We just purchased a Blue Java for my son's 9th bday….he's obsessed but it's not doing well. We have it in a terracotta pot indoors at the moment. We live in southern NY so it's not warm enough to be outdoors yet, it's in a window with southern and Western exposure, a full spectrum UV light, and the moisture meter currently reading 7. It's slowly getting droopier and the leaf tips are yellowing. Any advice for a desperate dad?
by Shapi_73
3 Comments
It looks stressed out and the yellowing on the leaves suggest water issue. Banana trees like a pretty consistent moisture level, so if you’re going from dry to soaked, it’s freaking out. The terracotta pot is also doing you no favors for keeping the moisture level consistent since it pulls the water away to dry probably too fast. Your goal should be to keep the soil consistently “damp sponge” feeling. Since you’re using a moisture reader, aim for more like a 4-5 at all times.
Thay pot is pretty big for the amount of plant we’re currently working with
The light is also too far away to give much energy to the plant, it need to be like a foot away from the leaves max
After killing my first, I discovered that if temperatures are cool, they need the soil to dry out more. Once it got hot, it loved the moisture.