Being able to freely dispose of healthy and delicious bananas can be wonderful if you are willing to wait a long time for them to grow. If you live in a warm climate or have a good facility to grow them indoors, read on to learn about the long path it takes to grow banana plants.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Choosing the Right Site
Step 1. Check the temperature and humidity of your area
The humidity should be at least 50% and as constant as possible. The ideal daytime temperature should be between 26-30 ºC and the night temperatures should not be below 20 ° C. Acceptable temperatures should be warm and very rarely be below 14ºC or above 34ºC.
Banana trees can take up to a year to produce fruit, so it's important to know how temperatures fluctuate throughout the year
Step 2. Find the sunniest area of your garden
Banana plants grow best with 12 hours of direct sunlight each day. They can grow in less light (slower), but it is important to find the place in the garden that receives the most sun.
Step 3. Choose an area with good drainage
Banana trees require a lot of water, but they tend to rot if the water doesn't drain properly.
- To check the drainage capacity of the soil, dig a 30 cm deep hole, fill it with water and wait for it to drain. Fill it again when it is empty and measure the amount of water left after 1 hour. A drain of about 7-15 cm of water per hour is ideal.
- Creating a raised bed or adding 20% perlite to the soil can help the drainage process.
- This is especially important if you have a banana plant that still has no leaves or has been removed for shipping. The leaves help in the evaporation process of excess water.
Step 4. Leave enough space
While banana plants are technically herbs, there is a reason why they are mistaken for trees. Some specific varieties can reach 7.6m in height, although it is advisable to check with your supplier or local growers to get a more accurate estimate for your variety and chosen site.
- Each banana plant requires a hole that is at least 30cm wide and 30cm deep. Larger holes are needed in high wind areas (but they also require more soil).
- Keep banana trees at least 4.5m away from other trees and shrubs (not other banana plants) that have large root systems that can compete for water.
- Multiple banana plants help each other maintain favorable humidity levels and temperatures, as long as they are planted at the correct distance. If possible, interrupt some within 2 to 3 m of each other, or arrange a plantation with individual trees 3-5 m apart.
- Dwarf varieties require less space.
Step 5. Consider growing them indoors
If the outdoor environment is inadequate, a dry place with similar requirements (12 hours of bright light, warm temperature and constant humidity) is required.
- The indoor space must be large enough to hold the adult plants, or you must be prepared to transplant them into larger pots if the need arises.
- Always use pots with drain holes in the bottom so that the water can drain well.
- Don't rule out the possibility of growing a dwarf variety if you don't have enough indoor space.
- Use half the standard amount of fertilizer when growing plants indoors, or stop applying completely if you don't have room for larger plants (this is a tip for those who want to grow a houseplant but have no plans. to reap the rewards).
Part 2 of 4: Plant the Banana
Step 1. Choose the type of propagation material
You can buy a banana sucker (a small shoot taken from the base of the plant) from another grower or nursery, or buy one online. The banana rhizome or bulb it is the base from which the suckers grow. The tissue cultures they are produced in the laboratory to create a higher fruit yield. If you are transplanting a mature plant, prepare a hole appropriate for its size and get help from an assistant.
- The best suckers are 1.8-2.1m tall and have thin sword-shaped leaves, although smaller suckers are just as suitable if the mother plant is healthy. If the leaves are large and round, it means that the sucker is trying to compensate for the lack of adequate nutrition from the mother plant.
- If the sucker is still attached to the mother plant, forcefully remove it by cutting it down with a clean shovel. Make sure that a considerable part of the underground base (bulb) and its roots remain.
- If a rhizome (bulb) does not have a relevant sucker it can be cut into pieces. Each piece with a bud (proto-sucker) can become a banana plant, but in a longer time than using the sucker.
Step 2. Prune the plant
Eliminate dead sections eaten by insects, rotting or discolored parts. If you notice that most of the plant is diseased, dispose of it away from the others and find more propagation material.
If you use the sucker, completely remove the few centimeters of the roots. This will limit the risk of disease. You can also remove leaves exceeding 5 units and / or cut off the top of the plant by making an oblique cut to increase the amount of sunlight that heats the soil and allow the roots to grow while preventing rot
Step 3. Dig a hole for each plant
Remove all weeds and weeds that are growing on the site of your choice and dig a circular hole 30cm wide by 30cm deep. A larger hole provides more support for the plant, but requires more soil.
If you want to grow the plant indoors, use a pot of this size or larger
Step 4. Fill the hole mainly with rich, well-loosened earth
Leave a few inches of space on the surface to encourage drainage.
- Do not use potting soil or regular garden soil if you are unsure if it is suitable. Soil mixes intended for cactus cultivation can give good results, or find out about other producers of the same banana variety.
- The ideal acidity of the soil ranges from a pH of 5.5 to 7. If the pH is 7.5 or higher it can kill the plant.
Step 5. Place the plant upright in the new soil
The leaves must face up and the earth must cover the roots and base of the stem for the first 1.5-2.5 cm. Press the soil to compact it, but don't overdo it.
Part 3 of 4: Caring for the Plant
Step 1. Fertilize every month near the trunk
Use fertilizer that you can buy at garden stores, compost, manure, or a mixture of these. Add it to the soil in a circle around the trunk immediately after planting the banana tree and repeat the application at monthly intervals.
- Young plants require 0.1-0.2 kg of fertilizer every month; the amount increases to 0.7-0.9 kg, if the plant is an adult. Increase the dosage as the plant grows.
- If the temperature drops below 14ºC or if you notice it hasn't grown in the last month, avoid fertilizing.
- Fertilizers are usually labeled with the amounts of NPK, which represent nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Bananas require very high amounts of potassium, but other nutrients are also important. You can use a balanced fertilizer (containing an almost equal amount of the three components) or a fertilizer that addresses soil deficiencies.
- Do not apply the manure produced in the last few weeks, as the heat released during decomposition can damage the plant.
Step 2. Water often, but don't overdo it
Overwatering is a common cause of banana death as it causes the roots to rot.
- In the dry season without rain, it may be necessary to water the plant daily, but only if the first 1.5-3 cm of soil is dry. Test with your finger before watering.
- Reduce the amount of water if you notice that the plant remains in it for long periods, otherwise the roots could rot.
- When temperatures are cooler, and the banana tree is still young, it only needs to be watered once every week or two. Remember to check the soil moisture.
- The leaves help evaporate excess moisture, so be careful not to wet (but only moisten) a young plant that has not yet grown leaves.
- Water the fertilizer ring around the trunk to get it into the soil.
Step 3. Add some mulch
Remove dead leaves and plants and chop them to place around live plants. You can also add other garden residues and ash wood to increase the nutrients to the soil.
Check the mulch layer regularly and remove any weeds that grow. These could compete with the plant for nutrients
Step 4. Check for spots, dying leaves and pests
If you notice any diseased plants, individual and treat them immediately, or root them up. As soon as you detect the presence of parasites, you should do a pest control treatment. Nitrogen and potassium deficiency is the most common nutritional problem for banana trees, so you should learn to recognize the signs.
- Signs of nitrogen deficiency (N): very small or pale green leaves, pink or reddish leaf surfaces, reduced growth, small fruit clusters.
- Signs of potassium deficiency (K): leaves that turn yellow quickly and then die, small or broken leaves, late flowering, small fruit clusters.
- Here are some examples of serious banana plant diseases: Mok disease, Panama disease, Banana Bunchy Top virus, black streak disease.
- Here are some examples of plant parasites: Bulb weevils, Banana aphids, Cochineals. Fruit pests include: Flower thrips, red thrips, weevils.
Step 5. Remove the suckers from the plants
When the plant reaches maturity and has several suckers, remove all but one to improve fruit production and plant health.
- Cut all but the one that goes down to the ground and cover the exposed part of the plant with soil. Repeat making a deeper cut if they grow back.
- The remaining sucker is also called the "heir" and will replace the mother plant when it dies.
- In exceptional cases, healthy plants are able to support two suckers.
Step 6. Support the plant to prevent it from overturning due to strong winds or the weight of fruit pods
There are 3 simple ways to do this:
- Method with rope and bottle. Cut the bottom of a plastic bottle. Insert a very long, strong thread through the bottle. Squeeze it to make it pliable and soft. Let the banana stem rest on the crushed bottle and run the cord through it, pulling it back slightly and tying it to a strong support with a knot.
- Single bamboo method. Use a 3 meter high bamboo cane. Cut a 10cm thick and 60cm wide slingshot piece of wood. Insert the "handle" of the sling wood into one end of the bamboo. Let the stem rest in the center of the "Y" and push the bamboo slightly upwards, so that the stem is well embedded in the "Y". Deeply dig the other end of the bamboo (the base). Compact the soil well.
- Double bamboo method. Use two 3-meter bamboo poles. Tie one end of the rods 30 cm from the end with strong wire. Arrange the rods to form an "X". Let the stem rest on the short side, push it up slightly to create pressure and bury the other ends of the rods. Compact the soil very well.
Step 7. Provide care for the winter
If the temperature during the winter months gets too low for your plant, there are several ways to take care of it:
- Cover the stem with a blanket or earth. If there is no frost and the plant is still small, this can be adequate protection as long as the temperature rises enough and allows the banana tree to grow again.
- Keep the plant indoors. Uproot it, removing the leaves, and keep it in moist sand in a heated covered area. Do not water or fertilize; the banana tree will stop growing until you can plant it outdoors again.
- Grow the plant inside. This requires a large pot with drainage holes. If you don't want the banana tree to overgrow the pot, you will need to stop or cut back on fertilizer treatments.
- Save parts for planting later. If frost or cold has killed almost the whole plant, it is likely that the suckers and bulbs at the base are still usable. Cut these parts away from the dead parts and place them in small pots to grow them later.
Part 4 of 4: Growing and Harvesting Fruit
Step 1. Wait for the purple flowers to sprout
Banana usually flowers in 6-7 months under ideal conditions, but it can also take up to a year, depending on the climate.
- Never remove the leaves around the flower, as they protect it from the sun.
- Don't confuse this with the Banana Bunchy Top virus. See the Tips below.
Step 2. Wait for the petals to retract and show the bunches of bananas
This process could take another 2 months or more. Each helmet is called a "hand" and each individual banana is called a "finger".
Step 3. When all helmets are visible, remove the unnecessary parts
The remaining buds and / or the tiny bananas that remain are the male and sterile parts of the plant. The "hand" has to wither on its own, but removing the bud gives the plant more energy to produce fruit.
- The male part of the flower is also called the "banana heart". Some varieties produce edible flowers that are popular in Southeast Asian cuisine, but not all are suitable for food consumption.
- Use a stick to support the plant if you notice that the helmets tend to drag it down.
Step 4. Cover the helmets with plastic protectors
These will protect the fruit from insects and other dangers, but must be open at both ends to allow air and water to flow freely.
Tie the nylon or plastic bags with soft twine several inches from the first coat
Step 5. Collect bananas when the flowers or plant are dying
The little flower on the tip of each banana dries up and you can tear it off easily, or when the plant loses most of its leaves it's a good time to pick the fruit.
- Make a notch in the shaft on the opposite side of the helmet.
- With great care let the tree bend and cut off the helmet.
- The fruit will ripen quickly once harvested, so it is wise to proceed early when it is unripe enough so it does not go to waste.
Step 6. Cut the tree and prepare the next sucker
Remove the top half of the stem once the fruit is harvested. Remove the sucker from the base using the same procedure you used to care for the plant.
Remember to leave a sucker to replace the now dying mother plant
Advice
- If the newly planted plant gets damaged by mistake (for example it is hit by a ball) or if the plant is weak but still alive, simply cut it in half. The banana tree will grow back.
- Banana Bunchy Top virus is one of the most harmful diseases. Once even a single sucker is infected, all plants connected to it (including the mother and all its suckers) will become ill and become stunted. The virus spreads due to a banana parasite called "banana aphid" (Pentalonia Nigronervosa). It is a slow-moving insect that lives in colonies and can transmit the virus within hours.
- After removing a sucker from a live plant, immediately take care of the mother plant by supporting the weakened side with soil to prevent it from tilting. Apply fertilizer to compensate for nutrient loss.
- When detaching suckers from dwarf plants, don't get confused. The very first leaves that arise from the sucker should be narrow and not wide.
- If you have decided to plant the sucker immediately, cut off the apical part of it to reduce water evaporation.
- Be very careful when transplanting or removing suckers from a mother specimen. If you don't do it right, the mother or sucker will die.
Warnings
- Do not buy and plant plants born from a sick specimen.
- Wear old clothes when cutting any part of the banana tree as the sap leaves dark spots that are difficult to remove.
- In areas where the Banana Bunchy Top virus is present, do not trade suckers with friends. Only buy plants from dealers who can guarantee that they are healthy specimens. It's not as obvious when a plant is sick, so avoid swapping suckers.
