Leaf #15,

 ~ The 15 leaf is at 13.5" x 7.5" is another handsome one.  I rather like these last two larger leaves Caven has rolled out.  I am pleased how he has continued to grow in our second walk in closet that we set up for him.  

 ~  So far, even though temperatures are cooling a bit, the room seems to be staying between 70-75F with the 4' six tube 6400K T5 grow light fixture.  I have them on a timer so Caven is getting 12 hours of light daily.  This week I added some reflective foil on the back for light reflection.  It looks better than the wall behind it too.  

 ~ There has been no measurable Height or Circumference (8.5"H x 6.5"C) change with this new leaf.  Caven sure is going to be a short and stocky guy, just like me ;) 

Leaf #15 unfurled with leafroll 16 showing

 ~  I bought some Dr. Earth 6-4-6 Palm, Tropical & Hibiscus Fertilizer a while back.  Since every tropical plant but a Banana Trees is discussed on the box, I have emailed the company to see what they suggest for a serving size for my currently indoor SDC Banana Tree in a 10 gallon pot that has just put out its second 13" leaf under 4' T5 lighting to keep the plant actively growing past our now ending summer season. The SDC seems undeterred in his growth since I have brought him in.

 ~ I got a fast reply from Dr. Earth recommending: "Paul: Thank you for your inquiry. It is our recommendation that you feed the plant every other month. Two tablespoons for every 6" inches of pot diameter or 1/2 cup per five gallons of soil which would be about 1/2 cubic foot. Thank you for your inquiry and have a great week!"

~ These instruction ARE on the box but I am pleased to have a specific recommendation for the plant I am feeding.  It has not been time to feed him yet and I have been wanting the top soil to dry a bit to discourage Gnats. I have been bottom watering to let the top soil dry a bit, but it still get plenty moist.  But in order to fertilize I will have to give Caven a good top watering to help the nutrients get down into the soil. Since the diameter of Caven's pot averages 19" according to Dr Earths recommendation I would divide 19" by 6 which gives me an answer of about 3. So 2 TBSP x 3 = 6 TBSP of plant food evenly on the top soil. This would also be about Caven's drip line as according to some instruction you would fertilize within a plants drip line, which seems logical a this is where also where a plants roots would be.

~ I fed Caven 5TBSB of the Dr. Earth plant food (6 TBSP looked like a lot and I do not want to burn Caven's little roots. :) I watered him from the top with a gallon or so of water. So Caven should be good on plant food for the next 2 months.

 ~ The Gnats I had are none in sight. I am happy to have them under control.  I hope now that I have top watered him again though that I do not end up with Gnats once again.

Spreadsheet Records Logbook Growth Details with Links and Banana Plant Terms

Banana Photo Album (All photos) Caven's Baby Picture Album

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