The last 2 leaves that have unfolded are so large and heavy that they break at their stem. They stay attached to the plant but will never stand up again. Any suggestion as to how to hold them up, not that much I could filnd was tall enough, like a circular tomato stake or something similar. It would have to acutally hold the leaf up, not but supporting at the stem base. Help me, a new one has not popped out yet. The plant is not really all that tall yet, last year I did not have this problem.

You could try using sticks as a sort of splint to strengthen the mid-vein of the leaf. I once accidentally broke a leaf the way you described and splinting it seemed to work fairly well.

How much light is your plant getting? I know that many plants tend to become spindly with weak stems if they don't get enough light. Perhaps banana plants do the same?

This is the oldest plant that I have, it produced 4 babies last year. It is outside and gets about 60% full sun during the day. It is up against the back wall of the house but the leaves are growing parallel with the house therefore they can't open and sorta let the side of the house support them. I have a another one planted in basically the same type of environment in a spot on the other side of my patio and it's leaves are not as big and the plant seems to be supporting it. I just noticed today, that there is another new leaf just poking it's head out, I will try your splinting suggestion. I was thinking that maybe because it is an older plant with a much bigger stalk base that the more layers it produces the leaves get incrementally bigger, just a thought.
Only my 2nd year of having them and I will never live without one again.

I have a banana tree that was giving to me by my Dad. I live in Florida and have it keep getting a larger pot everytime it out grew the old one. I now have it in the biggest pot Lowe's sells and it has two stalks that are over 6 feet tall with 3 new "shoots" coming up. Can I separate the new 'babies' from the pot? How do I do this? Is it like separating lily plants?

Please help.

Thank,
Allison

Allison

Since you live in Florida I am assuming you don't have to bring your plant in for the winter? Is your banana tree inside or outside? If you can keep it outside year round have you thought about putting in the ground, assuming you live in a house and not an apartment. I had 2 big ones outside last year and they were beautiful but I had to chop them down to bring them inside, I could only image what they would look like if they could stay outside year round.
As for separating babies, I read in one of these other posted messages that this one person took a shovel between the main stalk and the baby, I would think that it is the same way you separate lily plants but I have never had those, leaving the baby in the dirt for at least another 2 weeks to promote it's root base separately, then removed it. It also stated that is should be be planted within the next day or two.
I am, by no means, an expert on the subject, just trying to find out info myself.

I suppose I could plant my tree in the ground but with all the huricanes here in Florida I don't want my tree to get shredded - so I just keep lugging it in through the sliding glass doors - although soon it will probably be too big to do that!!!! Thanks for the information on separating the "babies" - I will give it a try and see what happens.

Thanks,
Allison