No, do not cut it. What are the symptoms of it dying? Please give more detail.

Each succesive leaf kept browning, and now it just seems to be "wilting" losing firmness and there is no sign of new growth.

How much light does it get?

Basjoo is not particularly happy potted indoors..

.... and how much water are you giving them? Enough? Too much? They don't like to be soaked (well, without draining) but they also don't like to be dry.

It gets about 4 hours of direct afternoon sun. I keep the soil moist (not dry but not soaked) I was just trying to get an early start on the growing season. It was doing fine but now it's croaking. If I don't hear a compelling reason not to I'm going to cut it down. It's pushing up a pup and maybe it can start taking off.

Andy,

If there is a new pup coming up there is hope.
Do you have a site that allows AM sun? For some reason, my plants like am/ mid-day sun better than PM sun. I think the reason for this is that mid-day sun is brighter, and PM sun is simply warm and drying, but not that bright. I agree with cac0, basjoo does much better outdoors, almost regardless of temps. I am also struggling with a small basjoo that I sited on a western window, and can't wait for spring to arrive. However, one pup I sited in a southeast window has been doing great all winter.

Goog luck!
Erlend

Andy,
My basjoo has the same problem, look under the yellow leaves, is there orange? mine had orange spots on the bottom and i realized after repotting it that the soil where the roots are where SOAKED so i stopped wattering it for 3 days and it seems to be doing better..Not loosing anymore leaves. I wouldnt cut it down, once it gets outside it will take off. Someone said they dont like the indoors and that is very true. Try misting the leaves too.

This was my first year with basjoo and I have found growing them in the basement under lights to be very successful. I dug them out in early Oct. and have been in the basement since. I would guess it's about 60F (unheated basement) and more humid than the heated portion of the house. It's your typical old house, unfinished basement. They get flourescent light for about 16 hours a day. Although they don't grow as fast as outside, they kept on going. Have probably added 2 feet over the winter. The reason I didn't put them upstairs is I figured it would be too dry for them during the winter.

It has never really occured to me to grow basjoo, of all bananas, indoors. The salient feature of basjoo is its cold hardiness. Plus, they can be quite striking in the garden if grown to maximum size (if climate allows much of the pseudostem to be saved).

Seems to me that other bananas make better indoor specimens.

My poor Musa Basjoo...we have horrible soil, so I potted it when I bought it last year (it was already about 4 1/2 or 5 feet tall). It did well last summer, then I brought it in over the winter (I'm in Vancouver, Canada) and it did all right for a while.

Then the leaves started wilting and dying off, and there was some white powdery substance appearing on the tree. I misted, used fertilizer, and it seemed okay. About a month ago, the leaves completely shrivelled and died.

I cut back the dead leaves, and have now taken it outside. Will it come back? Is there something else I should do?

If there's still any life, it sounds like you may need to remove it from that pot to a very large pot (we have several in 21" (or larger? can't remember now) pots. We just got cheap pots for around $10 each, if memory serves.

But the soil IS important. Especially where you are with all the rain and cooler temps.

First off, I'd change all the soil, because it sounds like it may not be healthy for the plant.

I use a homemade mix of top soil, sand, vermiculite and compost. I do find that while these plants love water, they do like well draining soil. They seem to pout if left wet.

As for the white stuff, that sounds like some tiny insect infestation.

You should be able to clear that up with some soapy water sprayed on everything..... wipe the leaves off then spray again. We just use a bit of dish soap in a spary bottle, filled with filtered water (don't like using chlorinated water on the plants).

I would take it outside though, if it's inside now. It does need the outdoor elements to take off.

Don't be surprised if it grows slowly in the temps you are having there right now. Ours didn't take off in a growth spurt until we hit mid 20's. The did grow when the temps were 10C ish, but slowly.

Hope that helps.

Are you sure the white powdery stuff wasn't indumentum? My indoor 'Dwarf Cavendish" has a covering of this; does basjoo get it as well? Could it have rotted over the winter? They seem to do better kept on the dry side if they're indoors and not actively growing much. Sometimes they still make a bit of growth even though lower down the pseudostem is rotten.

Thanks so much for the tips - will try a larger pot, some new soil and spritzing with soapy water.

Thanks!

Even worse news with the tree - it's now broken off at the base (not sure how?). Higher up on the stalk is green but the very bottom (where it broke off) is dark brown-ish.

If I split the stalk and replant will it come back?

Alternately, will the 'stump' left behind start a new stalk?

I have a question to which the answer might be an answer to the original question...

Is Basjoo among the types of Musa that once it produces a pup or pups, it's original plant is then naturally slotted to die back? I know with some other varieties, while they will produce pups and fruit, that's then the end for the plant - with the continuation of the plant being through the pup(s) produced. Is it possible that even without blooming or fruiting, this Basjoo knew its days were numbered and hence the pup production and now dying back?

andy, I wouldtake the whole rootball and plant it in the ground. why are you growing a basjoo potted. The whole idea of basjoo is it is hardy. the weather is warm now, if you don't plant it you will have to carry through another winter. If you ant a potted banana, try a n ensete maurelli, which is red stemed and fast growing. much fancier than a basjoo. I find a cheap moisture meter helps in assessing soil moisture to avoid overwatering.