Title

How to grow and care for Scarlet Banana

Written by Maggie

Jan 08 2021

How to grow and care for Scarlet Banana

Scarlet Banana, also known as Musa coccinea, torch banana. Its bright and eye-catching, resembles the flame, makes the person's spirit uplifting, therefore often used to decorate the office or the home. So how to grow Scarlet Banana? How to care for Scarlet Banana when growing? Please follow me to see!

Scarlet Banana

Growing Scarlet Banana

Best growing time: The best time is in the early spring (February, March) after the soil thaw;

Best growing soil: scarlet banana is suitable for loose, fertile and well-drained soil;

Growth humidity requirements: The growth environment of Scarlet Banana requires the relative air temperature of 50 ~ 70 {bf};

Optimal growth temperature: Scarlet banana likes a high temperature climate and has strict requirements on winter temperature. When the ambient temperature is below 8 ℃, it stops growing and cannot safely overwinter when frost appears.

Optimum growth illumination: High temperature avoids direct sunlight in summer; It is best to block out about 30 {bf} of the sun in the hot summer months. In spring, autumn and winter, because the temperature is not very high, it is necessary to give it direct sunlight, in order to facilitate its photosynthesis and the formation of flower buds, flowering, fruiting.

Scarlet Banana care

Fertilizer care

Scarlet Banana has more requirements for fertilizer and water, but are afraid of disordered fertilization, concentrated fertilizer and partial application of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium fertilizer. Keep leaves and flowers dry at night after applying fertilizer.

Watering care

Autumn seeding period: After a period of recovery from seeding seedlings on the pot, fertilizer and water management should be quickly followed up. 

Winter growing period: Although it still continues to grow, the low temperature will make its growth rate slow down, not much fertilizer and water requirements, and even to control fertilizer and water. Watering time as far as possible to arrange in the sunny noon when the temperature is higher;

Spring flowering period: The growth quickly recovers after the temperature rises, and gradually enters the stage of flower bud differentiation and flowering, which requires a lot of fertilizer and water. After entering the fruiting period, stop the fertilizer supply.

Scarlet Banana

Trimming care

Take the mother plant out of the pot, shake off the excess soil, and separate the tangled roots as much as possible. Use a sharp knife to cut it into two or more plants, each with a corresponding root system, and trim its leaves appropriately to help it survive.

Replacement of pot soil: Scarlet banana does not need to be replanted specially under normal circumstances, but is replanted when it is combined with planting every year.

When dividing the plant, the mother plant is pulled out from the basin, remove the attached soil, let nature take its course, cut the root seedling seedlings with a sharp knife from the base of the mother plant, then separately on the basin can be.It is worth noting that the small plants can be soaked in 1500 times of chlorothalonil solution for five minutes, then taken out and dried, and can be placed in the pot, or immediately after the pot with chlorothalonil root irrigation.

Propagation care

Scarlet banana is often propagated by division method.

Dividing time is usually carried out around Tomb Sweeping Day. When dividing the plant, the mother plant is pulled out from the basin, remove the attached soil, let nature take its course, cut the root seedling seedlings with a sharp knife from the base of the mother plant, then separately on the basin can be. Potted Scarlet Banana can be mixed with 5 parts of leaf rot soil, 4 parts of garden soil and 1 part of river sand to form culture soil rich in humus, and then use a small amount of bone meal and plant ash as base fertilizer. Because the scarlet banana plant is tall, it is appropriate to choose a deep cylinder tile basin or cylinder tile basin (about 35 cm in diameter, about 30 cm in height). Before planting the basin bottom drainage hole covered with 2 ~ 3 layers of window screen, it pad a thick layer of coarse sand or cinder, for drainage and next year over the basin. Then one hand will be placed in the center of the young plant in the basin, the other hand to continue to fill the cultivation soil, planting edge filling, until the basin along the next 3 centimeters, gently compaction, pouring permeable, put half shade place slow seedlings, about half a month later moved to the sun to cultivate.

After the plant is loaded into the pot, irrigate the root or pour a permeable water. Because of its root system was very damage, water absorption ability is very weak, it will take about 3 ~ 4 weeks to restore the germination of the new root, therefore, the points of moderation within 3 ~ 4 weeks after watering, lest roots rotted, but its leaf transpiration is not affected. In order to maintain the water balance of the blade, we need foliar spray 1 ~ 3 times a day (higher injection temperature, low temperature spray or not). Don't fatten up during this time, either. After dividing the plant, also paying attention to the sun is too strong, it is best to put in the shade shed maintenance.

Scarlet banana pest Control:

Mealworms and scale insects are the most common pests in Scarlet Banana cultivation.

Control methods of scale shell insects:

1. Regular inspection, found a small amount of scale insects can be manually scraped;

2. In the nymphal damage period, 25% iminophos emulsion can be sprayed with 1000 times liquid;

3. The natural enemy ladybird can be used for biological control during shed cultivation.

Mealthopper control methods:

1. Use yellow oil plates with strong tendency to yellow for mealworms adults to act as traps;

2. In nymphal stage, 2.5% deltamethrin or permethrin 10%, or 20% quick break butyl 2000 times liquid, or 80% dichlorvos emulsion 1000 times liquid spray to kill adults, nymphal effect is very obvious;

3. Using natural enemies to kill Aphid wasp powder lice also has a certain effect.

Care for growing Scarlet Banana in the pot

If your Scarlet Banana is potted, you must check out the following pot caring tips.

1. It is advisable to choose a high and deep earthen pot to make the root system fully developed.

2. It is advisable to choose the sandy loam with humus, loose and fertile, and good drainage, and add a small amount of bone meal or decayed cake fertilizer as the base fertilizer.

3. Control fertilizer and water. Compact the soil when planting and pour permeable water after planting. In vigorous growth season watering should be dry, see wet, often keep the soil moist, and the pot can not water; During the growth period, apply  top dressing every 3 weeks or so. Regularly move it to the outdoor sunny place for maintenance; In winter, attention should be paid to water control. Generally, blades should be sprayed with clean water close to room temperature once every 7 days.

Scarlet Banana