How To Grow Banana Plants

 

The botanical name of Banana plant is Musa spp. The edible banana is one of more than eighty species of flowering plants in the Musa genus. Although bananas are usually referred to as trees, Banana plants lack a wooden stem. Actually bananas are huge herbaceous plants with fleshy, upright stalks from which large, oblong, bright green leaves grow. Showy flowers appear on the banana plant typically in the spring, giving way to fleshy, elongated, green, or yellow fruit. No matter the size of your backyard or home, there is a type of edible or ornamental banana plant that fits. Bananas in addition make good houseplants, provided the banana plants get sufficient light although they rarely flower or bear fruit indoors. Banana plants are generally fast-growing and as garden plants they are planted in the spring.

Banana Plant Info

The common names: The common names are Banana tree, plantain tree.

The botanical name: The botanical name is   Musa spp.

The family: Banana plants belong to Musaceae family.

The plant type: Banana plant is an herbaceous perennial plant.

The mature size: The mature size is about two to thirty feet tall, one to fifteen wide.

The sun exposure: Banana plants prefer full sun.

The soil type: Banana plant does well in loamy, well-drained soil.

The soil pH: Acidic

The blooming time: The blooming time is Spring.

USDA hardiness zones: Nine to eleven.

The native area: Banana plant is native to Asia, Africa, and Australia.

Types of Banana trees

There are roughly about seventy species and even more varieties of banana trees. The following are the varieties of Banana tree:

-         The Musa acuminate variety: The Musa acuminate variety reaches around twelve to twenty feet tall and is often grown for its ornamental foliage. Its paddle-shaped leaves grow six to ten inches long. Actually a popular variety for indoor growing is the self-pollinating 'Dwarf Cavendish'.

-         The Musa ornate variety: The Musa ornate is commonly referred to as the flowering banana tree, the Musa ornate variety is mostly grown for its ornamental value.

-         The Musa basjoo variety: The Musa basjoo is actually known as the Japanese banana, this varieties has fairly good cold tolerance. The Musa basjoo variety grows six to fourteen feet tall. 

Banana tree care

Banana species actually vary greatly in appearance and size. The following are the main care requirements:

- If you are planting the Banana plant outdoors, make sure you select a location in full sun to partial shade (depending on the Banana variety) and a place sheltered from strong winds, as the leaves are susceptible to damage.

- You need to prepare your planting site by mixing some fresh compost into the soil.

- Make sure you have sufficient space for the height and spread of your particular Banana varieties.

- Maintain enough soil moisture by watering the Banana plant daily if necessary, most especially during hot weather.

- Also apply fertilizer every month throughout the growing season.

If you are growing edible bananas you can harvest the clusters (hands) in the late summer when the fruit is green and plumped up. Just cut it off the stalk and then place it in a cool, dry space to finish ripening.

Light requirement

Actually most types of banana plants prefer to grow in full sun, meaning at least 6 hours of direct sunlight on most days. However, the leaves of some varieties of Banana plant scorch easily and the plant will do better in partial shade.

If planted Indoors, just place them near a south- or west-facing window for maximum sun exposure.

Soil requirement

Banana plants actually love organically rich, deep soil with good drainage and a slightly acidic soil pH between 5.0 and 6.5. Banana plants typically have a poor tolerance for salt in the soil.

Water requirement

The Banana plants are tropical plants that originated in rainforests, so the Banana tree need a lot of water and plenty of moisture in the air. The Banana trees do best when they are planted in groups fairly close together, as this helps to retain moisture in the leaves.

Water the Banana plants regularly to make sure the soil stays evenly moist but not soggy. Make sure you avoid overwatering, which can easily cause root rot.

Temperature and humidity requirement

The Banana trees thrive in warm, humid conditions, but the plants don’t like temperature extremes. Even the hardy, cold-tolerant banana tree species prefer consistent temperatures ranging between seventy-five and ninety-five degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures below sixty degrees Fahrenheit slow down the growth and frost causes the plants to die back to the ground.

The Banana plants actually thrive in high humidity. To increase the level of humidity, you can mist the leaves daily.

Fertilizer requirement

Actually banana trees are heavy feeders. You can apply a complete fertilizer such as 8-10-8 monthly throughout the growing season, make sure you follow the label instructions. Spread the fertilizer evenly around the Banana plant, making sure that no fertilizer touches the base. Also, you can mix compost into the soil every year in the spring to increase the level of organic matter.

Fertilize the potted banana plants monthly with a fertilizer diluted to half-strength.

Pruning Banana plant

If you are growing the banana for its fruit, before the banana tree fruits, you can prune it so that there will be only one main stem. After it has been growing for 6 to 8 months, leave one sucker (small shoot at the base of the plant stem). This plant will actually replace the main stem in the next growing season.

After the fruit is removed you can easily cut the main stem down to two and half feet. Remove the rest of the stem after a few weeks, leaving the replacement sucker intact.

Propagating Banana plants

One of the best methods of propagation is division. Just wait until the suckers are at least twelve inches tall and they have developed their own roots.

- Just separate the suckers from the rhizome using a very good sharp spade.

- Then let the surface of the cut rhizome dry for about a day.

- Replant it in a suitable location or a container at the same depth as the original plant. Water it immediately and then keep it moist.

Potting and repotting Banana plants

A benefit to potting your banana plant is that you will be able to bring the potted Banana tree indoors to shelter the plant from cold weather and overwinter it indoors. The Banana trees actually need at least a fifteen gallon container for optimal growth. Ensure that the container has large drainage holes, and also use a loose, organically rich potting mix.

The potted banana plants have higher watering and feeding needs, as they will use up what is in their limited soil faster than banana plants in the ground. In addition, the banana tree likely won't reach their maximum size and might not bear fruit. Still, many people grow the plant for their foliage.

You typically will need to divide and repot the container banana trees every 3 years, separating any suckers from the parent plant.

Growing Bananas from seeds

You can easily encourage your banana seeds to grow by soaking them in water, sowing them in sandy and loamy soil, watering consistently, and maintaining proper temperatures. The following are the 6 steps to follow when growing bananas at home from seed:

- Soak: Give the Banana seeds a head start by softening and warming them up. Put the Banana seeds in a bowl and then cover them with warm water, make sure you change the water when it cools down. Leave the Banana seeds to soak for forty-eight hours to help the embryo sprout.

- Prepare: Put the Banana seeds in a seed tray indoors. You can use potting soil with lots of organic compost and more than half sandy/airy loam. As the Banana seed sprouts and matures, it will need the nutrients provided by the compost.

- Sow: Sow the Banana seeds ¼ inch deep in the tray. Sowing the Banana seeds outdoors in a bed is not possible unless the soil temperature remains above sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit.

- Water: You need to water the tray so that the soil becomes moist, but not soggy. You have to take care not to drown the Banana seed, only maintain conditions that are damp as the Banana seed settles in and begins to germinate. Soil that is too wet can easily cause the Banana seed to rot.

- Pay attention to temperature: You can use a heat mat on a timer to maintain an indoor soil temperature of at least sixty degrees Fahrenheit. Depending on the variety of the banana plant, it may need as much as nineteen hours of cool temperatures and only five hours of warm, but research your Banana seed to maintain the correct ratio.

- Give it time: You can't actually rush banana seed germination. Depending on your Banana plant variety, the Banana seeds could germinate in 2 to 3 weeks or it could happen in 2 or more months or longer. 

Pest and disease control

Owners of banana plants actually need to stay vigilant of the many disease and pests that afflict a banana tree. In most banana plantations, they are frequently treated with commercial fungicides and pesticides. Some of the most potential pests you might find on your outdoor banana plants are:

- Aphid insects cause curled and shriveled foliage: Aphid insects also transmit other diseases that affect the Banana fruit production.

- The black Banana weevils are also one of the most serious banana pests. A sign of these nocturnal root borers is jelly-like sap oozing from the Banana plant.

- Nematodes also feed inside the plant roots, causing the Banana plant and Banana fruit to rot.

- Red spider mites and Mealybugs also sap the suck from the plant.

- Also, scarring beetles cause spotting or severe scarring of the fruit skin and the young leaves.

- Thrips insects stain and split the peel of the Banana plant's fruit.

As for the indoor potted banana plants, be on the watch out for root rot, leaf-spot disease, wilt, and powdery mildew.