How To Care For A Banana Shrub, Which Will Bring A Touch Of The Tropics Into Your Home

Bring a touch of the tropics into your home with the banana shrub, a sub-tropical magnolia relative that’s native to China.
This variety features creamy yellow cup-shaped blooms, sometimes tinged with purple, that resemble miniature magnolia flowers.
Plus, this beautiful evergreen won’t just add lush, year-round greenery to your space. It’ll also fill the air with the scent of ripe bananas!
Gardeners love growing the banana shrub because it is drought-tolerant once established and quite easy to maintain. So, if you’re looking for both beauty and fragrance with minimal effort, here’s how to care for this plant.
How To Care For Banana Shrub
First, banana shrubs thrive in warm, humid conditions that resemble their natural tropical and subtropical environments. They enjoy temperatures that range from 60°F to 85°F but can handle slightly cooler weather.
At the same token, prolonged exposure to temperatures below 50°F can stress out the plant and lead to damage. So, aim to maintain a consistently warm environment.
Humidity plays a key role in keeping this variety vibrant, too. If your home is too dry, the leaves may start to develop brown edges or wilt. You can boost humidity by placing your banana shrub in a naturally moist area, like your bathroom or kitchen. Otherwise, mist its leaves regularly or try grouping it with different plants.
Next, banana shrubs do best in soil that drains well while still holding onto a bit of moisture. For potted plants, a slightly acidic to neutral soil with a pH of 5.5 to 7.0 is also ideal.

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Although they can adapt to different soil types, a mix of peat moss, sand, and perlite is ideal since it keeps the roots aerated and prevents excess water from accumulating. Additionally, mixing in some compost or aged manure can improve drainage even further and provide essential nutrients.
Now, if you’re planting a banana shrub in a pot yourself, it’s helpful to add a layer of small stones or gravel at the bottom. This will promote better drainage and lessen the risk of root rot.
During the growing season, which spans from spring to summer, you can feed your plant every two to three weeks with a high-phosphorous fertilizer. Just use half the amount recommended on the fertilizer package to avoid overfeeding.
As you decide where to place this variety in your home, remember that it loves bright, indirect sunlight. It should also be shielded from direct sun to prevent any leaf damage. So, a window with plenty of filtered sunlight or a well-lit spot with consistent indirect light is perfect.
Banana shrubs should get at least six hours of sunlight per day. Those grown in full sun will develop a more compact shape with yellowish-green leaves; meanwhile, those in partial shade will have medium-green foliage and a more open growth habit.
Regular watering is important as well because this plant flourishes in consistently moist soil. Still, your frequency may vary depending on temperature and humidity levels.
As a general rule of thumb, the soil of smaller banana plants should stay a bit moist. Otherwise, larger plants can be watered thoroughly and given some time for the top one to two inches of soil to dry out before they get another drink.
When the weather is hot and dry, watering more may be necessary to prevent the soil from drying out too quickly. On the other hand, during the cooler months, you’ll want to reduce watering to avoid water-logging your plant and harming the roots.
Finally, despite banana shrubs generally being resistant to most pests and diseases, they can sometimes be affected by false oleander scales. This pest feeds on the leaves and new growth.
If you notice an infestation, simply treat it by spraying the plant with horticultural oil. Just be sure to follow the label instructions and reapply as needed.
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