bananna plant

[malken]

Hey,

I decided to have another go at keeping a bananna plant. The one I got doesn't have it's stem yet and has a few tiny brown spots on it that I imagine are algae. when I originally put it in there I just rested it on the substrate but some as yet unknown fish kept rolling it around the front of my tank.

yesterday I planted about 1/3 of the plant into the substrate and put a fertilizer tab underneath it.

It occurs to me however, I have no idea what conditions are best for bananna plants. it's currently in an area getting pretty good light.

The cf bulb over my 30 is 96w or 3.2WPG I'm running DIY CO2

any ideas or tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Lexi_D]

I have a banana plant and it's growing well in direct light (not sure how many watts though) in the middle of my tank. It has 4 stems w/ growing leaves.... I guess just put it where it would get the best light. I also put liquid fertilizer in weekly, BTW. Occasionally, it gets uprooted (gravel vacuuming, etc.) but I'm starting to see what looks like a root coming out of the bottom so I'm being careful with it. Hope I could help a little ^_^

 

[malken]

thanks every bit if info helps.


Here's a question, How do banana plants propogate? Do they drop seeds or put out runners or what?

 

[Lexi_D]

I don't think that they put runners out... the specialist at Petco said that the stems would grow up to the top of the tank and the leaves would be like lilies... still waitin for mine to do that lol but I don't know if once they're up there if they drop seeds or something like that... X)

 

[Bk718]

Heres my progress with a banana plant.. had it for about 1-2 months now

heres a pic i took earlier this week (a new growth is seen)


and heres the same plant a few days after.. notice a new leaf forming


Heres a few pix of the roots


What i did prior to placing it on the petrified wood was:
I had it tied using cotton string to a small stone.. had that stone buried under the gravel and had almost half the roots/bananas covered in gravel.. over time new stems started forming and roots began to grow.. They also suggest if you just purchased a banana plant to cut off the older stems so new ones can come out.. i did that and what do you know a few days after new stem came out..

from the pictures the one thats the most green and tallest one is an older leaf and it has been the same size/stem length for the past month, so i dont know when and even if it will ever grow to the top of the tank..

I plan to place it back in gravel so it can continue rooting.. They say those roots should turn into those banana looking things.. dont know we will see as time goes

Good luck with yours

 

[malken]

I just read that when the leaf reaches the surface it will start putting out roots and if you cut the top leaf free it will reach down and form a new plant.

I've never heard of a plant propigating like that. sounds neat though.

 

[Bk718]

I just read that when the leaf reaches the surface it will start putting out roots and if you cut the top leaf free it will reach down and form a new plant.

yea and i did that 2 and no luck.. i let one leaf float on top as one site suggested and waited for some roots to form.. nothing

then i tried taking another stem/leaf and putting the stem in gravel.. left it there for 1-2 weeks .. nothing

w/e i figured i got the plant for $2 if i need more i can go and get more without a problem.. wont worry 2 much on it growing/spreading just let it be..

though i think there might be different kinds of banana plants.. i saw one the other day in petco and it had smaller leaves and longer stems, about 8" instead of 3-5" like i have.. also the bananas were a darker color, somewhat brown and the leaves had a nice brown color to them also, didnt look like it was rotting or anything looked natural

 

[malken]

ah well, it's enough for me to hope it sprouts something and doesn't die on me

 

[malken]

My fish keep rolling the banana plant around the tank. is there some way to secure it without harming it or making it look bad?

side question, will constant movement like that stunt it's growth?

 

[Bk718]

My fish keep rolling the banana plant around the tank. is there some way to secure it without harming it or making it look bad?

side question, will constant movement like that stunt it's growth?

I had it tied using cotton string to a small stone.. had that stone buried under the gravel and had almost half the roots/bananas covered in gravel.. over time new stems started forming and roots began to grow..

and i dont think the constant movement will stunt the growth. if mine hasnt been moving for around a month or 2 and its still same size, just more stems and bigger longer roots.. then i dont think movement would do much either..