Bananas and elephant ears (Colocasia) get special treatment in the trial
Now’s the time to be potting tender tropical plants, and anything with lush, huge leaves is going to need a rich, water-retentive compost. They need lots of water and nutrients to keep that foliage at its best.
This year, I’m potting up my elephant ears (Colocasia) and bananas with Dalefoot Composts’ Wool Compost for Potting. Made on a sheep farm near Penrith, Cumbria, the compost contains a blend of water-retentive sheep’s wool and bracken, packed with nutrients. Obviously, it’s peat-free, or it wouldn’t be on this site! Dalefoot Composts are Soil Association-approved.
Potting tropical plants with Dalefoot Composts – Fabric pots for the bananas
I’m using large Root Pouch fabric pots for the bananas, as their root systems are huge. They’re made from recycled pop bottles and are still going strong in their third year. I’d normally be concerned about excess evaporation but they’re going to have temporary homes this summer in the new raised bed, so I can easily get them in and out without severe root disturbance.
There are now four sizeable bananas.
- Abyssinian Red (Ensete ventricosum Maurelii): red/purple tints on leaves, 1m tall.
- Japanese or ‘hardy’ banana (Musa basjoo): it isn’t, tolerating 1-5°C, no lower, 2-3m.
- Hardy Golden Lotus banana (Musella lasiocarpa): long-lasting golden-yellow flowers after 5-6 years, 1.5m.
- Dwarf Cavendish: deep purple blotched leaves, 3m.
Potting tropical plants – Elephant ears
The elephant ears like a really damp environment, so I’ve kept them in the same 30cm recycled plastic pots (for better water retention over clay). Last year, they sat in water-filled gravel trays and loved it. Conversely, you reduce watering when the temperature drops and let the foliage die back. Now new shoots are bursting forth, I’ve cleaned off the old dry soil and replaced it with new Dalefoot Compost.
Now they’ve all had a good watering and are still in the conservatory. In a couple of weeks, they’ll go down into the unheated greenhouse and will be gradually hardened off to be outdoors by the end of May.
For more information on Dalefoot Compost, visit www.dalefootcomposts.co.uk.
