How to Maintain a Banana Leaf Palm

The banana leaf palm is not a true palm but a fast-growing plant that closely resembles a palm tree. They are the plants that produce edible bananas, though they don't always bear fruit when grown in the home landscape. Banana leaf palms cannot survive temperatures that dip below 28 degrees Fahrenheit, so you need to grow them indoors in most parts of the United States. The plants aren't fussy or difficult to care for, but they do require regular maintenance in order to flourish.

Organic mulch
8-10-8 fertilizer
Blanket
Pruning shears
Knife

Instructions

- 1
  Water each week until the soil around the plant feels moist to a depth of 4 to 6 inches. Monitor the moisture level of container-grown banana leaf palms closely, and water whenever the top inch of soil feels dry.
- 2
  Maintain a 4-inch layer of organic mulch around the plant. Begin applying the mulch 3 to 4 inches from the base of the banana leaf palm, and extend it outward to the farthest-reaching leaf.
- 3
  Apply 1/4 to 2 pounds of 8-10-8 fertilizer each month, depending upon the size of the plant, from spring until early fall. Begin broadcasting the fertilizer granules 3 to 4 inches from the trunk and extending outward a distance of 4 to 8 feet. Apply one-half the recommended amount of fertilizer to container-grown bananas.
- 4
  Wrap a blanket around the trunk of the banana leaf palm if you expect the temperature to drop below 28 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 5
  Allow one stem to develop in the center of the plant. Trim all other developing shoots off as they emerge.
- 6
  Leave one additional stem in place when the plant is approximately 8 months old. This shoot takes the place of the original after it dies.
- 7
  Harvest ripe fruit by severing each bunch with a sharp knife.
- 8
  Cut the oldest stem off at soil level at the end of the season, when it begins to die back.

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