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How Much Water Does a Banana Tree Need? (Answered)

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Who doesn’t love to eat bananas, right? They are super nutritious along with being tasty. In fact, you might be thinking of planting banana trees in your garden.

Planting banana trees is not as complicated as it may seem. However, you will have to water the plant adequately for proper growth.

You might be wondering how much water a banana tree needs. Let’s find the answers to all your queries about watering a banana tree.

How much water does a banana tree need?

The water requirement of banana trees is quite high. To grow in a healthy manner, a banana tree requires four to six inches of water every month. However, make sure to water the banana plant after checking the dryness of the soil to prevent over-watering.

Banana trees have large tropical leaves and they produce fruits. These trees also grow fairly high. So, banana trees naturally need a lot of water to reach their full growth and produce tasty sweet fruits.

The banana plant needs one to one and a half inches of water per week. In gallons, their water requirement is five gallons per mat per day.

That being said, the water requirement of the banana tree can vary from season to season. During summer, banana trees will need more water than usual to survive.

Then again, when the temperature goes below 50 Fahrenheit, banana plants stop growing. As a result, they will require relatively less amount of water during winter.

However, you should provide 4 to six inches of water to these trees each month irrespective of the season and weather.

There are different types of banana trees available in the ecosystem and different banana trees have different water needs. Have a look at how much water various types of banana trees need.

Newly planted banana tree:

Banana trees grow very quickly. As a result, the newly planted banana trees require somewhat more water than other types. On average, they require four to six gallons of water for each mat in a day.

During a hot summer day, the water requirement of the newly planted banana trees becomes even higher.

Transplanted banana trees need four to six inches of water per month on average. However, to make the transplanted banana tree adjust with the new soil and air, add a proper amount of water-soluble fertilizers with the water.

Indoor potted banana tree or banana leaf plant:

The indoor potted banana tree or banana leaf plant doesn’t need a lot of water to grow as they consume less sunlight compared to the outdoor plants.

The banana trees that are planted in containers indoors also don’t require deep watering. They will grow perfectly if you provide four to five liters of water every week.

That being said, you should stop watering the indoor potted banana tree or banana leaf plant during the winter season. This is due to the fact that banana trees stop growing during winter.

So, if you water the indoor potted banana plants during winter, you may cause overwatering and damage to the roots.

Dwarf banana tree:

The Dwarf banana trees require comparatively less amount of water than the regular banana trees. You should water the dwarf banana trees after every two to three days.

However, you should immediately water the dwarf banana plants whenever you find that the top half to one inch of the soil is dry.

Red banana plant:

The red banana plant needs to be watered every week during summer. Newly planted red banana plants need an adequate amount of water because they can’t survive drought like mature ones.

So, you should water the red banana trees deeply and slowly until the surrounding soil is wet enough.

Do banana trees need a lot of water?

Yes, banana trees need a lot of water. This is due to the fact that the tropical leaves of the banana tree are huge, which needs a lot of water for surviving and growing. In addition to that, the banana trees also harvest fruits.

To bear the sweet bananas, the tree needs to grow properly, which needs a huge amount of water.

In fact, banana trees like a lot of water. The banana trees thrive if they get an adequate amount of water.

However, they like water up to a limit. Overwatering the banana trees will damage the roots permanently and the tree will eventually lose life. So, you should water the banana tree after checking the dryness of the soil.

How often should you water banana trees?

You should water banana trees after every three to four days. At least, you should water the tree once every week. If you fail to water the banana trees regularly, the tree will stop growing.

Due to the shortage of water, the fruit production of the banana tree will also stop. The leaves can also turn yellow and start to fall off if you don’t water the tree for a long time.

That being said, mature banana trees can withstand drought. So, if you don’t water the mature banana trees for a month or so, they won’t lose life. However, its growth will halt as long as there is a shortage of water in the soil.

How to water banana trees and banana plants?

Watering banana trees and banana plants is not as simple as it may seem. If you don’t water the banana trees and plants in the right way, water won’t reach their roots.

You can also damage the stems and roots if you water the trees under excessive pressure.

Let’s find out how you should water banana trees and banana plants.

Set up an irrigation system:

An irrigation system is basically a combination of tubes, pumps, and sprays. It is mainly used to water the soil efficiently in areas with low and irregular rainfall.

Since banana trees need a lot of water, you should set up an irrigation system for your garden. By doing so, you can provide water to all the banana trees uniformly.

However, if you are planting only a couple of banana trees you won’t have to set up an irrigation system. You can just water them using a garden hose.

Look for perfect sprinklers:

To properly water the banana trees, you should look for sprinklers that spray water at low volume. You should also use sprinklers with a low trajectory angle. It is best if the sprinkler sprays water at a 9 to 14 degrees angle.

Water the tree deeply and slowly:

You shouldn’t water the banana trees and banana plants fast because their roots are quite sensitive. You should water these trees deeply so that water reaches the roots.

Is it possible to over-water a banana tree?

Although a banana tree needs a huge amount of water, it is possible to over-water it. On average, a banana tree needs around 4 to 6 inches of water in a month.

However, in drought-affected areas, the water required will increase significantly. That being said, in normal conditions, if you give the banana tree more water than necessary, you will over-water it.

There are numerous symptoms by which you can understand if your banana tree is overwatered. The symptoms include moldy soil, yellow lower leaves, softened stem, and powder on the main body of the plant.

Is greywater safe for banana trees?

Greywater is not safe at all for banana trees. Greywater is basically the water from the baths, sinks, kitchen appliances, and washing machines. This water is relatively clean.

However, the phosphates from the detergents will eventually repel the tree. So, you should not even consider watering your banana tree using greywater.

How long can a banana tree live without water?

A mature banana tree can live for a month or two without water. However, the newly laid plants can’t live for a long time without water. The newly laid banana trees can live for at most two to three weeks without water.

That being said, if there is enough rain in the area, then even if you don’t water the banana tree for a long time it will survive. Nevertheless, it is best to water a banana tree at least once a week.

Final Thoughts

A banana tree needs five gallons of water per day in each mat or four to six inches of water. You should water the banana tree slowly and deeply. That being said, during winter, the banana plants need a relatively low amount of water as they do not grow during that time.

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