Same thing happened to mine a few years ago. Now that I look back I think the culprit was spider mites. I have other bananas, but I have still never bought another musa basjoo. I would definitely try them again, but definitely wait until early summer when its warm enough to stay outside.

Good luck!

Thank you Tropicalzone7 for your reply. I have another question. I planted (in pots, in a good potting mix) 2 giant elephant ear bulbs weeks ago. I've tried to keep them warm, and in sunlight (when there is some!) and nothing. I pulled them out and checked them, and did see tiny white roots emerging from the bulbs, but that was maybe a month ago. Did I hurt them in checking them or is it something else? P.S. I got a replacement musa basjoo and it's too early to tell...

Maybe the first musa basjoo received too much sun too fast? Sometimes when arrive by mail order, it's hard to tell just how much light they were receiving at the nursery and are used to. Best to start with morning sun and then get it used to more sun gradually. Another culprit perhaps was rot if the weather was too cool and/or if the plant was too wet. I think young plants are more susceptible to this.

I had a dwarf cavendish that had a transplanting incident - all the soil fell off the roots while transplanting. The plant ended up losing all it's leaves and looked like it was dead, but then it started growing from the center once more. They form a corm root so usually are able to regrow (unless, of course the root rots).

Once again I bought another musa and also a red one (can't remember the name) and so far the musa is dying. It happened fast-one morning I came out and it looked ok, but a few hours later, the new curled leaf it was putting out was brown and curling in, and now it's droopy and brown....Is it the nights? They get full sun on the deck all day.

I've had several young ones die that had just come out of the ground from last year's mother plant, but the culprit was voles eating the corm from the bottom up! I've had that happen to much larger ones later in the summer before. The moles are already active...they love all the worms in the compost rich soil, then the voles come along and chow down.