Why is my string of bananas dying?

Wondering why your string of bananas is dying? Let’s try to diagnose the problem and save your plant before it is too late!

Wooo-wee I hope you are ready for some *triggering* photos of a dead and dying string of bananas plant.

This plant was in the top tier of a tiered hanging planter and I am so sorry to say that I didn’t even realize how bad it was looking until it got to this point.

Whoops.

Let’s talk about why my string of bananas was dying and what I did about it!

Why is my string of bananas dying?

There are a few things that can kill a string of bananas plant including:

• too much direct sun
• not enough sunlight
• not enough water
• too much water

Brown and dry looking plants

If your plant is looking brown and crispy (like mine, hello) it is due to too much sunlight, not enough water, or a combination of the two.

This plant got tucked up high in a sunnier than I realized location and kind of ignored for the winter.

Whoops.

Mushy looking plant

If your string of bananas is looking black or mushy, it likely has root rot and was over watered.

They only need to be watered when the top 2 inches of soil feel dry, every 1-2 weeks.

Make sure your pot has drainage holes to avoid pooling water.

Let it dry out and it should bounce back.

Wrinkled/shriveled leaves

This is a sign of needing more water. They store water in their leaves, so shriveled means they need more water!

Not growing/looking sparse

These plants need at least 6 hours of bright sun a day. If they aren’t getting enough sun, they won’t grow or will look sad and patchy.

How to revive a dying string of bananas plant

If your plant is just a bit shriveled, watering it should perk it up.

If you suspect it’s getting to much sun, move it to a new location.

My plant was obviously very far gone.

I decided to cut off all of the remaining green growth, cut it into 3-4 inch long pieces, and put them in water to root.

I’ll be back with an update once they do!

Thanks for reading!

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