String of Bananas is a hanging succulent plant with wacky looking foliage. It has gathered popularity with banana leaves having grown all season with different colors like yellow, green , white. It has Tiny leaves and trailing stems which are perfect in wall planters. The best location where it will thrive and look beautiful is the balcony & put these in a nursery planter(which are well shaped and equal sized).
What unique you will find in this plant is even its stem if touch to the soil can grow another root and from there it starts a new long stem. String of Bananas Scientific Name is Curio radicans , it is an excellent succulent plant with minimal care. They were discovered in South Africa and is a member of aster family. The Family name is Asteraceae and USDA hardiness zone is 10 to 12.
| Scientific Name | Curio radicans |
| Plant Type | Perennial, Trailing |
| Common Names | Bananas plant, String of Bananas, Banana plant |
| Length | Over 34 inches |
| Bloom | Mid Spring |
| Growth Rate | Faster |
| Leaf Shape | Banana look |
| Environment | Indoor/outdoors |
| Light Requirements | Partial Shade |
| Propagation | Stem Cuttings |
| Water Propagation | Possible |
| Watering | 1-2 Weeks |
| Soil | Well draining and nutrient rich |
| Toxicity | YES |
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Table of Contents
String of Bananas Care
For string of bananas care First requirement is to avoid its soil from getting soggy so make sure not to give them heavy water in winters. Too much sunlight is another issue if succulent is put in hot location in summers. As these plants are drought resistant so winters it doesn’t require much water. Always check if soil is dry by touching 1 inch soil and if it still moist then avoid watering until next day.
They dislike fertilizer in winters so avoid that and if you see growth of your succulent is low then only give plant based fertilizer and use diluted solution. Here is the Plant Fertilizer i am using. In Winter they might go in dormant period where it doesn’t grow much and most of the time it will be in sleep So that time no fertilizer and only give water to moist its soil.
Pruning is also should n’t done in this time as they may get shock and can’t recover. It is one of the best houseplant, here is tips on String of bananas care :
Pests and Diseases
It’s very rare to have pests in your string of bananas, but if your succulent plant has been affected by any mealybugs or aphids then use pesticide or insecticide to get rid of them.
Soil
The Soil in String of bananas should be well drained and doesn’t stay wet as succulent doesn’t like soggy soil but loves moist soil. To get better results , there is succulent and cactus soil mix available which is made for succulents.
and it provides all the nutrients it needs.
I am also using this succulent soil mix and it was working very well, Here you can buy this online. This mix will solve the issue of roots getting rot and it will drain water perfectly. You can also use perlite for extra draining issues.
Size
When you are growing succulents like string of bananas you should know what size pot you need and it should be 2″ bigger pot when stems grow long enough. This plant was sold in different pot sizes including 3″-6″ pots. The trailing length can be about 4′ to 6′.
Water
They like to be in moist soil but that doesn’t mean you can water it regularly. You need to limit the watering indoors and only give water when soil is completely dry. Always check if the soil is wet or not.
In the winter season, water needs to be minimum as they are in dormant periods. Also just spray some after a week or 2 and will not harm the plant.
Growth Rate
String of bananas generally grows fast when placed outside in partial shade. Its trailing is what gets all the light exposure that is why it spreads very fast. Still its growth rate is moderate but better than other succulents.
Temperature
Generally Succulent can tolerate normal house temperature and will grow perfectly. When growing outside they might get affected in colder climates or winter as that time temperature is down and succulent may freeze.
The Best temperature for a string of bananas is between 50 to 70 °F and make sure it doesn’t go below 40-45° F because that will make the plant freeze or may get some other issues.
Light
They don’t need much light. You may have heard it in every platform but what is a light requirement for a string of bananas is partial shade where it gets some sunlight of like 2-4 hours and best if it gets only morning sun rays.
It will get burn or over growth if it gets direct sunlight , Succulent grows better in direct sunlight but they may get burns and you will see its tip getting brown.
In Sunlight Drought conditions may appear as many forgot to water , they need more water in sunlight. Better grow them near the window and not in Full sunlight.
Propagation
It is easy to propagate a string of bananas and anyone can do it. Remember to take a 5-6 inch of stem for best results and for full method please read the article below.
Repotting
It is easy but with some advice you can do it. If you use perlite it is easy for the soil to come out. Try repotting when the plant is fully dried.I have given a full method on repotting please check the article below.
Pruning
Pruning can be done and need to limit its over growing stems. Even cutting the smaller stems can be a good idea for making the other stem grow if you want a particular trail to grow longer.
Uses
It was used as a decorative purpose for like placing it in bookshelf or ledge etc. They may get a place in the dining area or kitchen. This plant shows beautiful hanging stems which look lovely with its green foliage.
Fertilizer
Most succulent don’t require fertilizer and if they do need fertilizer it shouldn’t be used in winter season. You can use these in the growing season in spring or summer once a month is fine. I use this Miracle gro succulent fertilizer and the reason for using it because they made it specially for succulents plant.
Another thing which you can do is try using worm compost, mix it(10-15% only) in your existing soil, it will give the string of banana roots better air circulation and drainage. I am using Jim’s Worm Compost and it is working best for me.
Propagate String of bananas plant
Its is easy to propagate string of bananas plant using stem cutting only if it is in healthy conditions so we don’t get any issue disease with a new string of bananas. You can grow this succulent in water and soil both ways worked. People who propagate these in water have seen faster growth in about 2 weeks although these plants take about 2-3 weeks to actually see any rooting. Daily or every 2 days change water so it doesn’t have any bacteria infections.
After propagation if you grow them in soil it will take 15 days or more to see any process but once the rooting starts it will thrive healthy. Soil is great way to grow them because of its compost nutrition and what succulent requires it is fulfilled in soil. Water can give it some minerals but most of the macro nutrition it gets from well drained soil. Make sure the growing pot needs proper holes so it doesn’t get stuck in soggy soil.
Step on how to propagate string of bananas :
1 . Use a Clean Cutting Tool.
Cut the healthy stem you find on a string of bananas. You need to cut about 5-7 inch of long stem.
2 . Pinch off Base leaves.
Now From the base remove banana leaves and the length would be about 2 inches.
3 . Prepare Soil.
Now Prepare the soil using any of the 2 ways shown below and i have given how much you need to mix to make a well drained soil.
Ground soil 50%, Sand 30%, 20 % perlite , Mix all well.
OR
Succulent and Cactus potting mix (30%) ,20% perlite, Soil (50%), Mix it well.
3 . Lay the Base of the Stem on Soil.
Now it’s time for the cutting to be laid on the soil. The part where you remove the banana leaves can be sow inside the soil. That is where roots will develop.
4 . Water it and keep it moist for some days.
You need to provide this plant moisture as there are no roots and to develop roots it needs water to get moist. Regular watering in a string of bananas can be appreciated.
5 . Enjoy.
You can successfully propagate new banana succulent plants.
String of Bananas Pruning
This can be done to control the over growth of string of bananas. Some people likes to keep its hanging growth to become long so what they did is to prune the smaller stems that can eventually makes the longer stems.
This way the nutrients can be easily reach to the tip of the longer stem and it will again grow more longer. Pruning also did to remove the diseased or pale leaves and stems also which gets infected by pests.
You can use pesticide or fungicide if your plant ever gets into this conditions but its rare actually.
Repotting String of Bananas
Repotting string of bananas can easily done and take out the pot so it doesn’t hurt plant root system although they have good stem and root but why hurts the rooting. When repotting when you see main roots are white or light brown it is the good sign plant is healthy.
Here are the steps you can follow to repot string of bananas:
1 . Remove the pale drought looking leaves from base.
First pinch off all the leaves at the base which are pale, diseased, drought, shrivelled. Make sure to remove every leaf that looks faded.
2 . Gently flip the Pot and Take out Whole Succulent out.
Flip the pot and take the plant out, it will easily come out now and shift it to the new pot.
3 . Add Additional Soil and Fill the pot.
You can prepare regular Soil for Orchid Potting mix and fill the whole pot from all sides to fill the gaps. In larger pots it gets additional soil and fertilizer that can fulfill its needs.
4 . Water it.
Now time to water it and keep it moist so that it can overcome the shock it gets on repotting.
5 . Enjoy and Care.
You have reported the succulent and now Keep in check on its growth. If leaves have any issue they may need some light or fertilizer use is also required.
Please watch the video to understand the steps properly.
Most Searched Questions
String of Bananas vs Fish hooks
Both belong to same family and Don’t get confused with the names as the smaller version of succulent is called string of bananas and the bigger version of succulent called fish hooks. It is called fish hooks in both the cases but originally both are Senecio radicans.
String of fish hooks are in a blueish color that also looks green sometimes while string of bananas are in total green color. Fish hooks plant are succulent, having very thin leaves while string of bananas are thicker than this, similar to banana fruit having more juice, body fat in its foliage.
If you ever get confused then take both of them in one table, you will notice the string of fish hooks are bigger in size but thin and the string of bananas are thick but smaller in size.
Many people mixed this plant with another as they both look the same and one can only determine the succulents if they were put on the table to check.
Fish hooks and bananas plant have similar propagation and pruning methods; even repotting is similarly done in a string of fish hooks.
String of bananas Sunlight
These succulent are not a big fan of heavy sunlight which directly drops on plants. They need partial or filtered sunlight to grow. And if you want to give them sunlight make sure it doesn’t get maximum of 2-3 hours daily otherwise it might get burn.
String of bananas flower
They have white flowers with long stems. It float in a curved shape and they don’t have any smell but they are pretty. You may see blooms in the cold season and mostly happen outdoors. When Growing indoors it rarely has any flowers.
String of bananas aerial Roots
It’s an issue and can be resolved with little care so what you need to do is check if it is getting enough water as they might be getting less moisture this way roots started growing from unknown places where they shouldn’t grow.
Aerial roots are roots that grow from its own stem and they should grow inside soil but why do they grow above soil and with exposed stems? This is the case where either you are over watering or there may be a lack of macro nutrients.
That can be easily obtained from liquid plant food here is the link to buy. Also giving them regular water can solve the issue if it is not getting water. Roots just pop out from the stem in search of water.
Lastly you need to give them good proper partial sunlight , if the other 2 issues are not in your plant.
The roots will be white or pinkish in color you can easily get to know once you found out.
String of Bananas growing Upwards
There are very few examples where the string of bananas is seen as growing upward , it doesn’t have any problem or anything may be the location where you grow has a good amount of bright light , they are just moving to get more such light.
This is rare otherwise everyone of the succulent keeps on hanging from the basket. they look quite good. It’s rare and magical if you have these growing upwards.
How much light does a string of bananas need?
String of bananas need 2-3 hours of sunlight and not more than that as it can burn the banana leaves. Best recommend way is to provide string of bananas bright morning light that is tolerable & doesn’t harm its foliage. String of bananas generally grow in partial indirect sunlight and they curl up and become dry, brown, yellow if give too much sunlight.
Many people consider giving them some hours of sunlight and moving back to shade once the afternoon sun hits as that time the sun has more heat that damages our string of bananas. My advice is to place them in a North facing window where it can receive minimum light and check for some days if that place is best for them otherwise change the location.
Also Don’t frequently change the location if your bananas plant is growing best in a particular location then let it stay there and move other plants. It will avoid any shock that it gets while changing the location. Care is very minimal so do it gently and may see some good growing bananas plant.
How fast does string of bananas grow?
When given minimum bright light then the growth rate is much faster. And you can use string of bananas stem cutting that will take about 1-3 weeks for root to develop, otherwise it will take more time.
Can you trim string of bananas?
Yes you can trim a string of bananas as this will encourage its growth, by cutting the smaller stem you give boost to the other longer stems and this way they can thrive much longer. Also remove the diseased stems to make it healthy.
how often to water string of bananas
String of bananas doesn’t need water often as they are succulent and they need water every 2-3 weeks or check soil by putting an index finger about 2 inch and feel if it’s dry then pour water otherwise it is n’t needed. String of bananas isn’t watered every 2-3 days to make the root rot.
When Doing watering in a String of bananas location of the plant is important if it is growing in partial sun that gets 2-4 hours sunlight then in a 5-6 days bananas plant needs water. Those who grow a string of bananas indoors can wait for 14-15days then check the soil and water it.
Inside the house if it gets some light then soil may dry but that is difficult or if the fans do dry the soil in these cases you might need to give water early. This plant also adjusts if you forget the watering. It will still grow for a few days but giving water will definitely grow more banana leaves that look fantastic.
Is banana water good for succulents?
As many have heard, bananas are healthy for humans, same way with either banana juice or its outer cover both are essentials and can act as a fertilizer which gives lots of nutrients to plants. When banana peels decompose they may act as plant food.
How do you revive a banana string?
Banana string can be revived using its well drained soil and giving it bright sunlight for 2-4 hours. Pruning can be done on old or diseased stems. Some of the leaves can be taken out which are pale or look faded.
Final Words
My advice is to put this plant in your balcony or office as it gives fresh greener look and hanging bananas just look awesome there. bananas plant requires very low care and maintenance. Multiplying them through stem propagation is easy and possible multiple times. Best on hanging basket or wall planters you should definitely have one of these in your garden or indoors.
Also Read:
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String of Bananas Plant – Care, Propagate, Repotting(Fish Hooks)
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