What to do with my Dwarf Banana plant?

13 years ago

I live in the mojave desert, gets up to 110 in the summer, and freezes over winter. I planted a dward banana plant in a 2-3 gallon pot (the plant was only 4" tall when I planted in May, and it's now almost 1.5' tall). I keep it mostly shaded due to the harsh sun (now it's in full sun since it's only 85 deg. out now).

What should I do over winter, bring it inside? When will I need to upgrade to a bigger pot? When can I expect to get fruit out of it? Is it true you have to fertilize nearly every week for banana plants in order to get fruit? Any help would be appreciated. I got it for free, and didn't expect it to live, but it's done great so far!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

jordanz
Original Author
13 years ago
Anybody have advice for me?
greenchic
13 years ago
hello!

I dont have much in the way of advice but I recently bought a banana plant and Im wondering what to do with it also. I live in NYC and dont have much in the way of yardspace to put it so it stays inside mostly. Im pretty sure i wont see the quick growth you have seen but I'd certainly like to keep it alive long enough to get some experience. My first banana (a blood red)succumbed to spidermites about two yrs ago so watch out for those. The one I bought today has 3 pups growing in the container so I assumed its really healthy. Good luck and hopefully someone comes along with really great advice
Related Professionals
Aberdeen Landscape Contractors · Cornelius Landscape Contractors · Doctor Phillips Landscape Contractors · Eagle Landscape Contractors · Fishers Landscape Contractors · Las Vegas Landscape Contractors · Milton Landscape Contractors · Pine Hills Landscape Contractors · Pleasant Hill Landscape Contractors · Pompano Beach Landscape Contractors · Raleigh Landscape Contractors · Ridgewood Landscape Contractors · Cedar Rapids Roofing & Gutters · Cincinnati Roofing & Gutters · The Colony Roofing & Gutters
danny1893
13 years ago
I have had a Dwarf now for a few years and I have had it in WI the whole time. to respond to jordanz questions. First for the winter keep it inside you really shouldn't need to upgrade the pot I have on that is almost three feet tall and it is in a 14" pot plus if you keep it in the same pot if it reaches its max capacity in the pot it won't overgrow your house! just because they are a dwarf they can still reach sizes up to 5 feet! I have 5 banana's and they range from sizes from 2 feet to about 4 and a half feet in height. For you second question, it is true that they are very heavy feeders. I feed mine twice a month but not heavy either time more like a moderate feeding and the plant will not start to produce fruit until it is fully matured. It can take up to two years if it is growing at a continuous rate. I have had fruit a few times from my dwarf. the fruit is only about 6 to 8 inches in length but it is neat to see them grow and I think makes them even more delicious when you can eat them. I hope it helps a little and if you have any other questions I can try to help the best I can. Good Luck
jordanz
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you so much for the response! That's cool that you can keep it in such a small pot. I thought it might hinder it's growth/fruit, but it's sounds like yours is doing pretty good danny! I'll definitely bring mine inside soon then, and start feeding it twice a month. Do you fertilize yours through the winter too, or just during spring/summer?

How long did it take before you got your first banana's then? Thanks again for the info.
jordanz
Original Author
13 years ago
Did you have any more info danny?