So i recently purchased a dwarf banana tree.
And from what i read he needs to grow for 12-18 months to have bananas. He will also die if the temp drops below 30. So, i've decided i'm going to keep it inside. I've done some research and from what i can tell i think i want T5 grow lights. But there isn't much proof available and it seems like any info that is available on grow lights is on marijuana forums which honestly makes me question their merits but i'm sure those stoners want every ounce of herb they can get so maybe not.

Does anyone on here have experience growing plants indoors year round?

4/10/2010 11:31:46 PM

sodium is the way to go

4/11/2010 12:03:03 AM

are these "bananas" going to be used to treat glaucoma?

4/11/2010 12:05:15 AM

sideways banana plant.

4/11/2010 12:06:50 AM

i remember reading in another thread (maybe in CC?) where ambrosia was looking for grow light advice (i think it was her).

there were stoner jokes but i think people might have actually been semi helpful in the thread. i don't remember what it was called thoughhh.

4/11/2010 12:08:20 AM

maybe you can rent space in someones greenhouse. I feel like your house would be ok as far as temperatures go, but as winter comes the overall humidity drops and that may fool the plant into thinking it's the dry season or smthg.

4/11/2010 12:16:37 AM

nahh we're good... i design hvac so i got humidity on lock down. We have a whole house humidifier that maintains 40-50% year round... none of this dry skin sh*t here

4/11/2010 12:22:05 AM

how tall does a banana plant get?

4/11/2010 2:53:12 AM

http://sunlightsupply.com/hort/products.aspx?request=pl01&type=subcat&title=Complete%20Systems&pagenum=1

4/11/2010 8:39:13 AM

This is the ambrosia1231 thread someone referred to: message_topic.aspx?topic=588411


T5 is a florescent bulb size. You need to look at light temperature--higher temperature lights are good for overall green growth. Choose a redder bulb to encourage blooming.

4/11/2010 10:57:37 AM

thanks for your help guys. i've been reading some more and the red blue white high powered LED systems seem to be doing well for over-all plant growth too. I may start working on an array of 50-100 3 watt LEDs to shine on this thing as an option too. I really want the florescent lights because I'm afraid one of our animals will land on or knock over a HID setup and cause a mess. But the LED setups seem to be better for growing older plants than the florescent and run much cooler than the high pressure sodium lights.

4/11/2010 11:31:59 AM

Metal Halide for veg

High Pressure Sodium for flowering

You can be a baller and get a switchable hood setup with 1000w bulbs so you can turn off the MH and switch to HPS when the tree is ready

I want one of your bananas!

[Edited on April 11, 2010 at 12:44 PM. Reason : Also LED systems are relatively new and there's not a lot of info about them out there]

4/11/2010 12:43:02 PM

While I've never used them, aren't you going to be paying a shitload of money for the MH and HPS lights both in terms of cost of the setup, then utility costs as well? My impression was that both were electricity hogs.

I don't personally know about banana plants, but I recommend getting it outdoors during the warm months and bring it inside over the cold months. The problem is that the transition can sometimes cause problems for the plants, I've seen plants burn leaves from the indoor/outdoor transition.

4/11/2010 8:23:51 PM

go with flourescents for energy consumption. MH and HPS can eat up an energy bill.

4/11/2010 8:26:59 PM

so anyone any good at making high powered led boards

4/11/2010 11:32:26 PM

banana plants like really bright light and will flourish under at least 12 hours.
you can buy 300W CFLs which should do the trick since its light spectrum is in the daylight category. two of those and you should be good for just that one plant

you can get them at Lowes, Bill

4/11/2010 11:42:34 PM

thankyou siiirrrr wait.... 300 watt or 300 watt equivalent?


[Edited on April 12, 2010 at 12:01 AM. Reason : .]

4/12/2010 12:00:12 AM

same difference
300W equiv

they run about $16 each and are great for inside gardens

4/12/2010 1:23:06 PM

leave your plant outside in the sun until danger of frost in the fall. plants love natural light!


plants don't, however, need "daylight". they need light in very specific spectra:



ive had a lot more success with metal halide than fluorescents. remember that the distance from the bulbs to the leaves needs to be short: no more than 12 inches.

[Edited on April 12, 2010 at 3:38 PM. Reason : ]

4/12/2010 3:31:26 PM

new leaves for both nanner trees opened today... i don't know why i'm so stoked about home grown bananas

4/16/2010 10:56:16 PM

4/18/2010 12:13:47 AM

i finally got 2 280 watt red/blue led lights an out banana and orchids LOVE IT!!




and then there is the downside.

2/23/2011 7:05:38 PM

red pink light district

2/23/2011 7:07:01 PM

yeah StillFuchsia would like it i'm guessing

2/23/2011 7:15:36 PM

in a few more months, sumfoo1 will have a nice, healthy



[Edited on February 23, 2011 at 7:27 PM. Reason : v thats what she said]

2/23/2011 7:23:08 PM

those pics are before i hung the light from a block and tackle. but the nanner is growing about 1"/day

2/23/2011 7:26:08 PM

Nanner trees will grow fast as shot. But expect more than 18months before u see anything. And yeah, they're easy to kill. Btw u gotta cut the sucker at some point.

It takes some maintenance after it's grown big.

You're gonna run into big climate issues as you start raking it outside. It'll be tough. But Gluck. My friend and I both tried. Mine got maybe a foot. His grew a fee feet. Huge leaves. 1+ years worth. I Havnt seen it in a few months. I'll report in a few days.

[Edited on February 23, 2011 at 8:21 PM. Reason : ]

2/23/2011 8:20:30 PM

gotta keep the exposure up to keep from having underdeveloped bananas, my dad and I tried to grow em years ago, outdoors during the summer, pulled it inside during winter and cut it at the base, let it regrow every season. Only one season in a really hot/wet summer did it produce a bunch (your tree will lean heavily) and even they were underdeveloped.

2/23/2011 8:29:12 PM

Quote :

"underdeveloped banana"

i have that problem, too

2/23/2011 8:34:26 PM

Lol I'm cheating with a chloraphyl targeted light at half the wattage of the mh light that should be used. I think she will grow like a weed now though ut had practically stood for the 5 months of fall/ winter that I didn't have a light. They are perminantly indoor plants now.

I'd like bananas but that are one if the best air filters on the market.

2/23/2011 9:44:30 PM

Just a couple of weeks and we've grown an entire 30" leaf.

Got another LED setup for the orchids too.

3/8/2011 10:32:45 AM

What kind of bananas will it produce?

3/8/2011 10:39:13 AM

Dwarf Cavendish (smaller Chiquita) about 8-10" instead of 12"

3/8/2011 12:49:19 PM

pics y0

3/14/2011 9:01:40 PM

If all goes well, you will be able to create your very own

3/15/2011 9:53:29 AM