newbie question..Have I been doing this all wrong???

16 years ago

Let me set the scene..

I had bought a Dwarf Cavendish banana plant last winter and It's been doing very well in it's pot. It's about 4 feet tall and looking healthy.

Last summer, I left it out on my deck where it recieved ample sun and seemed to thrive.

As winter approached, I brought it inside to a very sunny room where things seem to be holding steady.

Now for the questions...

Should I have left it outside and treated it like a perrennial? Meaning, letting it die off and cut it down?

If I ever want it to produce fruit, Should I put it in the ground, which is very heavy CLAY? Or keep it in the pot.

Things are still cool here in N.C. When would be the ideal time to 1 - Move it outside in the pot? or 2- Move it from pot to ground?

Should I have cut it down in the pot?

Is it too late to do that? or don't bother now.

It looks sooo wonderful in my sun room. Thats why I like to keep it in a pot.

By the way, when I say clay, I mean CLAY. Those of you near the Charlotte area know what I mean. It get hard as a rock in the summer and when it finnally gets wet, it stays wet for a while.

Thanks so much for any help/suggestions you can offer,

Sheila

Comments (7)

tophersmith
16 years ago
Sheila,

Whaere is North Carolina are you? Here is Raleigh dwarf Cavendish are boderline, if you do leave them in the ground make sure you raise the bed and in the Winter time place a cage around it filling it with ground up leaves (closest to the plant) and hardwood mulch aound the outside. Hope this helps.
sheilasgarden
Original Author
16 years ago
Im outside of Charlotte.

So your saying that I should put it in the ground?

I have a REALLY sunny location for it.

It will be fine in a hot spot?

Sheila
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tophersmith
16 years ago
It will be fine in a hot spot over the summer, however you are too cold to,leace it in the gound over winter.
hibiscus909
16 years ago
Many naners can fruit in pots. You could plant it in the ground in summer and dig it up in fall. It could then be potted up or stored dormant. I am pretty sure dwarf cav would not take the charlotte winter outside. I haven't grown DC yet, but I've put others in my amended clay beds and they do well.
If you cut the plant back, you are cutting off the pseudostem that would eventually bloom. The plant will live, and make more pups, but you'll have to wait longer for blooms then.

seahorse
topher2006
16 years ago
Seahorse
You just taught me something ! Ihave always been told bananas would not fruit in a pot. Are you talking about moving it in during winter ?
sheilasgarden
Original Author
16 years ago
Is that true? They won't fruit in a pot?

When winter comes and It dies back, I dig it up and store it in my garage, yes?

Will the plant get bigger next year?

What is the time from flower to pick-able fruit?

Can this be accomplished here in Charlotte?

Thanks so much, again,

Sheila
Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
16 years ago
Sheila,

Bananas can and do fruit in pots. BUT, the pots need to be very large, you'll probably need to trim back any pups to keep the energy in the main pseudostem, AND they'll likely take longer in containers to fruit than when planted directly in the ground for the growing season. For some reason bananas always do better in the ground.

If you want it to fruit in a pot, don't let it ever 'die back' from a hard freeze. That could kill any flower that is developing in the main pseudostem. The flowers actually come from the corm, but near flowering, they quickly grow up thru the pseudostem and emerge at the top of the plant. It may take 3 growing seasons for them to fruit in ground (considering that you dig for inside storage for the winter). If in a pot year-round, it could take years longer because the plants grow slower.

I currently have a Dwarf Cav and Brazilian Tall in my garage. I dug them and potted them before frost. I trimmed them up to the last three leaves before I brought them in. They will resume their fast growth once they are planted back in the ground in May. This will be their third growing season. Hopefully I'll see some flowering this summer.

newbie question..Have I been doing this all wrong???

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Original Author

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newbie question..Have I been doing this all wrong???

Comments (7)

tophersmith

sheilasgardenOriginal Author

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hibiscus909

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