under. Nanas like wide pots as the roots don't go deep but they will spread out. It was in a 30 gal (indoors here) all winter till it got rootbound. Signs were: the last 2 leaves came out smaller & real skinny.
I have seen pics here (somewhere) of a big nana in a pot that produced a real nice bunch of nanas so don't give up!!
Oh yeah, to move a large pot - use a dolly if you don't have casters. I move all my plants in & out in spring & fall & could not do so w/out my dolly.

Patty in Wisc · 07-16-2009, 11:43 AM

Ewitte, have you noticed that you have to wet down the outer part of SmartPot more often? It dries out more than a plastic pot so I really soak it around the perimeter of pot.

Bob · 07-16-2009, 03:40 PM

Patty, somehow you conveniently didn't mention the skid steer at your disposal.

LilRaverBoi · 07-16-2009, 04:00 PM

LOL....yeah, a minor detail omitted.

Guess I have access to one at my parents house, but I'm 5 hrs away and my naners are on a 3rd story rooftop, so yeah....that doesn't really help much, huh?

ewitte · 07-16-2009, 04:28 PM

Everything has to be soaked this time of year

Most of the water that plant gets is from the sprinkler system that runs for 15 minutes every day about 5am. More water gets on the ground than in the pot.

I also fertilize about once a week.

Patty in Wisc · 07-16-2009, 07:20 PM

Oh yeah...ha ha, forgot to mention the skidster for the 65 gal pot. Tog said I looked like I was fighting aliens -- like Sigourney Weaver in her machine LOL.
I fert every week too. I mix 4-5 gals. worth & pour all in that pot & in between I water the edges.
You know, we'll have to use the skidster to move it back into the house (arghhh). Through the garage & set it in doorway on plywood w/ wheels on & push it into living room. Nope, I don't think that'll work. Gotta take it out of pot & move both seperately after scooping out the soil into buckets. Sheesh, I'm tired thinking about it.

ewitte · 07-16-2009, 08:43 PM

Lol I'm just going to cut the leaves off and put something around the stem, mulch on the bottom. Rarely goes under 32. We had a time last winter about 25F but thats rare for here.

Talking about cool temps I'll be so happy to get out of the heat. Lol I just got a $370 electricity bill. Where I'm going next month the highs and lows are in the 60's right now.

LilRaverBoi · 07-16-2009, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ewitte

Rarely goes under 32. We had a time last winter about 25F but thats rare for here.

Damn...must be NICE! Last winter it hit -37 degrees in my hometown. I hate winter in Iowa! But luckily 4" of snow in Missouri is a 'BLIZZARD!!!!!' and they cancel school for it. And then it melts in 2-3 days. Hell...if they canceled school for 4" of snow in Iowa, we wouldn't have class from November through February!! LOL.

musa_monkey · 07-17-2009, 07:48 AM

How big they get will depend on your water and feeding regime. I have a lot of basjoos in 30 litre (approx 8 US gallon) pots. Some of them are up to 7ft tall. They are watered heavily every day and fed at least once a week with liquid seaweed or similar high nitrogen feed. The larger ones are now three years old and are looking great in the middle of our typical wet summer.

07-15-2009, 06:58 PM	#1 (permalink)
oil Mad Scientist Find me on the map! Zone: 9 Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 4 BananaBucks : 5,033 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	effect of a small pot? I am new to growing bananas by myself and I need to keep it in a pot as I live in an apartment at the moment. My question is this: what is the effect of keeping the plant in a medium pot instead of a large pot? Rot? Will not grow as big? Will not give fruit? All of the above? None?

07-15-2009, 07:39 PM	#2 (permalink)
LilRaverBoi Nanner Time! LilRaverBoi's Photo Gallery Location: Cedar Rapids, IA Find me on the map! Zone: 5 Name: Bryan Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 2,937 BananaBucks : 119,209 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 534 Times Was Thanked 2,243 Times in 1,245 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 855 Times	Re: effect of a small pot? Well it shouldn't cause rot unless you have poorly-draining soil and over-water. The main thing is that the plant very likely won't get quite as large. As for fruiting, it's definitely possible, but may be more difficult to get it to happen. And when the plant does fruit, it will have fewer and smaller fruit than it would have had in the ground. If you can only do pots I'd stick with dwarf varieties or things that don't get more than 8' tall or so. Any of the large varieties will be very difficult to grow in pots....but I'm sure it's been done. There are plenty of people who grow container plants on the site (I'm one of them) and it works fine for most of us....so I'm sure you'll be just fine! When the plant gets large, just put it in the largest pot you can do with your given amount of space.....when it comes to container-grown naners, the larger the pot, the better luck you will have with plant health/fruit. Hope that helps! __________________ BANANA RAVE! Feel the beat from start to stop, dancin' and movin' from bottom to top! lilraverboi@genxglow.com RIP Tog Tan. We love you and will always remember you! I'm Bryan with a Y! There is no 'I' in BRYAN!

07-15-2009, 08:47 PM	#3 (permalink)
oil Mad Scientist Find me on the map! Zone: 9 Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 4 BananaBucks : 5,033 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: effect of a small pot? Thanks for the answer. I really don't want to treat the plant badly. But I am not a tall person and I don't want to get a pot that is too big for me to work with.

07-15-2009, 08:55 PM	#4 (permalink)
LilRaverBoi Nanner Time! LilRaverBoi's Photo Gallery Location: Cedar Rapids, IA Find me on the map! Zone: 5 Name: Bryan Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 2,937 BananaBucks : 119,209 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 534 Times Was Thanked 2,243 Times in 1,245 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 855 Times	Re: effect of a small pot? My plants are in 7 gallon pots right now and the biggest is about 4 feet tall. I would say eventually you'll want a 25 gallon or so and for most dwarf varieties that should work fine. Like I said though...the bigger the better. __________________ BANANA RAVE! Feel the beat from start to stop, dancin' and movin' from bottom to top! lilraverboi@genxglow.com RIP Tog Tan. We love you and will always remember you! I'm Bryan with a Y! There is no 'I' in BRYAN!

07-16-2009, 05:56 AM	#5 (permalink)
ewitte ewitte's Photo Gallery Location: Houston Zone: 9 Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 449 BananaBucks : 50,555 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 194 Times in 107 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: effect of a small pot? Currently using 45gal - Raja Puri 65gal - Ice Cream

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07-16-2009, 06:00 AM	#6 (permalink)
Dalmatiansoap Let there be light Dalmatiansoap's Photo Gallery Location: Makarska, Croatia Find me on the map! Zone: 9 Name: Ante Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 9,161 BananaBucks : 617,288 Feedback: 10 / 100% Said "Thanks" 6,508 Times Was Thanked 8,383 Times in 3,032 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 720 Times	Re: effect of a small pot? How do U handle with such large pots? __________________ https://abnb.me/AXJty518xib

07-16-2009, 06:17 AM	#7 (permalink)
ewitte ewitte's Photo Gallery Location: Houston Zone: 9 Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 449 BananaBucks : 50,555 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 194 Times in 107 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: effect of a small pot? They do not move. If I were to change houses and they had to move I would dig up the corm and repot. A few weeks ago the 45gal. Its on the 3rd leaf since this picture. Notice the blue 25gal righ next to it is about the same height but this one is wider.

07-16-2009, 11:38 AM	#8 (permalink)
Patty in Wisc tropical nut Patty in Wisc's Photo Gallery Zone: 5 Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 3,115 BananaBucks : 347,026 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 2,946 Times Was Thanked 2,510 Times in 1,203 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 69 Times	Re: effect of a small pot? My Ice cream is also in a 65 gal Smart Pot like Ewitte's. It is made of a heavy weed barrier type fabric & impossible to move unless you have it on plywood w/ casters under. Nanas like wide pots as the roots don't go deep but they will spread out. It was in a 30 gal (indoors here) all winter till it got rootbound. Signs were: the last 2 leaves came out smaller & real skinny. I have seen pics here (somewhere) of a big nana in a pot that produced a real nice bunch of nanas so don't give up!! Oh yeah, to move a large pot - use a dolly if you don't have casters. I move all my plants in & out in spring & fall & could not do so w/out my dolly. __________________ Got a lite? Patty ____ Patty in Wisc has sadly passed away 9/05/11. We will miss you Patty.

07-16-2009, 11:43 AM	#9 (permalink)
Patty in Wisc tropical nut Patty in Wisc's Photo Gallery Zone: 5 Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 3,115 BananaBucks : 347,026 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 2,946 Times Was Thanked 2,510 Times in 1,203 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 69 Times	Re: effect of a small pot? Ewitte, have you noticed that you have to wet down the outer part of SmartPot more often? It dries out more than a plastic pot so I really soak it around the perimeter of pot. __________________ Got a lite? Patty ____ Patty in Wisc has sadly passed away 9/05/11. We will miss you Patty.

07-16-2009, 03:40 PM	#10 (permalink)
Bob Orang Puteh Bob's Photo Gallery Location: Washington Twp N.J. Find me on the map! Zone: 6a Name: bob Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 3,528 BananaBucks : 209,047 Feedback: 12 / 100% Said "Thanks" 9,537 Times Was Thanked 4,058 Times in 1,694 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 565 Times	Re: effect of a small pot? Patty, somehow you conveniently didn't mention the skid steer at your disposal. __________________

07-16-2009, 04:00 PM	#11 (permalink)
LilRaverBoi Nanner Time! LilRaverBoi's Photo Gallery Location: Cedar Rapids, IA Find me on the map! Zone: 5 Name: Bryan Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 2,937 BananaBucks : 119,209 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 534 Times Was Thanked 2,243 Times in 1,245 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 855 Times	Re: effect of a small pot? LOL....yeah, a minor detail omitted. Guess I have access to one at my parents house, but I'm 5 hrs away and my naners are on a 3rd story rooftop, so yeah....that doesn't really help much, huh? __________________ BANANA RAVE! Feel the beat from start to stop, dancin' and movin' from bottom to top! lilraverboi@genxglow.com RIP Tog Tan. We love you and will always remember you! I'm Bryan with a Y! There is no 'I' in BRYAN!

07-16-2009, 04:28 PM	#12 (permalink)
ewitte ewitte's Photo Gallery Location: Houston Zone: 9 Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 449 BananaBucks : 50,555 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 194 Times in 107 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: effect of a small pot? Everything has to be soaked this time of year Most of the water that plant gets is from the sprinkler system that runs for 15 minutes every day about 5am. More water gets on the ground than in the pot. I also fertilize about once a week.

07-16-2009, 07:20 PM	#13 (permalink)
Patty in Wisc tropical nut Patty in Wisc's Photo Gallery Zone: 5 Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 3,115 BananaBucks : 347,026 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 2,946 Times Was Thanked 2,510 Times in 1,203 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 69 Times	Re: effect of a small pot? Oh yeah...ha ha, forgot to mention the skidster for the 65 gal pot. Tog said I looked like I was fighting aliens -- like Sigourney Weaver in her machine LOL. I fert every week too. I mix 4-5 gals. worth & pour all in that pot & in between I water the edges. You know, we'll have to use the skidster to move it back into the house (arghhh). Through the garage & set it in doorway on plywood w/ wheels on & push it into living room. Nope, I don't think that'll work. Gotta take it out of pot & move both seperately after scooping out the soil into buckets. Sheesh, I'm tired thinking about it. __________________ Got a lite? Patty ____ Patty in Wisc has sadly passed away 9/05/11. We will miss you Patty.

07-16-2009, 08:43 PM	#14 (permalink)
ewitte ewitte's Photo Gallery Location: Houston Zone: 9 Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 449 BananaBucks : 50,555 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 194 Times in 107 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: effect of a small pot? Lol I'm just going to cut the leaves off and put something around the stem, mulch on the bottom. Rarely goes under 32. We had a time last winter about 25F but thats rare for here. Talking about cool temps I'll be so happy to get out of the heat. Lol I just got a $370 electricity bill. Where I'm going next month the highs and lows are in the 60's right now. Last edited by ewitte : 07-16-2009 at 08:50 PM.

07-17-2009, 07:48 AM	#16 (permalink)
musa_monkey musa_monkey's Photo Gallery Location: Burnham, Bucks, UK Find me on the map! Zone: 8 Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 217 BananaBucks : 28,453 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 53 Times Was Thanked 147 Times in 71 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: effect of a small pot? How big they get will depend on your water and feeding regime. I have a lot of basjoos in 30 litre (approx 8 US gallon) pots. Some of them are up to 7ft tall. They are watered heavily every day and fed at least once a week with liquid seaweed or similar high nitrogen feed. The larger ones are now three years old and are looking great in the middle of our typical wet summer.

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