Can bananas be... shortened?

[Palmlex]

Hey everyone,

So i'm having a bit of a weird question, but first a bit of back story. Last year I've had a Musa Sikkimensis in the ground during the summer, that i then brought inside for the winter, since I'm in zone 7. I then brought it back outside for the warm season and it became a beauty, with the new leaves reaching around 12ft in height. Well, here comes the problem. I'd like to bring it back inside this winter, but my ceilings don't go that high anymore.

Is there any chance that I could cut the banana's trunk say halfway and have it survive and put out leaves from the height of the cut? I know they grow from a bulbous base, so I'm holding some hope.

[Jeff zone 8 N.C.]

Sure you can. That is exactly what you should do. The sooner the better as winter is coming and you want leaves before being brought inside, if possible.  If you get one or two leaves before moving inside it would be good. Fertilize and water to keep soil just a little moist till the new leaves start. Expect slower growth than you have now till next spring.

[Merlyn]

@Palmlex yes, just cut at any reasonable height and it'll unfurl from there.  The first one or two leaves will look really weird.  I've done this when cleaning up an overgrown cluster of Bordelon. 

There are a couple of very short bananas that you could grow indoors without worrying about the height.  All are similar broad-leaf types under 5' tall - Super Dwarf Cavendish, Truly Tiny, and Little Prince.  If you like the red leaves, Zebrina Rojo is supposed to only get to about 8' or so.  I have some from a neighbor that I *think* are Zebrina Rojo, and 8' is pretty close.  I also tried with Siam Ruby but they died at my first frost here.

[Jeff zone 8 N.C.]

If the new leaf stalls and just does not want to come out you can do surgery on the trunk like a slice out of the side of the trunk to help a leaf come out. This should not be done except when the leaf has definitely stalled for a while and just refuses to come out. You would try to start in the center of the trunk at the top where the leaf is coming out and slice straight down trying not to cut that new leaf. Then cut that slice away from the trunk and very gently with your fingernails try to part the left behind tissue so that the new leaf is partially freed from the trunk. That emerging leaf will be very fragile and prone to breakage till it can harden off so it's best not to try to pull it from the trunk. Just let it do it itself.  Also if the leaf is green and can not unfurl because most of it is still down in the trunk it's ok to gently tear the exposed top part of the leaf to allow a partially emerged leaf to partially open and get sunlight.

[SeanK]

On 9/13/2024 at 2:50 AM, Palmlex said:

Hey everyone,

So i'm having a bit of a weird question, but first a bit of back story. Last year I've had a Musa Sikkimensis in the ground during the summer, that i then brought inside for the winter, since I'm in zone 7. I then brought it back outside for the warm season and it became a beauty, with the new leaves reaching around 12ft in height. Well, here comes the problem. I'd like to bring it back inside this winter, but my ceilings don't go that high anymore.

Is there any chance that I could cut the banana's trunk say halfway and have it survive and put out leaves from the height of the cut? I know they grow from a bulbous base, so I'm holding some hope.

The common practice here is to dig up the banana and lay it down in a crawlspace or basement. Then, replant in late springtime. In this way, you can get a musa to flower outside. Getting fruit is difficult as two seasons may not be long enough.

[Palmlex]

On 9/14/2024 at 9:06 PM, SeanK said:

The common practice here is to dig up the banana and lay it down in a crawlspace or basement. Then, replant in late springtime. In this way, you can get a musa to flower outside. Getting fruit is difficult as two seasons may not be long enough.

That sounds great if you can do it. In my case, it would only fit in the attic, although I haven't really been measuring temperatures there, so it could get too cold. I also really don't wanna invite mold in there, so I'm trying not to bring things that can rot there.

[Palmlex]

On 9/14/2024 at 5:27 AM, Jeff zone 8 N.C. said:

Sure you can. That is exactly what you should do. The sooner the better as winter is coming and you want leaves before being brought inside, if possible.  If you get one or two leaves before moving inside it would be good. Fertilize and water to keep soil just a little moist till the new leaves start. Expect slower growth than you have now till next spring.

Do you think it might not work if cut right before digging up and potting up for indoors? I'm a little reticent to cutting it now, since it looks so nice and there's still a bit of season left for it to enjoy.

[Jeff zone 8 N.C.]

It all depends on a lot of factors but it should be fine to cut leaves when dug. It will take longer to recover because you are cutting roots and changing environment at the same time but bananas are tough so it should be fine. Maybe just do the fertilizing a week before or so and then keep the plant just moist and do not water much until you see good growth. If it does not have leaves it will not need water except just enough to keep the roots in the very bottom of the pot from drying out.

[Jack Lord]

I do this. Wait until the first frost hits them. It does not kill them but they look depleted. Then hack them down to the ground. Cover up the stumps with leaves, mulch, or both.

They come back every spring and grow like crazy.

 

[Palmlex]

13 hours ago, Jack Lord said:

I do this. Wait until the first frost hits them. It does not kill them but they look depleted. Then hack them down to the ground. Cover up the stumps with leaves, mulch, or both.

They come back every spring and grow like crazy.

 

I tried this and it didn't work out very well for me. I had 2 Sikkimensis. One I dug up and took indoors for the winter, at normal room temperature, and then transplanted in spring back into the ground, and now it has around 7ft of trunk and 10-12ft to the tip of the newest leaf.

The other one I left outside and covered. Granted, I could have covered it better, but my yard is small and I don't have much space to keep spare mulch or such. It did come back but compared to the other one towering at 10-12ft, this one is around 3ft tall now. It's not very impressive.

I think I need to keep bringing the ones that I want to look good inside.

 

[Jack Lord]

7 hours ago, Palmlex said:

I tried this and it didn't work out very well for me. I had 2 Sikkimensis. One I dug up and took indoors for the winter, at normal room temperature, and then transplanted in spring back into the ground, and now it has around 7ft of trunk and 10-12ft to the tip of the newest leaf.

The other one I left outside and covered. Granted, I could have covered it better, but my yard is small and I don't have much space to keep spare mulch or such. It did come back but compared to the other one towering at 10-12ft, this one is around 3ft tall now. It's not very impressive.

I think I need to keep bringing the ones that I want to look good inside.

 

They both work. You could also use old towels or a blanket.

Honestly, I don't even bother with mulch anymore. I just rake whatever leaves happen to be nearby. Mine have done so well, i have to whack a few every Spring to prevent overcrowding.