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Can i cut back my banana plant?

London, United Kingdom

Hello

Wondering if you can give me some advice.

Don't know the type of banana plant i have but the leaves are quite large, sometimes up to 3 feet or so long.

This will be the 3rd year i have had it outside (from a cutting) and now it's in a fairly large pot and it's been doing well but for the first time in years here in England (London) we had 7 days running at below zero degrees and so the plant has browned off on the outside but i think it is still very much alive though dormant on the inside.

It's about 6 feet tall with two main trunks.

When there is no danger of frost, am i able to cut across the main trunks taking off maybe 3 feet just so that when it starts growing again it has a less spindly top heavy look?

Also it produces many shoots at the base which i have removed in the past and they have rooted well becoming healthy banana plants that i have given away. Rather than it multiplying like that, is there a way to have that energy wanting to go back into the main plant? or should i simply keep removing them from time to time?

By the way, thus far, i only get to the plant flowering and then showing the tiny spike type ball that i think would be the fruit itself but once it gets to that stage they fall off. Can i encourage it in some way to fruit?

Many thanks in advance,




Answers

 

Under normal (tropical) conditions a banana tree will take up to 9 months to bear fruit. After fruiting, the stem has to be cut back as it will not bear again. Another stem will then begin the process. Suspect your lack of fruiting from flowering stage is due to too low temperatures

23 Feb, 2009

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