Ensete ventricosum 'Maurellii' - Red banana plant

The red banana plant is very unique and has beautiful red-purple leaves, with a thick stem. Its leaves can grow up to a meter long.

It can also be kept in the garden during the summer months and is a real feast for the eyes. It does not grow as fast as a and in the Dutch garden usually reaches 200cm high (in a tub).

What is very special about the red banana plant is that it starts to flower after 3 years, and then it gets burgundy red flowers at the top.

The Ensete ventricosum Maurellii is a fairly fast grower, but stops growing when the temperature drops below 14 degrees,

The Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelli' - Red banana plant is a heavy drinker

Plants generally consist mainly of water, and the Ensete ventricosum 'Maurellii' - Red banana plant consists of no less than 80% water! So it is not surprising that it also likes an extra sip in sunny conditions. In the summer it wants much more water than in the winter, and it wants it every day, while in the winter it only needs water once a week. But it is important that it does not get too much water, because that can be harmful to the roots. So make sure that it gets as much water as the soil can absorb. And of course that also depends on the size of the pot and the amount of soil around the roots. It is a sign of receiving too little water when the leaves hang limp. Then it is time to water again, and as much as possible within the absorption capacity of the soil.

Spraying

The Ensete ventricosum 'Maurellii' - Red banana plant originally grows in the tropics, where it is very humid. The plant is used to this and becomes healthy from it. We therefore recommend regularly spraying the Ensete ventricosum 'Maurellii' - Red banana plant. Then it will feel at home in the tropics, and it will become extra strong. Also spray the undersides of the leaves. This prevents pests. This plant also likes a tropical rain shower. So give it a 'rain shower' regularly with the spray head. This also prevents dust from sticking to the leaves, and it also gets rid of pests.

Where to place the Ensete ventricosum Maurelli

The Red Banana plant can be placed in the garden as well as in a room, but it does require a lot of sunlight. So make sure it gets a spot where the sun can shine, which applies to both the garden and the room. The best place is a spot where there is no draft and little wind. A greenhouse is also a good place for this plant, because it is used to the warm, humid tropics. If you move the Red Banana plant from indoors to outdoors during the day, or from dark to light, let it get used to an environment with slightly less sunlight for a while. The direct transition from dark to light can damage the plant.

Does the Red Banana Plant also need extra nutrition?

Banana plants are fast growers and therefore need a lot of nutrition compared to slower growers. Without this nutrition, the plant cannot grow well. We recommend feeding the plant with houseplant food. Read the packaging of the houseplant food for the correct dosage. We recommend never using too much, as this can be harmful. We only recommend this during the growth periods. The plant comes to rest in the winter, so feeding is not necessary.

Symptoms of illness or incorrect conditions

When the leaves become ugly, this can be caused by all sorts of reasons, or multiple reasons together. The most common reasons are: The plant receives too much water, or too little water The plant has a lack of nutrients The humidity is too low (e.g. in a heated room)

Too much water, or too little water

If you stick your finger a few centimeters into the soil you can feel if the soil is too dry or too wet. If it is too wet we advise you to find a solution to make the soil drier. This can be done by making holes in the pot so that the soil can leak, or by replacing some of the soil with dry soil, as a stopgap.

Lack of nutrients

In some cases you can assume that the plant has a nutrient deficiency. This applies when you have used old soil for the plant that has already been used by other plants, or when you have used poor soil, such as coconut soil. Coconut soil is not suitable for the Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelli' - Red banana plant. And if you have never given extra nutrition, it is likely that the plant is undernourished, depending also on the size of the plant. A large Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelli' - Red banana plant needs more nutrition than a small one.

Too low humidity

You can assume that the humidity has to do with the condition of your Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelli' - Red Banana Plant when it is in a heated room, or in a room with air purification/air conditioning. The Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelli' - Red Banana Plant likes humid environments, so you will have to move the plant, or turn the installation off.

How does the red banana plant propagate?

The red banana plant is rarely cultivated by itself, because it requires special conditions. They are propagated via 'tissue culture' in vitro. This is done on a large scale, which means that large numbers come onto the market. Maurelli seedlings are therefore often very cheap. Such a seedling is also called a sowing plug.

The Maurelli does not easily get shoots, which is why they are grown differently. But it can happen that when the stem is cut away, shoots start to grow on the rhizome. Shooting can be stimulated by cutting or notching the rhizome. These shoots get their own root system. They do have to be dealt with by cutting them off, otherwise they will not grow further.

Maurellis are not grown from seed, as it takes an extremely large amount of seed to produce a few Maurellis.