Bananas are very popular in the Western world but how many of us know how to grow our own bananas? Do you want to grow this stout plant as a hobby or for your own consumption? Bananas are one of the easiest plants to grow in your own garden, you just need to pick the right variety and follow a few easy steps during the process.
Quick Facts About Banana Plants
- Scientific name: Musa paradisiaca Linn
- Type of plant: perennial herb
- Native to: tropical portions of India, Southeast Asia with hot weather and northern Australia
- Light requirement: at least six hours of full sun per day
- Water requirement: 4 to 6 inches of water each month
- Preferred humidity: above a 95% relative humidity level
- Preferred temperature: 80°F to 95°F
- Size upon maturity: 20-40 feet tall in only 9 months
- Type of soil: soil should be 0.5 1m in depth, rich, well drained, fertile, moisture retentive, containing plenty of organic matter
- pH level: The range of pH should be 6.5-7.5. Alluvial and volcanic soils are the best for banana cultivation.
- Fertilizer: 8-10-8 (NPK)
- Main attribute: elongated and curved
- Word meaning: BANANA(n.) a long curved fruit with a yellow skin
- Fruit Family: Musaceae
- Lifespan: 25 years
- In-Season months: Four months of monsoon (June to September)
What exactly is a banana tree?
A banana tree, also known as a banana plant, is one of the perennial herbs that produces hanging clusters of edible fruit. They are typically feet tall and robust mother plant with large leaf stalks wrapped around each other.
Bananas grow commercially in tropical and some subtropical regions for their fruits, which are eaten raw. The small fruit can be eaten fresh, dried, or processed into plantains or banana chips. They are also used as ornamental plants.
The mother plant can be grown from seeds or cuttings, but they take several years to produce fruit. Like other monocotyledons, the banana plant has an underground stem called a rhizome which has many growing points that sends out shoots bearing new stems and roots. New plants may be produced from an underground rhizome which has spear shaped leaves called suckers, also called pups that can been stored dry at room temperature for up to five years.
Few banana plants have rapid growth in warm climates with high humidity and rainfall throughout the year. They are also tolerant of shade, making them good for landscaping purposes.
How to Grow a Banana Plant: A Complete Guide
Light
Banana plants are tropical plants that need plenty of light to grow. Banana plants need more than 12 hours of sunlight each day. The best place for your banana plant is in a room with a lot of sunlight. A sunny window is perfect if you don’t have a place outside. If possible, place them near a south-facing window. Otherwise, you can use artificial lighting to supplement natural light.
You can also grow wild bananas in pots indoors with partial shade if you want to keep them in one spot year-round, but moving them outdoors during warmer months will help them grow faster and produce more fruit and female flowers.
Soil
Banana grows best in rich, well-drained soil with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5. You can use compost or manure if it’s well-rotted and aged at least six months before planting. To improve drainage, you can also amend the soil with peat moss or composted bark. The soil should be light and fluffy, but not too loose or too dense. If it’s too dense, add some sand; if it’s too loose, add more peat moss or composted bark.
Water
The best way to water your plant is by using a drip system or a soaker hose. A soaker hose is a hose that has many holes along its main stalk. Water drips out of these holes and slowly spreads over the soil surface. The soil should be moist but not soggy wet. Daily watering is better than once a week because it prevents the roots from drying out completely. This also reduces stress on the plant’s root system.
When to Water Your Banana Plant
Water your main banana plant when the top inch of soil feels dry to touch or when it does not absorb water from the bottom of the pot within 30 seconds after it has been watered from the top with a spray bottle filled with water at room temperature. Never let the soil dry out completely between waterings or allow it to become soggy wet, or saturated, as this can cause root rot (root decay).
If you have trouble remembering when to water your plant, set up an automatic watering system that irrigates at specific times.
Temperature and Humidity
The ideal temperature for growing bananas is between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit (18-27 Celsius). Your room should be airy, well-ventilated, and never exposed to drafts or cold air from outside. The plant will also need humid conditions to thrive; misting the leaves every few days can help achieve this goal.
Feeding
The best way to feed a parent plant is with an organic fertilizer containing balanced nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (N-P-K). You can buy this type of fertilizer at garden centers and nurseries. Don’t use straight nitrogen or phosphorous fertilizers because they will likely burn your plants’ roots.
Storing
You can store individual bananas for up to one week when kept at room temperature. To keep bananas longer, store them in the refrigerator, where they will last for approximately one month. If you have more than one banana, it’s best to keep them separate from each other so that they don’t get bruised during storage. Banana ripen faster when they’re stored together, which means that if you want to eat them later or prefer cooking bananas, separate them from each other.
If you have just one banana left in a bunch, store it separately from any other fruits or vegetables in your refrigerator. Banana peels release ethylene gas as they ripen, which causes other foods’ skins to turn brown prematurely.
Different Types of Banana Plants
There are different types of Banana plants, but there are only four varieties of bananas grown that you should know about. They are:
Dwarf Cavendish bananas
This plant is one of the most common and popular banana varieties. It is a vigorous grower that produces large bunches of medium to small-sized fruit. The Dwarf Cavendish banana has a high sugar content and is great for eating fresh or cooking. The Dwarf Cavendish type of banana plant has their own roots and will reach about 10 feet tall in height but can be kept smaller by pruning it back when you see it getting too tall.
Gros Michel
The Gros Michel variety was once the most popular banana in the world; however, it was largely replaced by Dwarf Cavendish and Musa spp due to its susceptibility to Panama disease and crown rot. This disease caused widespread destruction of commercial plantations in Latin America and elsewhere in the late 1950s through the 1960s. To combat this disease, growers began replacing their Gros Michel plants with new varieties that were resistant to it.
Dwarf Maradol
This is one of the most popular banana varieties in the United States, especially in South Florida. It is a dwarf plant that has a compact and compact growth habit. This makes it look nice when grown as a patio plant. The Dwarf Maradol is also known for its excellent flavor. It has very little to no seeds, which makes it perfect for eating fresh or cooking with.
Dwarf Red
Dwarf Red bananas are small and thicker skinned, making them an excellent choice for container gardening. They also grow earlier than other varieties and produce fruit quickly. Dwarf Red bananas can grow up to 12 feet tall and produce large bunches of fruit that weigh about 2 pounds each. Dwarf Red unripe bananas have red skin and turn yellow flesh with a sweet flavor similar to plantains. They are available in grocery stores during the winter when the Hawaii supply runs low. Its first banana bunch will be also be smaller.
How to plant bananas?
Planting bananas is simple and easy. You can either buy a banana plant or grow one from seed. However, if you want to grow your own banana trees, here are some tips to get you started:
- The first step is to choose the right variety of bananas for your region. Bananas come in two types – soft and hardy varieties. There are also dwarf varieties that do not require much space. Dwarf varieties can be grown in containers and require less maintenance than standard varieties.
- Choose a sunny spot in your garden where the soil drains well, with no temperature drop. Bananas do not tolerate wet feet so avoid planting them near water sources such as fountains or ponds.
- Dig a hole about 1 foot deep using a sharp spade, wide enough for the tree’s root ball when it arrives at your home.
- Mix some organic fertilizer with the native soil before placing the root ball in the hole and backfilling with soil around it until it is level with the ground surface again.
- Water regularly so that the soil remains moist but not soggy; add mulch around the base of the plant if needed to retain moisture.
- Check for signs of pests such as aphids or spider mites on banana leaves or its little flowers; treat them with organic insecticides as needed while they are still small enough to easily control with natural methods like insecticidal soap or neem oil spray (available at most nurseries).
- Fertilize your tree once a month during the growing season (March through September) with an all-purpose fertilizer formulated for tropical plants; follow package directions carefully when mixing fertilizer.
How do bananas reproduce?
Bananas reproduce asexually by growing genetically identical clones of themselves. This cloning is done through rhizomes, which are underground stems that grow horizontally and produce new plants.
A banana plant produces female flowers like an apple tree, which are then pollinated by tiny flies called midges. The female midge lays her eggs at the base of the little flower, and the larvae eat their way through its ovary, eventually emerging from the base of the banana pups as adults.
Bananas are sterile and can’t produce seeds, so each new banana plant starts out as a clone of its parent. This makes it easier for farmers to produce uniform crops, but it also means that there’s no genetic diversity in bananas. If a disease wipes out one variety, there’s no way to save it — all other varieties will also succumb.
How to Harvest Bananas?
Bananas ripen from the bottom of the banana bunch upwards. Smaller suckers will take longer to fruit but when they are mature plant, they will be yellow and full of brown freckles. You can pick off when there are banana growing (they will come off easily) or wait until they have completely finish ripening and fall off naturally.
When to Harvest Bananas?
You can harvest bananas at any time during the year, but the best time to harvest them is between January and April. This is when the fruit is large and sweet with a good balance of starch and sugar. If you want to eat green bananas, then you should wait until June or July when they are about three inches in diameter. Normally, new suckers will grow back the following spring.
Treating Banana Pest Infestation
Banana pests are a common problem for banana trunks. The most common pests include nematodes, fungi, aphids, and mites. You can protect bananas with these two methods.
Diatomaceous Earth
This is a natural product made from the fossilized remains of diatoms. When this product comes into contact with insects and other pests, it cuts their exoskeletons and kills them by dehydration. This product is safe for humans to handle when used as directed. It is effective against many different types of pests, including aphids and mites. You can purchase diatomaceous earth online or at your local garden center.
Neem Oil
This oil comes from the neem tree, which is native to India and Pakistan. It has been used for centuries as an insecticide, fungicide, and herbicide by farmers in India because it is effective against many pests without harming humans or animals that consume treated plants. Neem oil also has some repellant properties that may help keep insects away from your baby plants and kill them once they come into contact with it.
Nutrients Found in Banana Fruit
Banana fruit contains essential nutrients like potassium, magnesium, and vitamins B6 and C. It also has some calories but doesn’t contain much fat or cholesterol. The fruit is low in sodium and high in carbohydrates.
Bananas are also an excellent source of dietary fiber. A medium blue java banana ice cream cup contains 3 grams of fiber — 13 percent of your daily value — which helps keep you full longer by slowing digestion so you don’t feel hungry as quickly after eating.
FAQS
How long does it take for bananas to grow?
It takes about 12 months for bananas to grow from seedlings into mature plants that produce bigger fruit. However, you can harvest some bananas after just six months if this suits your needs better.
Can you grow bananas from store-bought bananas?
Yes. Bananas are propagated by seed, but they do not always germinate well.
The best way to grow bananas from store-bought bananas is to plant the entire fruit in a soil container. The soil should be kept moist at all times until the roots develop. If you’ve purchased a green banana, then you may want to wait until it ripens before planting it in soil.
Once the roots have developed, you can move your banana to a larger pot or into a planter box in your garden.
What do banana trees do for the environment?
Banana trees produce oxygen and remove carbon dioxide from the air, making them one of our planet’s most effective natural air filters. Bananas also store vast amounts of carbon in their trunks, helping reduce global warming.
Banana trees absorb some toxic chemicals that could otherwise contaminate water supplies and soil if released into the environment.
Banana plants are natural defenses against erosion because their roots help hold soil together. Without their roots holding the soil together, rainwater would wash away topsoil and make it difficult for a new plant to grow properly.
Conclusion
To summarize, bananas can be very rewarding fruit to plant and grow in your garden even if you do not live in a tropical climate. They are fairly easy to care for, and once established, banana plants will produce delicious fruit for years. Remember to keep in mind the needed conditions before you start growing bananas, and always remember, master gardener, that when you bring a banana plant home: they don’t like chilly temperatures!
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