How to Relocate a Banana Tree
Banana trees are tropical plants used as ornamentals in home gardens as well as to bear fruit. Over time, banana tree leaves grow quite large and can overshadow other plants or grow into walkways. In these cases, it is best to dig up and move the tree to a new location. Before digging, have a new location selected and prepped to limit root exposure to air, which dries them out and can cause injury. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Choose a new location that has well-draining soil, 12 hours of sunlight per day and is on the south or southeast side of the house to keep the plant warm in winter. Soil composition does not matter since banana plants thrive in all of them. Locations near buildings, walls and fences provide protection from wind, which can shred the leaves.
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Use a shovel to create a trench around the tree trunk 2 to 3 feet away from the base of the plant. Continue digging down until you can lean the banana tree sideways with little effort and the roots release easily from the soil.
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Pick up the base of the banana tree -- you may need help with this. Place the roots into a wheelbarrow and move it to the new planting site.
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Dig a new planting hole that is twice the width as the roots on the plant and the same depth. Mix in perlite with the soil you removed from the hole so that it forms a 20 percent mixture.
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Carefully remove the banana tree from the wheelbarrow and place the roots into the center of the hole. Make sure the top of the roots are 1/2 inch below the top of the hole. Backfill the hole with the removed soil and pack it down with your hands to remove air pockets.
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Water the soil under the banana tree well to an 8- or 10-inch depth to help it adjust to the new location.
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Tips & Warnings
The best time to relocate banana trees is in the spring, so that the roots can recover over the summer before cold temperature set in.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/liquidlibrary/Getty Images
