Whether artificial or live, banana palm trees can be a great addition to your home. They grow banana fruits and give a tropical feeling to your outdoor and indoor space.
What’s more, having banana plants in or around your home can fetch you good health and mental peace.
Going by the scientific name Musa, banana palm trees are easy to plant and take care of, but they still need special attention.
They originate from the tropics, meaning they prefer plenty of sunlight and high humidity. Of course, taking care of the banana palm tree involves other basics like fertilizer and water.
Do you care for live or artificial banana palm trees and want to keep them in their best condition? Here are some tips that can help you enjoy your banana palm for a long time.
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Top tips for taking care of your banana palm tree
Banana trees offer many benefits from acting as windbreaks to improving your home’s appearance. And although growing bananas trees doesn’t take much effort, it requires getting a few things right from the beginning.
Here are a few tips for taking care of your banana palm tree:
1. Live banana palm trees need just the right amount of water
Banana plants originate from the tropics where there is constant rainfall and never a drought, meaning they need water at all times. Give your banana plants a small amount of water (if it’s in a container) every day to keep them healthy.
Water outdoor banana plants intensely every two to three days.
If you lose track of the watering schedule, a good rule of thumb is to water the banana plant when the top half-inch of the soil is dry. Note that overwatering the banana palm can cause root rot and kill the plant.
Watering your banana palm correctly will boost its growth and overall health.
2. Live banana palm trees also need fertilizer
Yes, the banana palm is easy to care for, but you’ll need to apply fertilizer periodically. Specifically, if you notice a sign of distress in the plant or if the soil is out of balance, a little nutrition boost can help.
Initially, plant banana palms in rich, dark humus to offer them plenty of micronutrients and macronutrients needed for growth and health.
Then, add a balanced N-P-K fertilizer to the plant when the leaves are actively growing. You can then switch to high-potassium fertilizer when your banana plant starts to flower.
Liquid fertilizer for banana palm is often preferred for indoor-grown plants because it’s immediately available for absorption.
On the other hand, slow-release or granular fertilizer is better for banana palm plants that aren’t suffering from nutrient deficiency.
3. Plenty of sunlight is best for a live banana palm tree
Banana palms originated from the rainforest, and thus, they thrive in hot and humid conditions. In fact, a banana palm can not survive in areas where the temperature goes below 53-59°F.
So, give your plants plenty of daylight by placing them in direct sunlight.
Temperatures around 78°F are ideal during the day and 66°C at night. Choose a location that gets the most sun for the banana plants.
For instance, you may place them on windows facing the sun or an outside area with the most sunlight.
Maintain a humidity level above 50%. You can use a humidifier or set up an evaporation tray for this purpose.
You can also mist the banana leaves with water using a spray bottle to maintain an excellent humid level.
4. Artificial banana palms are easy to maintain
If you can’t keep up with the activities needed to maintain healthy live banana palms, don’t worry! You can use artificial banana plants as alternatives.
Yes, they won’t give you the banana fruit, but they’ll improve your home’s appearance and act as windbreaks.
Artificial banana palms don’t need watering, fertilizers, or certain humidity levels, making them easier to take care of.
In addition, these plants maintain their shape, meaning you don’t have to worry about pruning.
However, even the perfectly made artificial banana palms can lose some mojo and need grooming to get them back in shape.
You can use scissors to trim the limp leaves or stems in such an instance.
5. Be sure to periodically dust and rinse your artificial banana palm
You can buy the most realistic and best quality artificial banana palm, but if you don’t keep it clean, leaves covered in dust will give away its beauty.
Dusting and cleaning will maintain your banana palm’s eye-pleasing appearance and avoid dust allergies for you.
Larger indoor banana palms may require a shower to clean. Place them in your shower and turn on lukewarm water. Rotate the plant so that all leaves get showered.
Make sure it’s dry before storing it in the house. The last thing you want is to keep a damp plant in your hallway or sitting room.
6. Store your artificial banana palm properly when not using them
If you use artificial banana palms for your outdoor landscaping, you might consider storing them through the winter. This keeps them good-looking and protects them from damage caused by foul weather during the winter months. So, how exactly do you store the fake banana palm when not using them?
Here are a few tips to help:
- Choose storage space
- Clean them up
- Bag them up
- Use a plastic storage bin.
Ensure that you choose a storage unit that’s large enough that it doesn’t crumble the stems or leaves of your banana palm tree.
Store the artificial plant in a place with little light, such as crawl space, attic, basement storage, etc., to maintain their appearance.
Final thoughts
Caring for live banana palm or taking care of artificial banana palm is necessary to maintain its beauty and health benefits.
Avoid incorrectly watering your banana palm, feed the live palms with fertilizer, and clean and correctly store your artificial banana plant.
Do you have a live or artificial banana plant in your home?
If so, please share some of the tips for taking care of both live and artificial banana palm in the comment section. I look forward to hearing from you!
