Banana trees are tropical and resilient trees that love growing under the sun. The challenge is when they are potted and grown indoors. When they don’t receive enough care, their leaves tend to turn brown, and then the plant wilts away. So, if your banana plant leaves turn brown, this post is for you.
Here we have provided some primary reasons banana plants’ leaves turn brown. Along with that, we have also provided the essential tips you can follow to avoid browning banana leaves. We hope these will be of help to you. So, check all the necessary information down below.
Why do Banana Plants Leaves Turn Brown?
There are quite a lot of reasons why banana plant leaves are turning brown. Here are some of the common causes.
Lack Of Sunlight
Banana plants potted indoors generally get brown leaves because of the lack of sunlight. Banana plants love sunlight as they are used to growing outside under the open sun. This causes the plants to die due to their leaves becoming brown and unable to conduct photosynthesis of the plant.
To provide the plant with enough sunlight, you can take it outside and place it under the sun. Providing the plant with such an opportunity will let it soak in sunlight and conduct photosynthesis for the plant. But, keeping it near a window will also be helpful if you don’t have access to areas where the plant can’t be placed under the sun. Place the banana plant near a window that receives the most light in your house. East-facing windows are the best, but you can go with the one you are comfortable with.
Is your polka dot plant flowering? To know more, read Why Is My Polka Dot Plant Flowering.
Lack Of Water
Underwatering is one of the common reasons why most plants die or wither away. The same applies to banana plants as well. Banana plants don’t need much watering as they get all the necessary water and nutrients from the soil. But when it comes to potting banana plants indoors, access to water and nutrients is limited. Also, they dry out when placed inside due to warmth and poor air conditioning, as they cannot store moisture.
Watering the plants regularly is necessary and provides them with fresh air. If you find any dead leaves on the plant, remove them without hesitation. Before watering the plant, check the top inch of the plant’s soil using your finger. If it feels dry, then water the plant. If not, then refrain from doing so.
4 Ways to Prevent Browning of Banana Leaves?
Regular Watering
Though banana trees don’t need regular watering, not watering them at all will keep them underwatered and lead to brown leaves. When your banana leaves start to wilt, that is time to start watering your banana plants. The best thing to do is water them once every two or three days. As for the time of watering, you should water your banana plants before the sun’s scorching heat. This will help in the prevention of sunburn.
Prune Old Leaves
Space and light for the growth of new leaves are essential. So, removing leaves would be the right approach if there are leaves that have turned old. This will help the banana tree focus on new leaves instead of the old ones. The best time would be when the leaves drop a little. When that happens, grab hold of the leaves you want to prune and cut at the base with clean shears.
Pruning, when done wrong, may cause harm to a plant. To learn about pruning, read How To Prune Polka Dot Plants (The RIGHT Way)
Organic Fertilizers (Liquid)
Like most other trees, Banana trees also need nutrients for their growth. To provide the plant with nutrients, you need to add fertilizers. Though you can add any fertilizers to bananas, organic liquid fertilizers are the best for them. Adding this to the plants during spring would give them enough nutrients for growth. Banana plants like humid weather, and adding pelleted chicken compost and organic liquid fertilizers would benefit them even more.
Remove Brown Tree Parts
Removing the brown parts of banana trees is also necessary as brown parts of the plants also use a lot of energy. You can use a shear to cut them and then remove them carefully. This will divert the plant’s energy to the other parts of the plant and help them grow.
Should I Cut the Brown Leaves Off My Banana Plant?
Unless your banana leaf has turned entirely brown or you can see some diseased parts on the leaves, they should not be cut off. This is because any green part of the brown leaf will be able to perform photosynthesis. These parts will also be able to hold moisture for the plant.
The same can be said for the banana leaves that are broken. The green parts of the broken leaves would be able to perform photosynthesis for the plant and hold moisture simultaneously.
To learn more about trimming dead plant leaves, read How To Trim Dead Plant Leaves (do it the right way!)
Wrap Up
So, this is what you can do when indoor banana plant leaves turn brown. Follow the steps and tips provided here, and your plants will return to having green leaves again. If a leaf has become brown, then pruning them would be the right thing to do.
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