Musa Ensete Maurelli problems...Help!

Hey everyone,

I've had a Musa Ensete plant (banana) for a few months which had been growing well until I'd dropped something on it which snapped it in half. It's been attempting to grow new leaves now but they're now an odd thin shape compared to how they were previously. In addition, the leaves start to go brown and die off before they've even fully opened up.

Is there anything obvious that I'm doing wrong with it or has the initial damaged caused this? I've not been misting it or anything and it's being kept indoors.

Thanks!

 

I'm not an expert on indoor plants, but from the way it is withering I'd say maybe over watering?! (that's usually how I kill mine )

 

It’s too wet plus it’s going into winter it will naturally slow down ... let the compost dry out ....

 

I should of asked ....so no drainage holes in the pot ? It’s best kept on a large saucer with drainage holes

 

Musa ensete is a mish mash of two species cobbled together. The plant in question looks like ensete ventricosum, maurelli being the red leaved form. Either way, pull it out of the compost, wash off the roots, dump it back in the pot, cover with UNWATERED compost, leave until late march early april, repot into fresh compost, a little watering and when you see visible signs it's woken up and growing you can up the watering. When you really see it's growing, feed every time you water, which will be most days.
After last frosts, which is round about mid april, grow it outside. Water and feed, water and feed, until mid october, when you pull it out, wash, etc, etc.
Another look at the photo and it could be maurelli, they turn green in reduced sunlight.
Follow this advice, in about three or four years we'll talk about propagation by smashing the meristem!

 

It looks too small to overwinter in a dormant state, its obviously not happy but apart from being in a pot that is probably without drainage holes it look like its just giving up the ghost regarding leaves.
If it was mine I'd repot, check for good white roots, cut off any rotten ones right back to the base of the stem, and probably put in as smaller pot as is possible, but one with drainage holes.

Then I'd cross my fingers and hope for the best.

 

Yeah I think I'd added around 5 decent sized drainage holes. I think I may have just watered it way too often lately then seen it dying off so watered it even more. I hadn't added anything to the compost to help with drainage though...just compost.

 

Yeah I'm a bit unsure with this one as I have a Basjoo and Ensete at home that are pretty big. This one I did buy from B&M but they'd all been battered after the big storm we'd had but I'd chanced buying it anyway, then I'd damaged it again weeks later so I guess I'm surprised it's alive at all.

The mould on the surface has also been made worse by me thinking...'oh it's dying lets mix in some fish blood and bone' so I think it's traces of that going mouldy.

 

I think it's probably Ensete ventricosum the species plant and not the variety Maurelli.

Unless of course it was red when you bought it

If you grow it from seed you just get the green plant.
Musa is a different group of plants.