White-flowered Wild Banana

White-flowered Wild Banana Care

Strelitzia Alba

What is the plant

Strelitzia alba is unbranched, multi-stemmed and can grow up to 10 m tall. The older stems are woody with leaf scars and often have suckers at the base. Leaves are tufted at the apex, oblong, 2 m long, 0.4-0.6 m broad. They are leathery, opposite, green to greyish and the leaf blade tends to become torn by wind and age. The single boat-shaped flower sphathe appears in autumn to winter (May to July) and is deflexed, dark coloured, glaucous, 250-300 mm long, 60-80 mm high and about 45 mm thick.

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Humidity

High

Lighting

Full Sun

Temperature

min 15°C

Hardiness zone

10a - 11b

Difficulty

Medium

How to Care for the Plant

Water
Keep the soil continually moist throughout the year. While it should not be waterlogged, expect to water it daily in the spring and summer as it loses moisture through its big leaves. If overwatered, the plant will develop crunchy brown leaves. If underwatered, the leaves farthest from the center will turn yellow.
Fertilizer
This plant is a heavy feeder. Feed it in the springtime with slow-release pellets or weekly during the growing season with liquid fertilizer.
Sunlight
This plant needs bright light, including some direct sunlight, to bloom well. However, it requires shielding in direct midday summer sun, which can burn the leaves of younger plants. A good position is in a room with windows facing east or west. Avoid rooms with only a north-facing window.

Disease diagnosis

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Soil
Use rich, well-drained potting mix for potted plants.
Temperature
Keep the air temperature above 60 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter. This is not a cold-tolerant plant, and it recovers slowly from frost damage.
Popularity
937 people already have this plant 138 people have added this plant to their wishlists