I just bought a Dwarf Cavendish plant and want to grow it in a container. Lots of sources tell how to plant, soil types, fertilizer, etc. but I can't find out what size container I need.

I am growing a dwarf banana in a pot. I started with a 6 inch pot, then transplanted to an 8 inch pot when it got larger and currently have it in about a 12 or 14 inch pot.

My Plant was in a 10 in. pot when I bought it. The main stalk (trunk?) is about 18 in. tall. I want to transplant it to a container big enough to accomodate the plant at it's mature size. Would a 24 in. pot be large enough?

I don't know how big their mature size is, so I'm not really sure.

The mature height of a dwarf cavendish is 6-7 ft.

Well, I had an 8 foot tall sugarcane in a 24 inch pot and it did ok

I have heard of 6 foot fruiting Dwarf Bananas in 10 inch pots. I think they like it crowed, or atleast I think that is what the person at the Banana Tree said. I'm not qutie sure.

I don't think the pot needs to be very large. I transplanted a 7 ft banana tree in my backyard the other day and the corm was only approximately 8 inches diameter. The roots werent very long. Maybe a 12" pot.

Chris

I currently have a Cavendish Dwarf in a 12" pot, I started it in a 6" pot and transplanted it when I got a few leaves. It keeps putting out leaves and the lower ones eventually die off. but the leaves are tightly spaced together. I have had probably 30 leaves total and currently have 12 good leafes that are about 18" long and 7" wide. All of these leaves are healthy. but I figured that the plant would be a bit taller that it is by now as it is only about 15" from the ground to the base of the top leaf. It seems to be extreamly healthy as if puts out another large leaf every week. Just curious if there was somehting I should be doing differently for it to grow taller. since it is supposed to reach 5'-6' tall. I can't tell by the pictures how tall it is supposed to be before it fruits and whether the majority of the height will be from the fruit stalk.

thanks
ec

Short stocky plants in general (not just bananas) are usually more desirable than long spindly ones that need to be propped up. So consider yourself lucky that you don't have the opposite problem I also have a dwarf banana. It is a little taller than yours, but not a great deal. If your roots seem excessively crowded in the pot, you might move it to a larger pot. Mine really takes off each time it gets a little more space.
Edited by spectrum on Apr 18, 2005 at 01:36 PM

Dear Folks,

Speaking of growing bananas in containers, here's what's happened to the banana tied to the top of my car (see the 'Growing bananas in Ohio' thread).

I planted it in a large pot (see photo) in regular potting soil and placed it in our atrium-type office last fall before it froze. All the leaves on the plant at the time I put it in the pot have fallen off - I guess dragging behind the car will do that. It 'hibernated' and recovered quickly. Here are 2 recent photos; one looking down from the loft and a second showing the size of the pseudostem and 2 pups. The pups have been growing very quickly - the main plant puts out a new leaf every week and a half. I water it on Monday and Friday and fertilize it with MiracleGrow on Fridays. It's 70-75F in the office, but with computers, etc., we can't have high humidity - but it looks better than bananas in a nearby greenhouse with 90% humidity.





We're hoping for bananas this summer - we'll have an ice cream/banana split social when they're ripe. I'll be sure to get photos of the party!

Donn

Hi,
I have two dwarfs currently growing in semi-hydroponics systems. One I bought early in the spring and the other just about a month ago. Both of which I planted in large 12" pots. And they both seem to love it. The one I bought early in the spring may have to go into soil sooner then I thinking due to the sheer top heaviness of the plant. I'm getting worried that it might topple and up root. I plan on growing it them indoors until they are large enough to plant outdoors in the summer. By next summer they should be in the ground.

Its been a while since anyone posted here but I have a question. I have Mom and two pups...dwarf Cavendish in a 12 inch pot and they are beautiful and get new leaves weekly. Bought Mom this past spring and the pups sprouted almost immediately and are almost as big as Mom. They are all about 2 ft tall. I live in zone 7 in Northern Virginia so I know I will have to bring them in this winter . Does anyone know if there is any chance I will ever get bananas?

Tx

T

I had the same type of banana tree in Florida in my yard and that thing just kept sprouting new trees after the old one fruited and kept renewing itself. I didn't do any maintenance other than cutting down the old stalks after I harvested the fruit...so...that being said, I'm sure you'll have bananas eventually. Rome wasn't built in a day. Have a little patience and I'm sure you'll be rewarded with little potassium pockets in no time.

Thanks for the vote of confidence. We had banana plants for years that got huge and one bloomed at 3 yrs old and we were so excited but the frost came before it fruited and when I put it in the sun porch (with huge skylight) the blooms died and I was so sad. Those plants were given to me so I don't know what variety they were. They had the traditional long green leaves. The dwarf Cavendish I have now have those gorgeous green leaves with dark streaks. Mom was a newborn this year so she and the pups are very young but growing so fast that I had to find out about the fruiting issue.

One other question. Can all three live in the 12 inch pot long term? I tried once to separate a pup and did it the proper way but it died so I am not looking forward to doing that again.

Tx