It is one of the most coveted plants for in house gardening and holding many mysteries, including the banana-shaped leaves. The String of Bananas presents a succulent front with the brightest and most beautiful green shade, adding to your home décor in a major way.
Once the plant blooms, whether during fall or in the middle of winter, the different flowers will light up your house in shades of yellow, white, or lavender.
The beauty that this plant has is one of the major reasons that many people are trying to propagate it. However, it also grows fast and can lengthen to new heights of 36 inches, resulting in a frequent need to prune it.
However, once you decide to propagate, you must follow the right procedure or risk damaging both the original parent plant and the one dedicated to it.
Table of Contents
How to breed the string of bananas plants?
You have to select the string of bananas plant you want to propagate. Cut off several trails from the original plant. These should be approximately 6 to 8 inches in length. The aim is to carry on and increase them and proceed to plant the promulgated plants in a pot.
The remaining choice was to use the pots for better moisture control since the stalks are too delicious, and if left without water, they dry up too fast. However, if you use too much water, the shoots become soaked and too wet for propagation.
What do we need?
Grow pot
Every plant requires a grow pot allowing it space and nutrients to grow. During propagation, you only need one bowl for the banana-like string plant. We advise purchasing a 6 inches pot for the size of stalks we have to propagate. You may also consider adding the strings of the heart plant as well to improve the mix.
Cactus mix
The mixture has to be succulent to provide room for the propagated plants to form or grow roots. The mix also has to be loose to even the chances of drying out and not increasing the succulent stature of the plants you are trying to grow. Since the cactus mix is not available locally but with a continuous search, you might find one that matches your growing needs.
Floral Pins
The pieces you prune for the propagation do not hold firmly in the cactus mix once you plant them. It would be best if you had the pins to keep and secure the stalks in place during the root formation process.
Chopsticks
It isn’t easy to use your hands in preparing holes into which you plant the plants. Chopsticks do an excellent job helping you drill the said holes.
Nipper
A small shear or scissor always comes in handle for menial jobs like further pruning a too heavy stalk or succulent banana-like string plant.
Step one:
Cut the essential parts of the plant that you want to propagate. Allow it to rest for three days or less depending on your preferences if the stems are too thin. After the healing period, plant the cuttings.
Step two:
Use the chopstick on the thicker end to make two different holes in the cactus mix. Pick the plants and place them in the trenches and cover them with the same dirt.
Step three:
Use the pins to secure the plants inside the delicious mix. Once these have grown roots in three weeks or more, do not throw away the fasteners. Store them for later use when propagating other plant species.
Step four:
Let the planted stalks remain in the mix for a few days. Ensure you continuously monitor their progress and continue watering the combination.
Place the pot with the cuttings planted in it under the shade. Ensure there is moderate lighting for warm but not hot temperatures. Water after five days to keep the lush mix with ample water for the plant’s growth.
Why choose that frequency to water the plants?
Well, watering is dependent on the current temperatures and where you live and how deep into the delicious mix the transplant goes. If it hot and the transplant holes were not deep enough, the stalks dry out pretty fast. The top of the lush mix also dries fasters causing the discomfiting nature of the plants.
After the three weeks, the root formation is complete and is ready for transplanting. A string of banana plant is easy to propagate and follow a simple process. You can also do this all year round. However, experts advise that doing propagation during fall in the early months, or in summer, spring is the best.
Tips for caring for the propagated string of banana plants
Plant these under the shade and away from direct sunshine. You can always move the plants inside where the sunlight induces bright light, which these plants need.
During the extreme sun that encompasses many days during summer, it is essential for your plants to remain indoors and well-watered.
If plants appear to have stunted growth, it is time to add some nutrient-rich fertilizer. However, since they do not require it, consider diluting the content suing water so as not to overwhelm the plant.
Winter is not a suitable season for propagation. Avoid doing so at all costs and await summer or spring to proceed with your propagation goals. Also, avoid adding fertilizer to you’re the banana-like string plants during winter.
The reason behind this is that these plants become dormant during winter. It means the normal processes are not functioning as fast and as efficiently.
Therefore, consider reducing the frequency at which you water the plants. The moisture levels should be moderate enough to prevent the plant from drying up completely.
Summary
Propagation is not a simple process and ensuring you retain the quality of your plant, and it is important to ensure the integrity of the transplanting process. Ensure the planting pot has a useful drainage system. Also, ensure that it follows the process enumerated above strictly to produce the right mix of propagated plants.
Add all of your banana-like string plants into the propagation process. Plant them and place them in a corner or in front of the windows where the light is bright enough. Let it shine through the plant and admire the glitter it adds once it bounces off the banana-like leaves. Watching light bounce off the leaves is an experience that is worth the propagating process.
Andrew Wright here, I created Akgardenexpert.com to give people a better product insight before they make that all-important purchase.
I have a small greenhouse in my house. I hung a string of bananas on the walls, they give good air humidity and decorate the atmosphere.
It is surprising that charcoal can be used as a plant antiseptic, but this plant is really best supplied with a small amount of charcoal in the soil to avoid contamination.
These things look really creepy! Look closely, in many movies, these plants are used for Halloween decorations!
When I experimented with this plant myself, I made a big mistake by pouring too much drainage into the bottom. Try not to add more than 5th of the pot.