Plant Care Ensete

Ensete

3.8 out of 5 (4 experiences)

Ensete has a Large, lush leaves plant personality Large, lush leaves
Ensete has a Fast grower plant personality Fast grower

About Ensete

Maurelii is a perennial cultivar in the Musaceae (banana) family. It is named for J. Maurel who drew attention from the French in Ethiopia to the native red-leaved 'banana' looking plant. It's best grown in full sun with some shade in the hotter portion of the day. Courtyards, atriums, and walled gardens are ideal.

Taxonomy

Ensete ventricosum
Ensete
Musaceae
Zingiberales

Also known as

Abyssinian Banana, Abyssinian Banana, Enset, Ethiopian banana and False banana

How to care for Ensete

Water

How often to water your Ensete

Water needs for Ensete
0.5 cups
every 9

Ensete needs 0.5 cups of water every 9 when it doesn’t get direct sunlight and is potted in a 5" pot.

Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.

Calculate water needs of Ensete

Water 0.5 cups every
9

Does your plant get direct sunlight?

Select the pot size

5"
Light

Check the growing potential in your area

A plant's growing potential is determined from its location, the time of year, and current local weather.

Select a city to check sunlight intensity

Finding light for Abyssinian Banana in your home

Light needs and placement for plant Ensete: 1ft from a window
1ft or less from
a window

Ensete love being close to bright, sunny windows 😎.

Place it less than 1ft from a south-facing window to maximize the potential for growth.

Ensete does not tolerate low-light 🚫.

Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement of Ensete in your home 🏡.

Nutrients

How to fertilize Ensete

Nutrient, fertilizer, and repotting needs for Ensete: repot after 2X growth

Most potting soils come with ample nutrients which plants use to produce new growth.

By the time your plant has depleted the nutrients in its soil it’s likely grown enough to need a larger pot anyway.

To replenish this plant's nutrients, repot your Ensete after it doubles in size or once a year—whichever comes first.

FAQs
Difficulty Level

Ensete can be challenging to care for, according to some plant parents. Check out the reviews down below to learn from their experiences!


Water Needs
Sunlight Needs
Toxicity
Soil
Fertilizer
Growth Pattern
Growing Outdoors
Propagation

Care Summary for Ensete

Ensete

Ensete


Greg recommends:

Water

0.5 cups every 9 days

Placement

< 1ft from a window

Nutrients

Repot after 2x growth

Based on the 4” pot your plant is in, and that it doesn’t get direct sunlight.

What other plant parents say

Ensete has a Large, lush leaves plant personality Large, lush leaves 3
Ensete has a Fast grower plant personality Fast grower 1
Ensete has a Browns easily plant personality Browns easily 1
Marina avatar
@Marina
leaf-1 20 Plants
xp 505 XP
globe Enfield, England
09/05/2021

Beautiful plant with amazing leaves but had one die on my rather quickly and this is my second on.
Got burned during a recent house move and it’s recovered a bit but I’m not holding my breath with this one!

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Browns easily Browns easily
Trin avatar
@Trin
leaf-1 3 Plants
xp 70 XP
globe Lancaster, OH
08/04/2021

they need to grow 44 leaves before they can grow bananas!!

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