Banana plant – Care Guide

Leaves and growth habit

The growth is interesting to watch. The banana leaf first appears rolled up. very thin, sometimes it looks just like a string. Then it rolls out into an impressive leaf. The new leaf is usually larger than the previous leaves.

Banana plant care

The care of the Banana plant is not very difficult. Below you can read about the points of attention for each part (light, water, pruning, etc.). By the way, this is about taking care of the Banana plant indoors. On our other page we have information about the Banana plant outside.

Plant location and light

=> Too little light is one of the most common causes for a banana plant hanging limp

Do you have your Banana plant just new? Then read on first. These plants are not grown in full sun. At purchase, the plant is not used to sunlight yet. If you do not let the plant get used to it, the leaves may burn. You do not have to take any pets into account when choosing a location for the plant. A Banana plant is not poisonous.

How much and when to water

How much water does your Banana plant need? Generally, a lot. If you have a lot of experience with houseplants, you know that the rule is “better too little than too much”. That rule does not apply to the Banana plant. This plant is thirsty! Water it so often and so much that the soil never dries out completely. How much depends on a number of things:

The size of your plant: a large plant consumes more than a small plant.The location: a plan in the sun consumes more water than a small plant.The season: in winter, the Banana plant evaporates less water, and will therefore need less than in summer.
• The size of your plant: a large plant consumes more than a small plant.
• The location: a plan in the sun consumes more water than a small plant.
• The season: in winter, the Banana plant evaporates less water, and will therefore need less than in summer

It is best to always feel the soil. If it is still wet, wait with watering. Is the soil (almost) dry? Then you can water it. Always ensure good drainage, but more about that below.

A plant that needs a lot of water is almost always in damp soil. This is a risk for mold. If you see mold forming on the top of the soil, in the form of white deposits, remove it immediately. This prevents the risk of further spread. Another consequence of too moist soil are black flies. Read more about this on our page about mourning flies.

The right pot for the Banana plant

The choice for a pot in which you put your Banana plant is up to youu. The most important thing is that there are holes in the bottom. This plant needs a lot of water, and it should never be left at the bottom of the pot. If water cannot drain away, the soil will remain wet and the roots will rot. The first sign of this are yellow leaves on the Banana plant, but eventually the plant will die so always make sure there are holes in the bottom of the pot. If you want to improve the drainage even further, read on about using hydro pellets.

Temperature

This plant originates from tropical areas. You might expect that it would need a high temperature to survive. Nothing could be further from the truth! The Banana plant does well between 18°C and 22°C. This corresponds to the normal room temperature.

It is not good to keep the plant at temperatures below 12°C. This will not happen quickly in a living room, but can occur by, for example, an open window or an air conditioner. This should always be avoided. This advice applies to all types of Banana plants.

How to prune a Banana plant?

In terms of pruning, maintaining a Banana plant is quite simple: It does not really need to be done. This plant does not grow in tendrils or on a stem that you can shorten. The only pruning you can do is to remove the withered leaves. The brown leaves on your Banana plant are a natural process and cannot be prevented. You can, of course, cut them off or cut them off for a nicer looking plant.

Do this very carefully! It is important that you do not damage the stem of the living part of the plant by cutting it off. It is best to prune away the leaves up to a few inches from the base. The remainder will curl up on its own and slowly disappear.

Which soil for the Musa

In principle, a normal potting soil is fine for the Banana plant. It has the right structure for the roots and usually contains nutrition for several months. Please note that the Banana plant grows quite fast and therefore quickly runs out of available nutrition. Supplementary feeding is therefore necessary, more about this below.

Nutrition

You may already have noticed: your Banana plant grows fast! Especially in the summer months you will see a new leaf rolling out every week (or more often). Because this plant grows so fast it needs a lot of nutrients. Give the Banana plant in the summer months every week a little plant food.

The general advice is to feed only in spring, summer and autumn. In winter, the plant is dormant and does not need nutrition. However, there are banana plants that continue to grow quietly in winter. In that case, you should continue to feed them in winter.

When to repot

Because this plant grows so fast you have to replant it every year. If you do not do this, you will inhibit its growth. Repot the Banana plant in the spring and always use fresh potting soil. Always make holes in the bottom of the new pot, so excess water can drain away easily.

Buying a Banana plant

Would you like to buy a Banana plant? Then you have probably noticed that you can do this in many places. It is a popular plant and almost all plant stores sell them. Always buy plants from a specialized store. We like to work with Bol.com. There you will find the offer of many specialized plant stores together. Use the button below to go to the website:

The Banana Plant Flower

A Banana plant in bloom, you don’t see that often. That’s because this plant hardly ever blooms as an indoor plant. In its original habitat, tropical rainforests in large parts of Asia, this is different.

Is it really impossible for this plant to bloom as an indoor plant? It is possible, but it takes a long time. The plant must be at least a few meters tall and be in a warm environment. Think of a subtropical greenhouse.

Frequently asked questions and problems

What about the humidity?

The banana plant comes from the tropical rainforest. There, the humidity is a lot higher than here. To keep the plant beautiful here too, you have to imitate this situation. Mist the leaves, preferably every day, with a plant spray. By the way, this also applies to the Calathea, Monstera and Philodendron, so then you can take all the plants in one go. This works basically the same, only it’s done by itself. Both are fine.

Is the Banana plant air purifying?

This plant is indeed air purifying. Because the Banana plant has fairly large leaves, it can also purify many harmful substances from the air. This is in contrast to, for example, a grass lily, which has narrow leaves.

How big does a Banana plant get?

In its natural habitat this plant can grow up to seven meters high! Then we are no longer talking about a plant, but about a tree. This is no exception within this plant family: The Strelitzia can become just as high! As a houseplant in a pot, however, the growth of the plant is limited. This is partly because of the space the plant has for its roots, but also because of the conditions. If you take good care of her, the Banana plant can grow 2 to 4 meters tall as a houseplant.

Can you take cuttings from this plant?

You can, very well even. Read more about this on our page about cuttings of Banana plants.

How fast does a Banana plant grow?

In the growing period this plant grows very fast. You can see a new leaf emerging and rolling out every few days. Because the plant grows so fast it also needs a lot of nutrition, water and light. Take care of this so that the growth can take place undisturbed.

What are the drops on the leaf?

The plant is leaking water in the form of drops on the leaf? This is quite normal. It is a process called “guttation”. The Banana plant is, so to speak, sweating out excess water through the leaves. Nothing to worry about. It is a process you see in more tropical plants, like the Alocasia. You could choose to put the plant on a saucer so it does not drip onto the wooden floor.

What diseases can this plant get?

The advantage of the Banana plant as a houseplant is that it is quite strong and almost never gets sick. If problems do occur, they are visible to the eye and easy to treat. Think of spider mites or lice. Read more about red spider mites on the Banana plant.

Summary