and Ensete spp.) Both ornamental banana plants and fruiting banana plants can be pruned in the same manner. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. This helps channel all of the plant’s energy into fruit production. Pups are growing, but the main stalk looks awful; can I cut the main stalk all the way down now? Cut off excess suckers by cutting from the edge of the sucker all of the way down to the soil with a sharp knife. Most importantly, don’t expect to master this technique the first time you do it. Pruning Tips Remember, no one is out in the rainforest keeping those plants nice and pruned. This will replace the main stem in the next growing season. But if it is unsightly or in the way, then it is best to cut off the damaged leaf. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Not pruning indoor plants isn’t the end of the world. Trim back the banana plant fully once the danger of frost has passed. Count the number of suckers that are growing on the banana tree. Should I remove all of them or would that damage the tree? The main stalk is often referred to as the maiden or mother plant. The blossom on the banana tree looks like a fleshy, purple-skinned flower, shaped like a tear, which grows at the end of a banana fruit cluster. Rubber plants are a popular indoor house plant. Knowing the plants requirements can avoid any damage to the plant by incorrectly giving it the wrong conditions. Indoor/outdoor: Does best indoors; a stable environment produces the best yield. Remove the leaf by simply pulling it off. Yes, the beauty of these plants is their ability to stand up to pressure and regrow shoots where they have been pruned. If often means the plant isn't healthy because the roots have replaced the potting soil. wikiHow's. When the fruit is harvested, cut the fruiting … For a complete background on how to grow banana plants, we recommend starting from the beginning. To begin, make sure that you purchase the correct variety of banana trees (side note, they aren’t technically a tree, either!). Make sure to watch out for the cold seasons and protect your banana plant from temperature stress. If this is not possible, remove it with a sharp knife. Make sure you don’t force your plants into the flowering stage for at least three days after pruning. Keep the plant strong with micronutrients to … Plan to prune banana trees after harvesting the fruit. Grow Banana houseplant indoors? She is particularly interested in home-and-garden projects, as well as beauty and fashion writing. Will it grow back if I leave the roots 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. This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. If you chose to grow bananas in a pot you will probably need a dwarf variety, especially if you need to take it indoors before the first frost. Only one primary stem of each rhizome should be allowed to fruit. Garden tools like shears and knives are very sharp. Pups grow beside the mother tree. While some of these trees will give you fruit, some people use them just as decoration. Similarly, you may ask, when should banana trees be pruned? Dwarf varieties of banana trees can grow anywhere between 2 to 4 meters.. The tangled knot of roots can stress the plant and deprive it of nutrients, water, and food. A possum chewed off the stalk of my banana. The banana plant can go outdoors on the patio or decking in spring and summer. How far, and when, do you prune back that weird banana blossom stalk? Be sure to make sure your banana plant is getting enough water. How to Prune Banana Plants After a Freeze. Currently, my tree is about three feet! It's HARD working from home. If the leaves on the banana trees are dead, you have to trim them off. A tropical banana plant looks great anywhere indoors too and likes a nice warm and sunny spot in your home. Wind and rain. Trim the suckers off after they produce fruit and you harvest it. Banana plants (Musa) require regular pruning to prevent the banana mat from growing too large and to remove dead leaves and spent stalks from the plant. This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. One common way to avoid damage from frost is to actually dig up and move the plant. Imagine plucking tasty, 4-inch bananas from your very own tree! When you get to the stem, use a sharp blade or knife to cut the stalk to about 1 inch from the trunk. Count the number of suckers that are growing on the banana tree. I have a brand new banana plant with one leaf which has been damaged by the weather. Height: 5+ metres but home and garden varieties from 2–4 metres Foliage: Very large, 3 metres long by 50+cm wide. Pruning the tree will help maximize its ability to produce a lot of big fruit, but be careful to prune the tree correctly as cutting off suckers incorrectly can damage the plant. Musa ‘Siam Ruby’: a small banana with colourful leaves that is easy to bring indoors. Winter Care: Bring indoors and treat as a houseplant in winter. Banana trees cease growing when the temperature falls below 50F. How to Prune a Potted Lemon Tree. You can use any vegetative waste, such as leaves, wood or bark chips, and even old banana leaves and the pruned off stalks of banana plant, as compost. Check your banana tree during each season. You can remove dead leaves in any season using your fingers. A temperature that goes below 60°F (16°C) but above 32°F (0°C) will cause chilling on the plant. The plant knows that one of its leaves is hurt. To learn how to treat holes in your banana tree’s leaves, keep reading! Make sure you have waited until you have harvested any fruit and until your plant has flowered before you prune the stem. Then cut the entire stem with the fruit and ripen in a warm room indoors. Since banana plants only grow in … Before purchasing a plant, learn about its sun requirements. Investigate the date of the last expected spring frost or freeze is for your region. Additional Information: Tropical flare for your home. After the fruit is removed, cut the main stem down to 2.5 feet. Gardeners must prune their banana plants regularly, removing both dead growth and new growth as they observe it. Ficus Pruning Tips. If you live in an area that gets plenty of rainwater, you will not need to give your tree any additional water. Here are those cute little banana-shaped leaves. The regular banana trees can grow up to twenty feet tall, whereas the dwarf will cap at around 6 feet. Remove the rest of the stem in a few weeks, leaving the replacement sucker intact. Pry the sucker off the banana plant. Yes you can but you do not have to. Make sure you dig out at least 6-8 inches on either side of the base of the stem. 1.1 How To Grow Banana Indoors: 1.1.1 Wondering over whether to repot…or not? 1.1.2 When to water. Start from the outermost layer of leaves and work your way in. Cut just before a growth node so that new growth will sprout there and cover the stump. In fact, indoor banana trees require bright light for about 12 hours or so for most varieties. Trim back dead palm leaves if winter winds destroy or damage the banana palm's foliage. Pruning Tips. Although, there are different reasons for damage, you will approach any dead leaves the same way. When you prune early, you give the plant the time to relax and grow bigger leaves. lifestyle; home; How to bring a dying plant back to life with just a banana peel. 1.1.2 When to water. They’re typically medium-sized but, if given time and space to grow, can become the size of a small tree. 6-10 foot plant adorned with large, glossy-green leaves will produce bananas within 3-5 years. To learn how to treat holes in your banana tree’s leaves, keep reading! SInce bananas are fast growing, many gardeners choose to chop off all frost-damaged or unattractive trunks of bananas with a loppers or machete blade in spring so the new growth comes back quickly and robustly. Weekend Gardener: How to Grow Bananas Indoors. Pruning . There are a few easy steps to follow in order to properly prune your banana tree. Key lime and kaffir lime are popular dwarf citrus trees. As I always say: if your home is comfortable for you, then your plants will be happy too. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. Nevertheless, most banana plants like it hot, and if you don’t live in USDA Hardiness Zone 9 or higher, you may wonder how you can add one of these tropical beauties to your landscape and keep it alive over winter.. Let’s learn more! Banana Trees, Pruning and More Because we’ve provided a head start on growth, you can expect consistency and ease for the life of your Banana Tree. After 6-8 weeks of sustained, healthy growth, your banana tree will have to be pruned. A banana tree damaged by frost will have leaves that first look withered before they eventually turn brown. Make sure you have harvested any fruit and your plant has already flowered before pruning the stem. However, banana plants that are kept indoors will rarely bear fruit. As with any indoor plant, remove any leaves and branches from your rubber plant that appear to be dead or dying. Overwintering a Banana Tree Outside. You may need to use a pair of pruning shears to snip off dead branches. The plant does not mind the damage and will keep on growing. Prune the tree in the beginning of its growing cycle before the plant fruits and again after you harvest the fruit. What does the bloom look like on a banana tree? % of people told us that this article helped them. The soil should be fertile with pH levels between 5.5 to 7, and also well-drained. {"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":"