A well-cared-for ornamental banana rolls out one leaf after the other and can easily reach a height of up to three meters in this country. The question of a suitable winter location arises not only because of their size. She doesn't know any frost from her tropical homeland and doesn't want to experience it here either!
How should an ornamental banana be cared for in winter?
In order to overwinter an ornamental banana successfully, it should be kept in a bright room at temperatures of 10-18°C. Make sure to keep the potting soil slightly moist, mist the plant regularly and fertilize once a month.
Summer outdoors
It's too cold in winter and too dry in summer. Local living conditions in the wild are simply not suitable for this evergreen tropical plant. Blazing sun and wind also destroy the appearance of the leaves, causing them to dry out or tear.
It is therefore the “normal case” that a Musa is more likely to be found in bright rooms than outside. It should only “oversummer” outside if a good, protected location is available. She will stay in the house over the winter, but possibly with a change of location.
Winter rest is often spent cooler
During the main growing season, the ornamental banana likes temperatures up to 30 °C. At the same time, high humidity is required. Under these conditions you can watch it grow. Of course she will thirst for water every day and require further care.
In winter, the busy plant can slow down and take things slower. Support the plant by giving it a cooler but still bright spot. 10 to 18 °C is ideal.
If the plant is still outside, it should be brought inside as soon as the outside temperature drops permanently below 15 °C. But at the latest before the first frost.
Better too warm than too cool
No room in your home offers the ideal temperature? Then choose a warmer room instead of a cooler one. If necessary, the decorative banana can also stay in the living room. The dry heating air could become a problem. It is essential to counteract it with appropriate measures.
- Don't place the plant too close to the heater
- at least Spray with water once a week
- Set up bowls with water
- Use humidifier
Tip
When the air is particularly warm and dry, the ornamental banana can be colonized by spider mites in no time. Check for them regularly. Pay particular attention to the undersides of the leaves.
Care during the rest period
Even during winter rest, the potting soil must always be slightly moist. However, since the plant uses less water or evaporates less water in winter than in summer, it no longer needs to be watered as frequently or as abundantly. Do not stop fertilizing. The plant needs new nutrients once a month.
In early spring, around March, Ensete ventricosum, as its botanical name is, is repotted. If offshoots, so-called kindles, have formed close to the trunk, you can now carefully separate them from the mother plant and plant them separately. This is how you get new ornamental bananas.
