Ice Cream Banana Tree Live Plant - Musa acuminata - Wellspring Gardens Starter Plant - Easy to Grow Plants for Nature Lovers & Gardeners- Outdoor Planting in Outdoor & Patio

4-21-18 I heard about the Ice Cream Banana through a YT video and searched to see if anyone local had 1 for sale, to no avail. I looked on Ebay & Amazon, and I wasn't thrilled about the choices on Ebay. I also wasn't thrilled about the reviews on Amazon though. Some of the prices were ridiculously high at the time too. This seller, Wellspring Gardens, had some of the better reviews, but not the greatest either. I kept in mind that not everyone has a "green thumb", so I should keep an open mind. I placed the item in my 'email me when available list', as it was out of stock at the time. I waited close to a year before purchasing too, even when it came in stock, just because I was hesitant about the seller. I had a notification about the plant decreasing in price and being in stock, which is when I jumped on it. I purchased it March 28th. It's now been about 2 weeks since I received it and planted it temporarily on my windowsill in a quart sized clear cup (so I can see the moisture level). I couldn't transplant it directly outside because we were still getting snow, ice, and frost most mornings. It's also not good to directly transplant a small plant into full sun without getting it acclimated little by little (also called hardening off). I'm in 7a or 6b growing zone here, and not sure if I'll permanently transplant it outside yet because of our brutal winters. Although, there are many people who have banana plants directly planted on their lawns and gardens here and around me, but I'm not sure of their varieties. It very well could be that some are hardier than others. My plant pup came in great condition and packaged quite well. It did come with the "banana fuel" fertilizer, however, I did not use it yet when I planted it in the quart cup. Seeing as it wasn't quite growing season here yet, and this is usually the time to feed plants. I instead used an all purpose organic fertilizer, which is a very slow release. I trust it over other brands, to not 'burn' delicate roots and small plants/seedlings. I have new growth coming in as of the last 2 days, so it seems to be doing good so far. I have only given 4 stars so far, as to give the plant time to mature a little, and this allows me, I think, to give a more accurate review as I update its progress. I bought this from the seller "Wellspring Gardens" & shipped by them, which I feel is important to list this info. I've come across sellers with variances in their items, including knockoffs, even if listed as same brand. I'll post an update with a durability review. ***UPDATE*** 6-14-18 It's been a little over 2 months since I received my plant. I must say, this was a good purchase. I will have to modify the star rating to 5, instead of 4, because I was truly sent a healthy plant. If anything were to change at this point, it would be my fault or on my end (pest, weather, etc). I will admit, even though I consider myself a somewhat seasoned gardener, I did have to play with this plant's requirements.... mainly the watering. What I found is this plant really enjoys thorough waterings and not quite dry in between. We had so much rain in our part of the country, with May having most of its days with precipitation. April was not quite as bad, but surely had inches with each downpour, which is not exactly normal here. I had to add a drain hole to keep my plant from drowning. When I added the drain hole, I raised it about an inch from the bottom. I use this trick to help keep a reservoir of water for my water loving plants and this also keeps them from drowning or remaining soggy and prone to root rot. I took more photos today, as I noticed the great root growth in my clear container. I decided to transplant so it would not become rootbound, but this also became a good photo opportunity for the update. By the way, I have yet to use the Banana Fuel that was included and at this point I think I misplaced it. I just used some more of my slow release organic fertilizer, along with some Azomite dust, at this time of transplant. I know bananas generally grow fast, so hopefully this will aid in health or nutrition for its growth spurt season. So I will end in saying, I highly recommend this plant... from THIS seller. ***UPDATE*** 7-24-18 Mostly to update on the exponential growth since the last update about 4 times the size and the root is even poking out at the bottom. I'm amazed, as it's only a few days passed 1 month ago, I transplanted it. I posted 2 more photos, and it looks like I'll have to transplant yet again! Lol.

UPDATED 12/18/24 My Ice Cream Banana tree came in prefect health. No wilting at all, no dead or yellowing leaves, very well rooted, and the soil was fresh and free of any mold. I followed the instructions and watered immediately, and will be transplanting into a bigger pot in a few days once it’s recovered from traveling. I’m so confident it’ll be big and strong in no time, and will continue to update this review. Overall very impressed with this seller. Their rewards program is awesome by the way. UPDATE: I’ve had my tree in a 5 gallon pot after it spent a few days recovering from travel, and its growth remains impressive. My sprout came with 3 leaves and very short roots. It has since grown 2 more leaves and the roots extend down to the bottom of the pot. It’s also quickly grown about 2” taller. I did prune off the decaying leaves so it actually has only 2 now, but they are bigger, greener, healthier leaves. I plan to move into the next pot size up within the next few months. I’m using standard potting soil from my local nursery mixed with some perlite, and I fertilize with 10-10-10 once a month (standard for my whole garden). Besides its growth, it’s a pretty hardy plant. My other banana trees are often victims of bugs of all sorts given I live in a very tropical area, but the ice cream banana tree seems to favor those conditions a little better than my ducasse banana trees for example. All in all, still happy with my purchase. Seller was very very kind as well.

I received this plant and it is in very bad shape. There are brown spots on the leaves, one leaf is shredded and the stalk is half rotted. This is the second plant I have received from this company that was on life support when I got it. The damage doesn't seem to be the result of shipping. I contacted the company with photos and they said it looked like a "happy plant" and that I could cut the leaves off and they would grow back lush and green. They didn't address the rotted stem that I specifically asked about, nor did they answer my question about a warranty. I will not be ordering from this company again

Amazing plant! Arrived in great condition with two beautiful leaves, and me potting in coconut husk mulch was (hind sight is 20/20) probably not best to do. I was persistent and fertilized accordingly. Hence, this plant was slow, but nevertheless it has overcome my oversight. I'm looking forward to the first (biggest) new leaf in a day or two. Bananas in a year or so given that I live up north with a short season 👏 This plant is going to flourish!!! I love it ❤️❤️❤️. Ps. It found a California poppy as a friend in the pot and hope they get along nice. I see notable daily growth. This next leaf will dwarf its healthy sibling, I'd bet money on it.