I bought a cute little ‘Ice Cream’ banana at the Fairchild food festival and plant sale from a guy promoting permaculture. He also gave me some camote (sweet potato) cuttings, so i felt indebted. The thing has been busy devouring containers ever since. I’ve repotted it two or three times and it is constantly potbound. It’s gotten to the point that i know the next up-pot will leave it almost immovable.

At seven months since adoption (main photo), it stands almost two meters tall and is crowded in the half barrel planter it occupies. I suspect that without the frequent applications of organic fertilizer and almost daily watering (now that we are in dry season), it would not survive with such a small resource reservoir.

The recently-arrived spiraling whitefly loves this banana (see some examples of early-stage leaf infestation in the photos). I believe the leaves are dying off faster than they would otherwise due to the infestation, but the plant is still growing at a good pace.

2012.12 The leafcount and overall condition of the banana cycles from about 6 and green to somewhat less and yellowish during the winter. At the time it was finally planted, it was looking pretty poorly with only four leaves on the main stem.