Here's a picture of the whole tree. I've cut off all but one of the leaves that were turning yellow.

Kara, when we moved here we started with 12 different bananas, now we have 2 (our choice) they are too much work! take the pups out so you can control them, later on they are hard to take them out, especially after they fruit and you have to take the whole banana out and dispose of, believe me it is hard! Actually when we gave some fruit to my next door neighbor, he also wanted a banana to plant and Willy told him "no, you don't want that, as a friend I am telling you, they are too much work!"
Bananas are hardy for me once they are established, taken pups out is fine. And they all get the brown leaves, it is normal, they do like fertilizer.

Silvia

Well now I'm giving MY new Dwarf Banana tree a dirty look. Should I yank it now before it gets away from me?

It's only knee-high right now.

I have a short banana that might be a dwarf that I got from someone at Silvia's but of course I don't remember who. lol That one has stayed short and doesn't have a single pup. I was quick to check it after I found 4 around the tall one. The one with the pups came from a friend who got hers from another friend so I have no idea what type of banana it is. My thought when I planted it was that it would add nicely to the somewhat tropical cottage look I have going in the front.

Silvia, thatnks for the advice! I'll try to get all four pups out this weekend. I knew that the banana would multiply, I just wasn't expecting it to do so quite this fast or energeticly! The tree won't be hardy for me, I'm just a little to far north I think. The main plant will be babied through the winter to that it doesn't die back to the ground. There's a chance that in a couple years time I may be cursing it like I did with the umbrella sedge but for now I'm happy with how it looks in the garden.

They also need room. You night find that you hurt your other plants while trying to maintain your bananas . My suggestion would be to dig it up and pot it if you really like it in that spot. I know people who bring bananas to fruit in containers. Bananas grow and multiply very fast which is why they are so much work but also why they are so addicting. I started with 12 varieties thirteen years ago but have thinned my collection down to 7 and am considering taking out my dwarf plantain as well. This is a big step for me as I love bananas for the fruit, ease, and tropical look.

I agree with keiki. It needs to be removed. A very large pot or another location. They will be reluctant to fruit without pups. An in ground location will be best but a very large pot will work.

I had (notice past tense) bananas in the ground, was so pleased when they set out pups, then after the storms of 04 they were a wreck, as was the rest of the yard. We decided to be rid of them. My DH was 9 years younger, stronger, and studlier and still curses that day. Never, ever, again. Unless you want a plantation, no in ground nanners for us. I wanted some adorable dwarf cavendish I believe, so into the big pot they went. They're growing slowly, but steadily, put out a pup a piece within the first year, and in the pot they will stay.

Kara, if you are growing the bananas for the fruit, then please ignore this post. If you are growing them for the appearance, maybe considere replacing it with an Red Abyssinian Banana (Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii'). They do not fruit but they also do not pup (extremely rare), which is a huge plus. They seldom flower but when they do, the plant is toast. But you could have it 10+ years before it does. I have four of them in my yard - two in full sun and two in part sun/shade - and I am very pleased with them.

For some great photos of the red Abyssinian banana and an interesting story, here is a link to a guy who grows a fabulous tropical garden in Logan, Utah - Zone 4!! He has four red bananas across the front of his home. He digs them up every fall, cuts them down to a few feet, and stores them in his basement for the winter.

Carol in Jacksonville

Here is a link that might be useful: Gigantic Ensete pics, zone 4

Kara, just a few words based on my experiences. I have been growing various exotic types of bananas in South Florida since 1989. Over the years I ran into the massive underground corms that rapidly develop about a foot deep and spread laterally, causing a huge dilemma for a home gardener who is not clued in.
Whenever the corms got too big, or I decided to switch banana types, or both, I simply put an ad on Craigslist advertising " free banana plants, just bring your shovel and dig 'em up yourself. " Rapid responses every time and the massive corms are gone in a flash without me working up a sweat.
I just recently cleared out my entire 12' x 25' raised bed twice in the last 3 yrs that way but love bananas so much, I planted 4 months ago the type I have decided is the best tasting I have ever tried,..the Goldfinger. Needless to say I now have a pup uprising back there,..6 pups so far, 2 of which I just transplanted in the big, almost empty, heavily fertilized raised bed. Knowing what lies ahead, I am prepared and looking forward.
FYI, a mother plant can easily sustain 3 pups on avearage. Chopping off the pups is easy with the right tool,..a long chopper with a sharp 3 or 4 inch wide metal blade at the bottom. Chopping straight down between the pup and mother plant, then one or two chops around the edges of the pup. Usually takes me 3, 4 minutes max for a 6" - 12" pup. Then either transplant them or give 'em away or throw them out. If it all gets too stressful, remember Craiglist and don't plant any more 'nanas ! ( smile )
Good luck !

I keep the edge of my garden spade (the flat, rectangular kind) sharpened, using a large metal file & have a small hand hatchet as well - banana plants are soft & easily cut, IME.

I think, like most fruiting plants, bananas need adequate clear space around them & it's best to be aware of mature size when planting anything - overlooking that's a common mistake we all have made @ one time or another, I believe

I've taken all of your advise into serious consideration and have decided that the big banana and it's four pups are all coming out. It just might take me another weekend or two before it's done. This leaves me with a couple issues though. What to do with the bananas is the first problem. I have a large heavy duty pot that has no drain holes that could easily hold the main plant along with one or two pups after I drill a few drain holes in the pot. The question is where to place it. It will have to go somewhere out back under the oak but how much shade can a banana take? The tree wil be it's only protection from cold snaps so the further under it the bananas can be placed the better. Any thoughts?

The next problem will be what to fill in the gaping hole it will leave in the garden. Due to the location I'm limited in what I can put there. It can't be a regular tree because I don't want to deal with large numbers of leaves falling into the water. It needs it to be tall enough to anchor that area of the garden. The banana was the near perfect plant! I really like the look of the Red Abyssinian Banana since I'm not looking for a fruiting banana and I love it's red leaves! But I have no idea where to get one or how expensive it is? Carol, could you tell me where you got yours?

Kara,

A couple years ago, after seeing pictures of it on various forums, I read it described as "the bling of the garden" and I thought wow, they're right! I was hooked!

I mail ordered my first two in March 2012 on eBay from Wellspring Gardens (ebay ID wellspring100) for $5.99 each plus shipping. They were quite small starter plants but with lots of sun, water and nitrogen, these guys have gotten big in a hurry. They both made it through last winter quite easily. At the time I ordered from Wellspring, local specialty nurseries were carrying 3-4 foot tall plants for around $30 but the big box stores didn't carry them at all in Jacksonville that I saw. (A few other people did report seeing them). But, at the time, I think the word was getting out amongst growers that this was a hot new plant.

This year (2013), I have seen them everywhere: Home Depot, Lowes, Ace Nursery and all of the local specialty nurseries. In April this year, Ace had huge ones for $12.99. I was so excited I even posted about it to this forum (see link below). I purchased one and then awhile later, I had a store credit, and I got one more. I am so happy with them. The two in the part sun/part shade grow much more slowly, but they don't get as many yellow leaves or quite as beat-up looking. The ones in full sun have grown a ridiculous amount.

I hope it is something you would like. You can load them up with a crazy amount of milorganite if you start with a small plant and want fast growth.

Please post another pic when you fill the empty space, whatever you decide to put there. Good luck getting the old one moved out. :)

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Red Abyssinian Banana (ornamental banana)

Thanks, I'll go check Lowes and Home Depot to see if they have any. The Ace here doesn't carry plants unfortuneatly. If I find one now I'll keep it in a pot until spring in order to protect it this winter.

Hehehe... I'd send you a pup, but...

Carol

Carol, you are too funny!
Kara, I think that you are doing the right choice for your garden going with the ornamental banana, they are pretty! One of the varieties that I kept is the dwarf Jamaican red because it does not fruit too often.

I have a banana story to tell, my brother came to visit me one time when I had a lot of fruiting bananas, he is retired Navy captain, he bought himself a cacao farm to keep busy, he is doing the exporting business of cacao and also has fishing boats, mangoes, bananas and other fruits. Of course he has a lot of people working for him. When he was at my house, he said why I am always moving so fast, I said that I had to take care of the garden, the house, etc, I have no maids or workers.:)
He volunteer to help with the cutting of the fruiting bananas, after that he said he will never, never think that his workers are slow or lazy. At least he learn his lesson.

Silvia

Silvia, your story reminds me of the television show "Undercover Boss" where the CEO gets a new appreciation for his staff and the work that they do. Nice teaching moment for the Navy captain! :)

Carol

Bananas like full sun. Bananas, like its cousins heliconia, bird of paradise, Travelers palm and the like are pigs. They want it all and will take all you give it. Full sun, water every day, lots of fertilizers, compost, epsom salts and more. They can survive with less but not like other plants they are very hard to over do it. However it is possible to give too much but you really have to work at it. Freeze is a big problem. Choose the brightest location. They need to be in reach of a hose.

I'll try to put the bananas in a pot where they will get at least half a day of direct sun.

Would it hurt bananas to occasionally have excess water in the pot? If not then I won't add any drain holes to the pot I plan to put them in. That way they will be less likely to go dry between waterings.

My elbow's acting up again so I think I'll be putting up an ad to see if someone will come and get this banana out of my garden for me.

Haven't been able to find any Red Abyssinian Bananas for sale in my area so it looks like I'll have to mail order one. By buying a small one now and potting it up in some rich potting soil it will hopefully be a somewhat decent size. If I then find one for sale in the spring that will just mean I have two of those beauties in my yard!

I purchased two hardy bananas, musa basjoo, last summer. Did everything that was recommended to try to winter over the plants. I live in Ohio and... Well this spring was COLD and the ground just did not warm up. I uncovered my plants in may, then got a real bad freeze. My plants turned to mush. So...bye bye bananas. So I thought. So, I chopped them down a little more, covered them up and re built my back yard garden complete with stone paths, and covered over my "dead" bananas with landscape fabric. Guess what started growing right in the middle of my stone path in July...That's right my dead banana. Tried to dig it out, could not. So I "Killed" it again. Well it is now End of August....Up it came again. I decided I am making a walk around my banana and let it come up again next year. I bought 2 more basjoo and they are going nutz.. Pups are almost 2' tall now. Going to try to separate them and bring some in for the winter. This is Fun! How can you NOT love bananas!

I'm confused.. if you have the space and you want fruit on your banana plants, would you still remove the pup at any stage of growth or just leave it till after the mother fruits, then remove the mother after it fruits and leave the pup to grow??

I'm not looking to have a fruiting banana, I just wanted a banana tree for the look it added to my garden. The chances of a banana tree being able to produce ripe fruit in my yard before it gets hit by frost is nearly non-existant. Also there is a irrigation line about a foot down running through the area the plant was growing in so it's not an area I want to have to go chopping around with a sharp shovel on a regular basis.

The banana is gone, in fact within an hour of posting it on craigslist I had two people asking for it. It and the pups were gone by that evening. Surprisingly it came out of the ground very easily. With as much as it had grown I was expecting a much larger root ball.

craiglist is awesome :)

btw my question about the pups is in regards to my own banana plant not yours, I want fruit and I want more plants LOL!!

Kara,

Lowes just got some more in. Priced on the high side at $19.99. I took some quick photos for you when I was there.

Carol

Tag

Sticker

I'll stop by the Lowes near me and see if they have any. Thanks for the heads up!

Related banana pup question: We put in an ice cream banana two years ago. It produced a pup very quickly. Now the pup is larger than the mother plant. Is that normal? Both plants seem relatively happy, though I'm sure they could use some fertilizer.

If not already mentioned here take look at the banana forum which has a lot of members in Florida. Probably the best place to obtain banana information since banana growing is what they do.
I have one ice cream banana plant. I had it too shaded for years and last year removed some of the shade and it has started to grow. I kept the stem alive through our recent hard winter and it grew a pup this year which is still growing and becoming quite large. I have not yet asked if it is necessary to move the pups or what. Several of my friends have their bananas growing in clumps and seem to only remove the pups when they want to propagate. They are not interested in the appearances. I am hoping for a fruiting stem to appear even though it is too late for fruit maturity to occur prior to our first frost.

I had a 5 month old banana tree in a pot that fell over killing the mother tree, can the corm still produce pups? I'd like to know before I toss the whole thing and start over again, thanks.

I see a lot of people are still getting a banana plant and a banana tree mixed up. They are totally different. The plant will get about 10 maybe 12 feet tall and bares no fruit where as the tree can get as tall as 25 t0 30 feet tall with ... you guessed it ... banana's. But i was wondering how far out from the trunk a pup will sprout . And if i put large flat rock's or stone's around the stalk if that will keep them from coming thru the surface .

Bananas are herbs, not trees. So to call them a "Banana Tree" is actually wrong. The difference in size is a variety thing, many of them are still the same species despite being smaller or larger.

The banana plant grows up from an underground rhizome which can become quite large. Suckers grow directly off the rhizome so are close to the parent plant. If you put stones around the parent plant they will push the stones out of the way, or if they're to large they'll grow distorted around them.

Thank you.