Banana Plant Question

[CatoeSc]

Hello all. I have a couple of banana plants an they have chutes that have gone to the water surface. One is getting so long it's not a straight shot from the plant to the surface. It's bowed and getting longer. What is the purpose of this part of the plant? Should I cut it back?

 

[Mrs.h2012]

I would say its up to you. LFS lady I'm friends with told me she had one in a 2.5 gallon once and as it grew the leaves reached the top like yours, she said the leaf looked almost like a lily pad an actually bloomed a little flower.

 

[DragonFish71]

They are pretty much lily pads. You can let it grow and let the leaf open or cut it off and have nothing but the banana clusters.

I prefer the lily pad look.

 

[Mrs.h2012]

They are pretty much lily pads. You can let it grow and let the leaf open or cut it off and have nothing but the banana clusters.

I prefer the lily pad look.

I had a banana plant but I must have gotten a not so great one to begin with, the two stems from the bananas were turning yellow and brown so I cut them off and now just have the 'bananas'. Hoping it grows back. I have a 55g... Do you think it would be possible for them to grow to the top of my tank?

 

[foster53]

With the right light, and nutrients it should grow to the top. they just keep growing upward till they hit the top of the water.

 

[Mrs.h2012]

With the right light, and nutrients it should grow to the top. they just keep growing upward till they hit the top of the water.

I'm hoping mine do that. Right now I have 2 13w energy saver (60w equivalent) 6500k cfl's in clip on lamps on my tank. I only have a few plants now so the lights are all right above my plants; working my way up to all live plants.

 

[Fresh2o]

I kept a banana plant in low light conditions (no ferts just fish) with a single T 8 17w bulb in a 20 long and it sent several shoots to the surface that formed pads. Once they got to a decent size 2-3" I cut the stem leaving about 2" remaining. Soon roots sprouted from the stem and pads and I replanted them and got new plants. That was about 3-4 years ago and I still have a few left. Of note, the daughter plants never formed banana like tubers like the original plant.

 

[Mrs.h2012]

I kept a banana plant in low light conditions (no ferts just fish) with a single T 8 17w bulb in a 20 long and it sent several shoots to the surface that formed pads. Once they got to a decent size 2-3" I cut the stem leaving about 2" remaining. Soon roots sprouted from the stem and pads and I replanted them and got new plants. That was about 3-4 years ago and I still have a few left. Of note, the daughter plants never formed banana like tubers like the original plant.

I've been dosing liquid ferts, API leaf zone. The other plants I have is some type of crypt (got it from petsmart near the 'tube plants', mine came in a ziploc type bag), it was labeled as crypt wendtii green but others here think its I think they said crypt lucen (maybe not the right 'L' word but it started with an 'L') or crypt parva. My other plant is either a sword or maybe lutea... It was sold as a bunch plant at LFS. Anyway i read crypts and swords are heavy root feeders so I've been using a syringe to inject liquid ferts directly under where the plants are; I only have play sand as substrate, no Eco complete or flora max. I've been doing that until my root tabs come in. All that's left of my banana plant are the bananas. They are more of a darker green color than a vibrant green if that makes sense. I hope that's not a bad sign :/

 

[Autumnsky]

One of my lights broke on my 2.5 Betta tank and it was a long time before I moved the tank to a brighter location. My banana tubers turned into super, extremely long roots! so far still producing new leaf growth but no bananas lol

 

[Mrs.h2012]

One of my lights broke on my 2.5 Betta tank and it was a long time before I moved the tank to a brighter location. My banana tubers turned into super, extremely long roots! so far still producing new leaf growth but no bananas lol

I would be perfectly ok with just the leaves but no
Banana roots lol. I love the shape of these leaves, hopefully mine grow back!

 

[Fresh2o]

"Yes we have no bananas!"

 

[foster53]

"Yes we have no bananas!"

 

[thomasina]

Hello all. I have a couple of banana plants an they have chutes that have gone to the water surface. One is getting so long it's not a straight shot from the plant to the surface. It's bowed and getting longer. What is the purpose of this part of the plant? Should I cut it back?

I have a banana that I have had about 3 months. At first it just sat there, then grew the 4 leaves 4 ", then the fifth one came, 12" long, Then it grew one that is about 30" long. From what I have read, it will now bloom with the next shoot. Supposedly, if you let it keep going, it will get a bump on one of the shoots and then start a new plant. Another way is to cut a healthy stem about 4 inches long and let it float until there are roots and then push it into the substrate. I am going the let it be way, just to see where it goes. Hope this helps.

 

[Autumnsky]

I just noticed that the other Banana plants bananas looked like they had exploded! Really were just rottting

Took it out, it was just floating, and they pretty much fell off in my hand, extra long roots intact!!! One Banana was firm so I threw it into my little goldfish bowl only used for tiny bits of plants and my Blue ramshorn snails (not goldfish) to see if it would make another plant.

Guess its time to buy some more bananas!!!

 

[foster53]

A bunch?