Hi all, my musa basjoo banana plants have been in the same spot for months and have been doing excellent until about a week ago. The bottom leaves have been turning black recently and I have no idea why! I know that banana plants are supposed to shed their lower leaves eventually but I think that it is happening way to quickly and in a sickly way. Does anyone know what the issue might be? Thanks.

Any help is appreciated!

I have not seen anything like that so this is just a quess but I would hope it is just weather related, you have had some crazy weather this year. Also, it is late August and it is time for the older leaves to start dying off. Just for aesthetic reasons I would cut that one leaf off.

I agree with ardesia, we have been having some crazy weather and a lot of rain, first thing I would do is move all that mulch away from her so that the roots can get a little more air, the ground could be wet and causing issues, none of my banana's have ever had the leaves turn black, it could possibly be some type of fungus,cut it off like Alice said.

Okay thanks for the advice, I have done this, however, both of my banana plants are losing more and more leaves... Do you think that maybe as the season progressed there is too much sun? Or is there no evidence of sun damage?

Lemme post some more pics.

I didn't notice they were potted, now that I see the soil it looks very compacted, do the pot's have enough drainage holes? How long have they been in the pots? The pots appear to be small for a banana, my banana is in a huge pot, with drainage holes and is in full sun.

Musas require a warm, humid environment with light but rains. NYC weather is too variable to grow them outdoors. High temps and frequent downpours are what is damaging your plants. It would do much better if you kept it indoors in front of a sunny window. Indoors, temps are less extreme, but warm, and you control the watering rather than relying on the vicissitudes of mother nature.

Thank you @WillC your comments are always helpful!! I was afraid it might be something like that

Not sure if that would be possible in the upcoming months (me and my family are moving to a larger house, but not sure how they'd feel about two giant banana plants in their living room alongside my other plants lol!)

How about just letting it go dormant and keeping it in an unheated, but above freezing, location for the winter. If you have room in a basement or wherever just let the leaves brown off, put the pot in a corner and just give it a tiny bit of water once in a while. No light is necessary if it is dormant. If you need to save space you can even cut off the trunk near the base. The trunks are full of sticky latex that stains anything and everything it gets on so use caution. Just keep the pot above freezing and bring it out into the sunshine next summer. They quickly sprout from the roots.

Also check the undersides of the leaves and make certain there are not spider mites or mealy bugs or scale infesting the plants. Bananas are generally pest free but sometimes if in a weakened state can be attacked