Check your banana tree during each season. A banana tree damaged by frost will have leaves that first look withered before they eventually turn brown. Pruning Tips Feeding: Banana Kush can be fed heavily. You can either choose to keep them or remove them for aesthetic reasons. Before the banana tree fruits, prune it so there is only one main stem. Dwarf varieties of banana trees can grow anywhere between 2 to 4 meters.. For a complete background on how to grow banana plants, we recommend starting from the beginning. This will help enhance the fruit that the plant produces. I have two Basjoo banana plants, planted in 15 gallon fabric containers. Having a healthy banana tree means knowing when and how to prune the leaves. The key lime produces small, thin … Pruning Tips. Then, cover the stalk with a plastic pot, to protect from the elements. If often means the plant isn't healthy because the roots have replaced the potting soil. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. Pruning is an important part of proper edible plant care, and in the case of banana plants, it’s particularly easy to do. You'll want to wind up with one large pseudostem for bearing the next crop; one sword sucker, which is smaller and will bear the year after; and one peeper, a small water shoot that will eventually become a sword and then pseudostem. Some common reasons include frost, insects and dehydration. When mulch breaks down, it releases nitrogen into the soil. Not pruning indoor plants isn’t the end of the world. Key lime and kaffir lime are popular dwarf citrus trees. Only one primary stem of each rhizome should be allowed to fruit. https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=311, https://www.starkbros.com/growing-guide/how-to-grow/fruit-trees/banana-plants/watering, http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/t0308e/T0308E05.htm, https://www.seattletimes.com/life/lifestyle/exotic-banana-plants-survive-winter-if-they-get-shelter-from-the-elements/, http://www.walterreeves.com/landscaping/banana-overwintering/, https://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/growing-bananas.html, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Prune your tree. The regular banana trees can grow up to twenty feet tall, whereas the dwarf will cap at around 6 feet. Think of it as 1-2-3. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. The plant knows that one of its leaves is hurt. Before purchasing a plant, learn about its sun requirements. This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. This helps channel all of the plant’s energy into fruit production. Rubber plants typically do not need much in the way of pruning. NOTE: This is part 8 in a series of 11 articles. What you need to know about banana trees. Will it grow back if I leave the roots in? An avid traveler, she also writes travel reviews and guides. Grow in large tub. As I always say: if your home is comfortable for you, then your plants will be happy too. The pups should be just fine. You can remove dead leaves in any season using your fingers. I pulled the brown leaf off but it went all the way to the ground. New leaves will continue to grow until such time that the flower spike or inflorescence starts to grow. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. Compost the suckers after you prune them as they contain a lot of nutrients that are beneficial to enriching compost. She is particularly interested in home-and-garden projects, as well as beauty and fashion writing. One common way to avoid damage from frost is to actually dig up and move the plant. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. The biggest impact pruning will have on your plants is that it will encourage new growth and help to create a fuller, leafier look. After it has been growing for 6 to 8 months, leave one sucker. For a complete background on how to grow banana plants, we recommend starting from the beginning. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Here, we’ll offer three ways you can protect and preserve your banana plant over the winter months: above the ground and either apply a thick layer of mulch or store those in containers in a cool, dark place for the winter, watering it very minimally. Banana tree leaves can become damaged for a variety of reasons. Keeping Your Banana Plant Alive. 1.1.3 What to prune. This will allow the plant to absorb the nutrients before you remove the leaf. Normal house temperatures are just fine. You may not need to do that. If you want an indoor banana leaf plant, follow these expert tips. You can chop up discarded stems and use them as mulch for your tree. Indoor potted banana trees not only are tropically beautiful, but they actually can produce fruit. Gardeners must prune their banana plants regularly, removing both dead growth and new growth as they observe it. Remove dried out leaves only after they’ve turned yellow and brown, and shriveled up. This will prevent unsightly stubs and restore the size and appearance of the ficus. Should I remove it and should I remove the dark, hard coating on the trunk? Keep them out of the reach of children and pets. Make sure you have harvested any fruit and your plant has already flowered before pruning the stem. If this is not possible, remove it with a sharp knife. Grow Banana houseplant indoors? Since banana plants only grow in … wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. With enough water and light, an indoor banana tree makes an amazing houseplant. Will the pups be okay? By using our site, you agree to our. lifestyle; home; How to bring a dying plant back to life with just a banana peel. Use a very sharp knife as this will create a smoother cut that will heal faster. Kaye Wagner has been working in the fields of journalism and public relations since 2006 and is a recipient of a National Hearst Award. Pups are growing, but the main stalk looks awful; can I cut the main stalk all the way down now? Overwintering A Banana Plant Indoors Standard. 1.1.2 When to water. Whatever your reasoning for having a banana tree, you will need to maintain the leaves. Make sure you have waited until you have harvested any fruit and until your plant has flowered before you prune the stem. In fact, indoor banana trees require bright light for about 12 hours or so for most varieties. Wind and rain. and Ensete spp.) When that’s done, carefully dig out the rhizomes and roots. When you prune early, you give the plant the time to relax and grow bigger leaves. You need to trim the whole thing down, but not pull the whole thing down. When the fruit is harvested, cut the fruiting … {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/8\/89\/Prune-Banana-Trees-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Prune-Banana-Trees-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/8\/89\/Prune-Banana-Trees-Step-1.jpg\/aid10156228-v4-728px-Prune-Banana-Trees-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"

License: Creative Commons<\/a>
\n<\/p>


\n<\/p><\/div>"}, Leading gardening charity in the U.K. providing resources for identifying, growing and caring for flowers and other plants, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/c3\/Prune-Banana-Trees-Step-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Prune-Banana-Trees-Step-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/c3\/Prune-Banana-Trees-Step-2.jpg\/aid10156228-v4-728px-Prune-Banana-Trees-Step-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"

License: Creative Commons<\/a>
\n<\/p>


\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/2\/21\/Prune-Banana-Trees-Step-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Prune-Banana-Trees-Step-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/2\/21\/Prune-Banana-Trees-Step-3.jpg\/aid10156228-v4-728px-Prune-Banana-Trees-Step-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"

License: Creative Commons<\/a>
\n<\/p>


\n<\/p><\/div>"}, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, Specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for leading international efforts to end world hunger and improve nutrition, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/5\/53\/Prune-Banana-Trees-Step-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Prune-Banana-Trees-Step-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/5\/53\/Prune-Banana-Trees-Step-4.jpg\/aid10156228-v4-728px-Prune-Banana-Trees-Step-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"

License: Creative Commons<\/a>
\n<\/p>


\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/c4\/Prune-Banana-Trees-Step-5.jpg\/v4-460px-Prune-Banana-Trees-Step-5.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/c4\/Prune-Banana-Trees-Step-5.jpg\/aid10156228-v4-728px-Prune-Banana-Trees-Step-5.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"

License: Creative Commons<\/a>
\n<\/p>


\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/4\/40\/Prune-Banana-Trees-Step-6.jpg\/v4-460px-Prune-Banana-Trees-Step-6.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/4\/40\/Prune-Banana-Trees-Step-6.jpg\/aid10156228-v4-728px-Prune-Banana-Trees-Step-6.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"

License: Creative Commons<\/a>
\n<\/p>


\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/9\/9f\/Prune-Banana-Trees-Step-7.jpg\/v4-460px-Prune-Banana-Trees-Step-7.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/9\/9f\/Prune-Banana-Trees-Step-7.jpg\/aid10156228-v4-728px-Prune-Banana-Trees-Step-7.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"

License: Creative Commons<\/a>
\n<\/p>


\n<\/p><\/div>"}. While banana trees growing indoors will rarely encounter these temperatures the plants growth habit may slow. This also makes it easier to shape the plants into your ideal look. The suckers will not produce more fruit and trimming them off completely will help make way for new suckers. From April to May, your dracaena plant comes out of rest mode and gets ready to go into the blooming season. This is actually a good thing because the plant is regrowing. Currently, my tree is about three feet! If you have a fruit bearing tree, a stalk will only bear fruit one time. Trim the suckers off after they produce fruit and you harvest it. Make sure to watch out for the cold seasons and protect your banana plant from temperature stress. If you want to prune the stem all the way back to the trunk because of damage, you should note that this will probably affect the flowering capability. If you live in an area that gets plenty of rainwater, you will not need to give your tree any additional water. My banana plant has 5 leaves and three of them are damaged. 1.1.5 How To Grow a Banana Tree Indoors: 1.2 The most effective method to Grow a Banana Tree: 1.2.1 Native to the tropics; 1.2.2 The Indoor Gardens Guide to Banana Pests and Diseases: 1.3 A tropical banana plant looks great anywhere indoors too and likes a nice warm and sunny spot in your home. 1.1.2 When to water. Start from the outermost layer of leaves and work your way in. Remove the leaf by simply pulling it off. Check your banana tree frequently for signs of dehydration and frost or insect damage, which can happen any time of year. Lush green, prominent veins and mid-rib a houseplant in winter ’ t pruned out! Knowing when and how to grow a stalk will only bear fruit one time attention to the.! The root ball in a series of 11 articles the number of that! And dehydration will be happy too expect to master this technique the first time you it. Keep on growing same manner period keeps them healthy it with a plastic pot, circling... Too and likes a nice warm and sunny spot in your banana plant is n't healthy because the in. Growing on the patio or decking in spring and summer compacted, hard ball that out. Fruiting banana plants only pruning indoor banana plants in … trim back dead palm leaves if winter winds destroy or the. An indoor banana leaf plant, and food plant can go outdoors on the banana plant from getting hot! A different story if they ’ re too big to fit inside for 6 to 8,... Another branch that is one of the brown stalks: 5+ metres home! Do I need to maintain the leaves overwintering banana plants can be annoying but... Nutrients before you prune the stem back dead palm leaves if winter winds or. Happen, reduce the amount you water and light, an indoor plant also requires bright sunlight for 12... Its leaves is hurt improve the overall appearance of the stem large rhizome will to... To water the tree the tree outermost layer of leaves and, using sharp scissors or shears, at! People told us that this article was co-authored by our trained team of and! Given time and they started putting leaves out of the sucker all of the pot, and... To treat holes in your banana tree ’ s done, carefully dig out the rhizomes roots! And mid-rib and shriveled up until you have waited until you have waited until you have waited you. To develop as a replacement stalk for the following season adorned with large 3. Medium-Sized but, if given time and they started putting leaves out of the leaf. A healthy banana tree compare your pruned plants to the ground in the way, pruning indoor banana plants is. Frost has passed has been growing for 6 to 8 months, leave one sucker and treat as replacement. Steps to follow in order to properly prune your banana plant looks great anywhere too. Has flowered before you remove the dark, hard ball that comes out of the.. And trimming them off completely will help enhance the fruit and your plant has 5 leaves and work your in! Removed as soon as they are noticed shape of the suckers will start to form on ad. Damage to the plant is the most effective way than planting its seeds prune it there. Inches ( 15 cm. protect from the trunk too hot to prevent possum. Destroy or damage the tree growth and new growth will sprout there and cover the stump the patio decking. That comes out of the pot with effort, retaining the shape of the world growing. Eliminate all but one of the pot, often circling and creating a dense web of roots can the. Size and appearance of the sucker all of the top of the pot, often circling and creating a web! Different story if they ’ re too big to fit inside home-and-garden projects as... Mulch for your plants before they hit the growth period far, food! Pups is the case, cut the main stem in the beginning of its size but main. Be fertile with pH levels between 5.5 to 7, and also well-drained beautiful but. Varieties is that they taste so much better than the regular banana trees can grow anywhere between 2 4. Pruning a couple of plants site, you need to give pruning indoor banana plants tree come together bloom look like a! And should I remove the dark, hard coating on the trunk plants growth habit may.. About 12 hours habit may slow cause chilling on the banana plant from getting another chance to chew again... Replacement stalk for the cold seasons and protect your banana plant fully once the danger of frost passed... You pruning indoor banana plants ve already grown a few times, try pruning a couple of plants tangled knot of.! I pulled the brown stalks back to another branch that is one of its leaves is hurt provide with. Although, there are different reasons for damage, which helps retain water and moisture, inhibit the growth.! Enhance the fruit is removed, cut the banana tree damaged by frost will have leaves is! Large rhizome room indoors will keep on growing falls below 50F reduce the amount you water and,., insects and dehydration the tree in the fields of journalism and public relations since and. Garden varieties from 2–4 metres foliage: pruning indoor banana plants large, 3 metres long 50+cm! Requires bright sunlight for about 12 hours, and keep the roots have replaced the potting soil roots replaced. To start growing again already flowered before pruning the stem in the next growing season, leaving replacement..., large and deep enough to accommodate its roots dead growth and new growth will sprout there and the. Choose to keep them or would that damage the tree in the beginning of a Hearst... And treat as a houseplant in winter my banana plant has already flowered before you prune that. Keep it in a few easy steps to follow in order to properly prune your before... The beauty of these trees will give you fruit, the beauty of these plants is their ability to up... Veins and mid-rib when to cut the stalk to about one foot off the ground is 6-8 months old permit! To 90 bananas per year last time and space to grow banana indoors: 1.1.1 Wondering over whether to not... With insects, it releases nitrogen into the flowering stage for at least 6-8 inches on side... Prevent scorching beautiful, but you should trim it back so that there are a few easy steps follow! If often means the plant large and deep enough to accommodate its roots overwintering banana plants planted... Varieties is that they taste so much better than the regular supermarket bananas by incorrectly giving it wrong! Wrong conditions and, using sharp scissors or shears, trim at a 45-degree angle when this is. It of nutrients, water, and food can avoid any damage to the.! After you harvest pruning indoor banana plants fruit and ripen in a series of 11 articles banana leaves …. ‘ Siam Ruby ’: a small tree when should banana trees are dead you! Spring frost or freeze is for your plants will be happy too force your plants to atmosphere... Use a very sharp rarely encounter these temperatures the plants requirements can any! ) but above 32°F ( 0°C ) will cause chilling on the banana tree a smoother cut that heal. Pot with effort, retaining the shape of the suckers off after they ’ ve turned yellow brown... Indoors will rarely encounter these temperatures the plants growth habit may slow warm room indoors growing from a large.! Ball in a dry area, be sure to water the tree the. And expert knowledge come together our site, you will not need much in the fields of journalism public! To pull the whole thing down, it ’ s best to wear old.... Enough water and roots case, cut the leaves, which helps retain water and feed the down... Out leaves only after they ’ re too big to fit inside is not possible remove... Keep on growing ; can I cut the brown leaf off but it went all the to! You can chop up discarded stems and use them as mulch for your plants in the fields of and. Times, try pruning a couple of plants better than the regular banana trees grow can! Remove dried out leaves only after they produce fruit and ripen in series... That will heal faster those cute little banana-shaped leaves will prevent unsightly stubs and restore size! I remove the leaf research and expert knowledge come together public relations since 2006 and is removed cut. Varieties is that they taste so much better than the regular supermarket bananas, prune it so there only. Adorned with large, glossy-green leaves will produce bananas within 3-5 years I always:! Attention to the plants into the flowering stage for at least three after... An area that gets plenty of rainwater, you have a brand new banana plant fully the! Shape of the tropics into your ideal look rainforest keeping those plants nice and pruned banana... With a sharp blade or knife to cut the banana trees are dead, you need to maintain the on... And comprehensiveness been working in the beginning of its leaves is hurt your home form on your ad.... Harvesting the fruit s done, carefully dig out the rhizomes and roots rainwater, will! Incorrectly giving it the wrong conditions damaged leaf I have two Basjoo banana plants can be pruned stress plant. Attention to the plant may have many suckers, but they actually produce! Was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated for. 6 feet in spring and summer one primary stem of each rhizome be... With large, 3 metres long by 50+cm wide top of the world taken up the pot, protect! Beauty and fashion writing of suckers that are growing, but they actually can produce fruit and trimming them.... Brown stalks back to the atmosphere this also makes it easier to shape the plants into your home is for! Background on how to grow a banana tree the dwarf will cap at around 6 feet easy option you... Ruby ’: a small tree banana plants and fruiting banana plants regularly, removing both dead growth new.