Q&A for How to Prune Banana Trees

You can, but you don't have to. Banana trees go dormant in winter; at that time, their leaves get droopy and crispy. In the spring, the banana tree will push out new growth. Some homeowners prefer to cut off the crispy parts to give their tree a cleaner look, but it's subjective.

Without sufficient water, banana leaves will droop down along their midribs. And even when watered, if they have become too dehydrated, the leaves don't bounce back again. Make sure to water them regularly, especially if where you are doesn't have much rain.

The banana tree needs to be pruned to help it grow well and produce banana fruit. First of all, look for the overgrown leave and brush it off. And allow the young leaves to continue growing. By doing so, you are giving the banana more strength to grow faster and produce banana fruit.

Gently wipe each leaf with a damp paper towel. Do this periodically or as needed.

Leave the tarp because it has a hole already, or just pull it off. You could cut or pull the plant but it seems like you wanted this because of the mulch and covering it. Covering it with a tarp and leaving mulch in a humid area like the coast would definitely make the spot under the tarp a wonderful place to grow in the winter.

If you have proper growing conditions and water the right amount (depends on where you're living due to humidity and temperature), then new leaves might grow. However, if you cut off all the leaves and there are none left, you will have to give it plant food and it may not grow any back. The leaves gather food and energy for the plant.

The only way to stop the banana tree from growing is to cut back all the dead stuff and take out the new growth as it comes up. It is an aggressive grower, so you need to be vigilant and stay on top of the cutting.

Yes, once it has fruited it is done, so cut it off and another will grow. Banana plants, once they produce fruit, are active and are hard to stop and easy to grow.

Yes indeed! The suckers are the modern banana plant's main way of reproducing, but only remove the suckers with pointed leaves and a well developed root system that is at least 3 feet tall. Then, remove it from the ground trying to avoid most damage to the roots then cut off the leaves and repot or transplant. For suckers that don't meet the previous requirements, water them until they do and proceed with the next step.

You should not cut the stalk. Instead, dig a hole 3 inches (7 cm) around the plant 5 inches (12 cm) deep. Don't worry if the root gets cut, they grow back quickly. Then, place them in a pot that fits it in with a bit extra space. Water it and you should be good to go.

To remove a banana "hand" from the stalk, identify the banana hand you want to remove. It's typically at the end of a stem or branch and consists of multiple bananas attached to a central stem.

Usually the trunk dies after producing fruit, but new trunks may rise from the roots in the underground and those will produce fruit next time.

Just remove the old trunks and dispose them somewhere over the soil so they can rot and fertilize the area. Then you can wait for new trunks to grow.

Yes, remove just the dead areas so the plant can receive more light and fresh air to grow better.

Yes, that should work fine. For example, my mom did that every year for like 20 years and the banana tree came back bigger and better almost every year.

Yes, you can cut it slightly below the broken point. If there is room, cut it at a slanting angle. It should reshoot in a couple of days.

Yes, the beauty of these plants is their ability to stand up to pressure and regrow shoots where they have been pruned. The pups should be just fine.

Cut the main trunk to ground level. Those two other shoots should grow into new plants. Nurture them.

Once a plant has fruited, it dies, but produces two side shoots to grow new trees.

A banana tree's lifespan is about 25 years. It also depends on how much you care for it.

You must be persistent. Since bananas do not form hard, woody trunks or stumps, it's possible to dig them out. It takes a lot of effort and hard work, but it is doable. Again, if you are not physically able to do this, you could look for professional help.

It’s important that you harvest all of the pups as the main plant might die.

Planting its babies or pups is the most effective way than planting its seeds. Pups grow beside the mother tree. Cut those pups and plant them elsewhere.

You can either choose to keep them or remove them for aesthetic reasons. New leaves will continue to grow until such time that the flower spike or inflorescence starts to grow.

Yes it will as long as you keep the roots in. And you might want to give it some protection to prevent the possum from getting another chance to chew it again.

You may not need to do that. The plant knows that one of its leaves is hurt. The plant does not mind the damage and will keep on growing. But if it is unsightly or in the way, then it is best to cut off the damaged leaf.

Yes you can but you do not have to. This is actually a good thing because the plant is regrowing.

Wait until the flower stalk has plump fruit that is full size, but still green, before you cut the remainder of the flower stalk.

You need to trim the whole thing down, but not pull the whole thing down. If the leaves on the banana trees are dead, you have to trim them off.

The blossom on the banana tree looks like a fleshy, purple-skinned flower, shaped like a tear, which grows at the end of a banana fruit cluster. Traditionally used in south-east Asian and Indian cooking, it can also be eaten raw and its chunky, flaky texture makes it an ideal substitute for fish.