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How hot is too hot?

14 years ago

Here in Nicaragua we are at the peak of our hot season...but in essence, it is usually around 90 throughout the year, with March, April and May being the hottest and driest months with temperatures near 100 degrees daily and in the mid 70s at night.

My question is, despite daily waterings, why do bananas decline at this time of the year?

Is 100 degrees too hot for them? I always read they love heat, the more the better...but I wonder if since they are on the west side of a cement wall that the air temperature and radiated heat and lack of air circulation is too much for them to handle even with the heavy waterings? They do well the rest of the year...but this is always a hard time for them.

Can someone tell me, how hot is too hot for banana plants?

Comments (4)

tropicalzone7
14 years ago
I usually see mine start to look a little stressed when temps are in the 90s, but they come back when given water. I also think its according to the type of banana.
I find that bananas love heat (but a humid heat, not a dry one), sun (when its cooler, but maybe some light shade in very hot climates, and water(only when its warm, they hate water in cooler weather when day temps are below 55-60F).

Good luck!
va_canuck
14 years ago
I had read somewhere that optimum temperature for most bananas is 84-92, growth slows above 92, and stops altogether at 98-100.

That cement wall might make a big difference. I wondered why an orange tree I had was cooking when it was 98-100 outside, until I put a probe out there and saw that the brick deck it was sitting on heated the tree to 115.

Dry will certainly be bad, but everything I know about Nicaragua says it is pretty much jungle-like humidity so I'm guessing that isn't a problem for you.
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Awww, that's nothin'! It can get over 100 here for days in a row, with a "break in the heat" being a dip down to 95 or so. This goes on for 3-4 months, with a long stretch of high 80's / mid 90's book-ending on both sides of the really hot part of summer. I wouldn't worry about those fluctuations from night to day, or day to day, that's natural. All of my plants are fine with it, except Fuchsia, but I don't think you have one of those anyway. Everything else grows like crazy in the summer. Nothing gets much sun from about noon-1:30, except Sans. Everything is placed to get either morning sun before that, or afternoon sun (a lot hotter, especially for roots in a dark pot.) When in doubt, go with morning if you have the option there. Back it up a bit if you see some sunburn. My plants have been outside since mid-March. Once they go out, they don't come back in except in the case of frost which, if I've decided correctly on which day to do this, won't be until winter. The weaker the sun rays are when they get out there, the easier it is for them to adjust to much more sun, gradually as its' angle changes. I know that's way too early there, but just wanted you to have the info for reference, confidence. And I know you're the type to take them in & out, very useful in Z4. Look how lucky we are, supposed to be cooler all week until the weekend! We've almost hit 100 here a couple times already. If you click the blue "monthly" at the left, check out the end of last month.
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Hi Dave, It isn't too humid here...We really don't get too much humidity in Portland...sometimes when it gets really hot we may get a little but nothing like lets say Florida! :) It may get a little humid the next few days here since they are expecting T-storms and possible showers on Friday...but it has been relatively dry! :) Thanks for asking!
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chinandega81
Original Author
14 years ago
Well, along the Pacific Coast of Nicaragua (where I am) there is a rainy and dry season. During the dry season, there are 6 months of NO RAIN at all. As you can imagine, high temperatues, a direct sun angle and srtong winds take a toll on bananas. Most of the "wild" bananas are totally fried by this time of year, they literally dry up.

The dewpoint is usually around 60 here, even in the dry season, but still, if there is no natural rain, the banana plants tend to suffer.

I have been giving them good waterings and I cut them off and now some tiny pups are comming up. I left all of the orignal stalk and leaves as muulch so there is shade for the ground and nutrients to break down. They also keep the soil moist and cooler.

I can tell you that here the temperatures reach 100 daily and the plants keep growing as long as they get watered. Remember that it may hit 100 for a couple of hours, but then it cools off.

I get the feeling though that the cement wall makes it worse, plus the bananas went several months witouth watering due to a water shortage, so they are recovering slowly.

If I get an established grove, that is more sustainable and they are happier in clumps, which is my ultimate goal. But boy they sure so need a ton of water...
peterson
13 years ago
I have tried to figure out the amount of water for my bananas, and it seems like the more the better.
One thing to consider is your drainage. When I plant a banana, I make the hole 2 to 3 feet in diameter, and at least 2 feet deep. I then fill the hole with water, and see how long it takes to empty. If it empties in a couple hours, that's good. I then take top soil, dried horse poop and sawdust mixed together in to fill the hole. I then build a berm around the hole to hold the water.
I made a planter 12 feet in diameter, and went down six feet before I was satisfied. I planted, I think, four bananas in it, and three years later now, I have over 30 trees growing in it.

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