Banana Care Guide

Musa grow best in bright, indirect light, but will tolerate partial shade and some direct sun.

Keep consistently moist during the warmest months and more than most plants in an indoor setting during winter months.

These plants enjoy high levels of humidity indoors and outside.

Keep this plant on the warmer side and avoid cold drafts.

Outside: Keep them in bright, indirect light on a patio out of direct sunlight to prevent leaf burn where nights are above 50°F.

Add a mix of 6-2-12 fertilizer for leaf color and lush fruiting.

When receiving the Musa 'Dwarf Cavendish', do not repot immediately but wait at least 3 months or if the roots are beginning to get crowded and growing through the drainage holes.  They can grow very fast in their first year. As they get older, you can repot annually. 

Repot in the spring, using a 2 inches bigger pot to give the roots room to spread.

Place a piece of screening at the bottom of the container over the drainage hole to secure the soil and allow to drain. Use a rich, well-draining indoor potting mix with perlite for drainage. 

Water your plant in the old pot before transferring over and let sit an hour.

Add well-draining potting soil and perlite to the bottom to elevate the root ball. Lift the plant and release the roots against the existing planter. Use a clean knife or garden trowel to wedge between the pot and the soil to loosen. 

Inspect the root ball. Notice if there are any dead or rotting roots and trim off with sterile pruners. If the plant is rootbound, cut through the roots to alleviate continued encircling. 

Ensure the plant is sitting about 1 inch below the edge of the pot to avoid water spillage. Add more soil and backfill around the sides by tamping down. Fill up to the soil line but not over. 

Water thoroughly, and if settling occurs, add more soil.   

Water well to dampen the soil and let drain.

Banana plants produce suckers that can hinder fruit production. Look for stem growth at the base of the central stalk coming from underneath the soil. Leave 5-6 suckers but remove the rest off with a sharp knife. After a sucker produces fruit, you can eliminate that stalk down to the ground. Remove any dried or dead leaves so more nutrients can travel to healthy parts of the plant.

Banana plants produce suckers that can be harvested and propagated.  These young plants are called "pups" and can be removed from the main plant. Leave one "pup" with their mother plant but remove the rest by division. Carefully cut them with a sterile, sharp knife and include some of the roots. Repot in similar soil at the same height with a pot 2" wider than the root ball. Water in the soil and leave an inch below the pot's top edge for watering.