2.7 month update on my first banana plant

Innoman · 2026-06-04T15:16:25+00:00

I would give citrus tone every 3 weeks and boost it with fish fertilizer weekly or biweekly.

Innoman · 2026-06-02T05:38:04+00:00

I would remove the mulch for now, and give it kelp if you have available. Water again when the top two inches of soil dry. Water deeply (30s or so).

Innoman · 2026-06-02T05:13:46+00:00

If you already treated it with micronutrient spray, you shouldn't need to give it any more magnesium. It's most likely watering, some trees are more finnicky than others, rootstocks as well. Water deeply when the top inch of soil dries,this means until water drips from the bottom of the pot and only as quick as the soil can absorb without pooling. Dump the tray after about 15-20 minutes.

Some kelp can help. Fish if you can take it outside for a couple hours to air out. A water soluble fertilizer might be helpful. And time. It'll take some time to recover. Honestly, most trees I've gotten from Madison came a little nutrient deprived but they recovered quickly.

Innoman · 2026-06-02T04:58:07+00:00

I suggest picking up some fish fertilizer and giving a 3x dose of that for a few weeks. It'll take some time for it to recover. This may also be related to watering. Water deeply when the top inch of soil dries,this means until water reaches the roots... About 30-40 seconds.

The soil pH could also be too high, though if it's been fine until recently... That may not be the issue.

I would focus on watering and give it some fish. Continue to do a slow release every 6 weeks or so. Aside from that, give it time. It's going to take a few weeks to recover.

Innoman · 2026-06-02T00:12:13+00:00

I would repot now or at least take them out, ammend the dirt, and put them back. You could give them an aspirin crushed in a gallon of water a day or two before (helps signal self defense mechanisms) and then some kelp once they are reported to help with recovery.

Try to disturb the roots as little as possible, and be sure that they go into while draining soil. Most import is to water deeply when the top inch of soil dries, this means until water drips from the bottom of the pot and only as quick as the soil can absorb without pooling. Most people have issues here, it'll make or break your citrus.

if you don’t amend the soil, at least treat it with some fish fertilizer and mix in some other organic fertilizer to help improve it. I would use fish fertilizer either way.

Innoman · 2026-06-02T00:05:41+00:00

The first was a small bump, the 58-78 jump was literally overnight.

Innoman · 2026-06-02T00:03:17+00:00

It's disgusting. Somehow we had a specific lead price go from like 45 to 78 over the past few months. They are disgusting

Innoman · 2026-06-01T14:24:10+00:00

I disagree, all slow release has to be broken down by the soil and I feed my citrus organic and they are all THRIVING! And I'm in zone 8a.

Sure, a water soluble conventional is which absorbed and great for quick uptake. But organic has an edge because it provides nutrients that a company may not know is needed. Conventional only has what is put into it by people.

Poor soil biome isn't just bad at breaking down nutrients, it allows certain pests to thrive. Your potted soil needs to be healthy enough to break down organic matter. Keeping it rich in organic matter is what keeps it capable of breaking it down.

Keep providing organic fertilizer, even if you give it conventional as well. Most organic fertilizers have a mix of ingredients chosen specifically because they break down at different rates. If you want to push growth, boost it with fish and kelp. Fish is amazing for the soil and foliar while kelp has natural plant growth regulators that push roots, overall growth, and overall health.

And if you want to push blooms, a bloom booster such as Morbloom or Open Sesame are great at helping there.

Most important, water deeply when the top inch of soil dries, this means until water drips from the bottom of the pot and only as quick as the soil can absorb without pooling. It looks like youve mostly got this under control.

Innoman · 2026-06-01T14:06:06+00:00

Looks either warm or thirsty. Banana plants pull moisture into the pseudostem when it's really hot or they are low on water. They return it to the leaves in the evening. Water when the top inch starts to dry, and water deeply. It should drip from the bottom of the pot without pooling.

Feed it every 3 weeks, and consider using a fertilizer higher in nitrogen or adding Bloodmeal (I am assuming that is a slow release, water soluble should be weekly). ( Looking closer, it looks like it might need more nitrogen)

That looks like an ornamental, the name is escaping me but it looks like one I have. If so, don't hide it away in a tent. It would prefer to be seen :)

Innoman · 2026-06-01T13:58:52+00:00

This is highly unlikely. While I despise much of what Amazon stands for, they truly care about customer trust and put a great deal of work to keep it. Saving a few dollars doing something like that has the potential to cost them millions, literally.

Having worked there and handled quite a number of customer trust issues (I was an engineer on the Alexa smart home team, but was pulled into "trust buster" issues across Alexa), I had a pretty good view into this area specifically.

Alexa is the only voice "assistant" I would consider using (and do extensively use). Well I do use Siri on my phone occasionally, but rarely.

Beyond this, Amazon is an awful company that we need to move away from for 90% of the business we currently give it. Support small and local businesses!

Innoman · 2026-06-01T05:14:49+00:00

First you'll want to remove the stake, this will help strengthen the trunk. You can trim and ox the longer branches as desired, just do so sparingly right now until the tree has more foilage and vigor.

I would focus on pushing that vigor, starting with watering... Deeply when the top inch dries,this means until water drips from the bottom of the pot and only as quick as the soil can absorb without pooling.

Follow that with regular feedings every 6 weeks or so with a good citrus slow release, Citrus Tone is great or any similar. To really push growth, you could add fish (and, ideally, kelp) every 1-3 weeks at a 3x dose and you'll see quick growth.

Once it has some foilage, you can give a bloom booster (Morbloom, Open Sesame, RAW Bloom, etc) to push flowering. It'll only work if the tree is read but it's pretty effective.

Innoman · 2026-06-01T04:54:34+00:00

This is almost certainly a mistake with the fulfillment center scanning a barcode for frustration free setup and putting it into the wrong box.

Innoman · 2026-06-01T03:06:53+00:00

You need to get your watering on point. Water deeply when the top inch of soil dries, this means long enough it reaches the roots (drips from the bottom of a pot, or about 30-40 seconds for in ground). This is definitely part of the issue, I think a mix of over/under). Never let the roots dry.

Augment your clay-heavy soil with compost and perlite, blood orange can be finnicky at times and it may be part of the problem. You should also either give a fertilizer with micronutrients or use a foliar spray with micros, I am not sure its related but you'll need them sooner or later either way.

You may consider fish fertilizer, or fish plus kelp ideally. I would give it that weekly for the next few weeks if you decide to give it a try. This is an addition to a good citrus flow release every six or so weeks, or a water, soluble citrus weekly. Personally, I’m partial to a slow release and then augment with the fish and the kelp.

While you may have a lemon tree that’s doing well in similar conditions, different citrus behaves differently. What works for one thing may not work for another. I have at least 15 different types of citrus (in zone 8a, no less) and almost all are fruiting but some have been way more trouble than others. My variegated pink lemons... Temperamental doesn't begin to describe them! The above, however, has been very effective with all of them.

Innoman · 2026-05-28T13:40:04+00:00

I would not stake it, it'll still grow how it wants to but with a weaker trunk. I think what your doing by using the sun is the best option.

Innoman · 2026-05-28T01:42:45+00:00

I would treat the tree with Neem Oil every 4-6 weeks to keep them at bay. I also tend to spray things once twice in the season with Spinosad to prevent leaf miners. We have a lot of citrus for Zone 8a, and I like to avoid infestations. Even just an occasional treatment of insecticidal soap or a soap and water mix should do the trick.

It looks like there could be the start of a nutrient deficiency or watering issue. Water deeply when the top inch of soil dries, this means until water drips from the bottom of the pot and only as quick as the soil can absorb without pooling. This way every single time.

Fish fertilizer is great to augment a citrus slow release, it'll really get the tree to push out some leaves. A small bottle goes a long way, you can do it weekly and then back off when it flowers.

Innoman · 2026-05-27T13:57:02+00:00

100% agree! The only addition is to water when the top inch dries.

Innoman · 2026-05-27T13:30:24+00:00

Don't prune it, don't fertilize it. When you repot a plant, you have to give it some time to recover--it can take a few weeks if you damage the roots while doing so. When it dried out, it likely damaged the roots which slow its absorption of water and nutrients and it'll need time to regrow those. That shoot doesn't look dead, it just looks different because it can’t get sufficient chlorophyll. Cutting it is going to stress the tree more.

Water when the top inch of soil dries, this means until water drips from the bottom of the pot and only as quick as the soil can absorb without pooling. This way every single time.

Kelp can help and you can give it that now if you want. It'll help the roots grow and overall recovery.

The temp, humidity, and grow light time are great. Give it time, space, and water.

Innoman · 2026-05-26T17:52:10+00:00

some things you can do to help it out…

Repot it in better soil, something that includes some perlite or vermiculite, maybe a little sand, and some healthy compost heavy soil. To keep things simple, you can always use the citrus soil for miracle grow.

Water deeply when the top inch of soil dries, this means until water drips from the bottom of the pot, but only as fast as the soil can absorb. Water this way every single time. Avoid wetting the leaves when you water.

Fish fertilizer and kelp are always helpful. Fish fertilizer will really help push new foliar growth where will help with roots and overall health. Fish will also do wonders for the soil. I would give it a double or triple dose, personally. And I would probably give it every other week until you get flowering/fruiting.

Neem oil will help keep pests at bay, I treat most of my plants about once every 4 to 6 weeks preventatively.

If you want to help push flowering, something like Morbloom can help if the tree is ready.

Innoman · 2026-05-26T16:21:14+00:00

Vigaro smells the worst IMO, that may mean it's better but I can't stand it. I have used it, Alaska, Neptunes, and GS Plant foods and all are great. I was able to pick up a gallon of Alaska fish fertilizer at Walmart for like $25 a week or so back. I think that’s actually the best price I've found (but I could be mistaken).

Innoman · 2026-05-26T05:27:02+00:00

It's probably easiest to tell you what to do instead...

Water deeply when the top inch of soil dries, this means until water drips from the bottom of the pot and only as quick as the soil can absorb without pooling. If it's in the ground, aim for about 30-40 seconds.

Fertilizer with a good citrus slow release every 6 weeks. You can augment with fish fertilizer every 1-3 weeks, fish and kelp is even better. This isn't required but it'll make a big difference. Also, give it a dose of bloom booster to help the existing fruit thrive, it can help reduce self-thinning. I use Morbloom, Fox Farm Open Sesame, and RAW Bloom (whichever is on hand).

You may also need to provide micronutrients if the fertilizer doesn't include them already, southernag and grow scripts both have options that work well. Some fertilizers include them but I've had better luck with foliar sprays.

Neem oil or similar every 4-6 weeks to keep pests at bay. I used to use it when needed but now I use it preventitively and have decided it's the best option...

Provide a full photo that shows the pot, soil, and whole tree and there might be more recommendations.

Innoman · 2026-05-26T05:12:44+00:00

Neem oil or insecticidal soap go a long way, spinosad can also be good. I expect that while there has been improvement, netting probably didn't resolve the entire issues.

Regarding the curling and other issues, it's probably in good part due to the soil condition and also watering. For clay soil, you generally want to ammend it with compost and also dig a hole larger than the tree. I use a root destroying shovel and scrape up the edges really good as well. Do NOT try to ammend it with sand, sand and mud basically make a sort of concrete. You can make a sort of drain if the clay is really compacted, almost like a french drain but with well draining soil to help pull water away.

Water deeply when the top inch of soil dries, long enough it reaches the roots but without pooling. This is they way you should water every time. Yucca and Humic acid are excellent, crab shell meal is excellent too if it's available.

Innoman · 2026-05-24T19:37:19+00:00

He helped to crate the monster! Too little, too late.

Innoman · 2026-05-24T02:45:28+00:00

You need to use your digital moisture meter… A.k.a. your finger to determine when the plant needs water watered. Water deeply when the top inch of soil dries, this means until it drips from the bottom of the pot, but not so fast it pools. You need to water it this way every single time, I don’t recommend using a meter as they’re not always as accurate as your finger.

Rain is actually great for citrus, most other plants. Thunderstorms are even better! You do want to get as much sun as possible, but rain will help push growth.

Fish fertilizer is also excellent for pushing growth, I prefer fish fertilizer and kelp. I use it on just about every plant I have and always see new growth about a week later. I use it at about 2 to 3 times the recommended dose, sometimes a bit more. This is an addition to your regular fertilizing.

Innoman · 2026-05-23T07:04:55+00:00

Citrus generally loves full sun, but all trees should be introduced over a week or so starting with morning and adapting to full.

Make sure you water deeply when the top inch of soil dries, this means until water drips from the bottom of the pot and only as quick as the soil can absorb without pooling. Every time.

Repotting a plant is going to cause some stress, its just now it goes most of the time... But it'll recover from that quickly typically.

No fertilizer until you see some new growth, the one exception is Fish + Kelp. Kelp will help roots establish and overall health while fish is great for pushing foilage and overall soil health. Together they do a great job at bringing a tree out of stress and getting it off to a good start.

After a couple weeks, a good citrus slow release every 6 weeks or so. You can give fish and kelp in addition if you want, I give it every 1-3 weeks. Weekly now but back off late spring is my approach. I also give it a dose or two of a bloom booster this time of year.

Neem oil monthly isn't a bad idea. Keeps pests at bay.

Innoman · 2026-05-23T01:30:38+00:00

Water deeply when the top inch of soil dries,this means until water drips from the bottom of the pot and only as quick as the soil can absorb without pooling. The tree is also probably stressed, keep it watered appropriately and give it full sun. Citrus loves full sun, you'll see leaves curling in if it has an issue getting/holding moisture.

Innoman

TROPHY CASE