4/24/2017 HowtoGrowBananaPlants(withPictures)wikiHow

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FourParts: SelectingaPlantingSite PlantingtheBananaPlant CaringForYourPlant NurturingandHarvestingFruit

Havingyourownaccesstodelicious,healthybananascanbewonderfulifyou'repreparedforanextensivegrowingperiod.If
youliveinawarmclimateorhaveagoodindoorgrowinglocation,readontolearnabouttheyearlongjourneyofbananaplant
gardening.

Part
SelectingaPlantingSite
1

1 Lookupyourarea'stemperatureandhumidity.Humidityshouldbeatleast50%andasconstantaspossible.
[1]Idealdaytimetemperaturesarebetween2630C(7886F),withnighttemperaturesnolowerthan

20C(67F).[2][3]Acceptabletemperaturesarewarmandveryrarelyreachlowerthan14C(57F)orhigherthan
34C(93F).[4]
Bananascantakeuptoayeartoproducefruit,soit'simportanttoknowwhatrangeoftemperaturesitwill
experiencethroughouttheyear.

2 Findthesunniestareainyouryard.Bananaplantsgrowbestwith12hoursofdirect,brightsunlighteachday.
[5]Theycanstillgrowwithless(moreslowly),butyoushoulddeterminewhereinyouryardreceivesthemostsun.

3 Chooseanareawithgooddrainage.Bananasrequirealotofwater,butarepronetorottingifthewaterdoes
notdrainadequately.
Totestdrainage,digahole0.3m(1ft.)deep,fillwithwater,andallowtodrain.Refillonceempty,thenmeasure
howmuchwaterisleftafter1hour.Approximately715cmwaterdrainageperhourisidealforbananaplants.
Araisedgardenbedoradding20%perlitetothesoilassistsdrainage.[6][7]
Thisisespeciallyimportantifyouareusingabananaplantthatdoesnotyethaveleaves,orhadtheleaves
removedforshipping.Leaveshelpevaporateexcesswater.[8]

4 Allowsufficientspace.Whilebananaplantsaretechnicallyherbs,theyareoftenmistakenfortreesforareason.
Somevarietiesandindividualscanreach7.6m(25ft.)inheight,althoughyoushouldcheckthesourceofyour
bananaplantorlocalbananagrowersforamoreaccurateestimateforyourlocaleandvariety.
Eachbananaplantrequiresaholeatleast30cm(1ft.)wideand30cm(1ft.)deep.Largerholesshouldbeused
inareasofhighwind(butwillrequiremoresoil).
Keepbananaplantsatleast4.5m(15ft)fromtreesandshrubs(nototherbananaplants)withlargerootsystems
thatmaycompetewiththebananas'water.[9]
Multiplebananaplantshelpeachothermaintainbeneficialhumidityandtemperaturelevels,aslongastheyare
plantedatthecorrectdistance.Ifyoucan,plantseveralplantsinaclumpwith23m(6.510ft.)betweeneach
one,oralargenumberofbananaplants35m(1016ft.)fromeachother.[10]
Dwarfvarietiesrequirelessspace.

5 Considergrowingitindoors.Ifyouroutdoorsenvironmentisinadequate,you'llneedanindoorlocationwith
similarrequirements(12hoursbrightlightandconstantwarmtemperatureandhumidity).
You'llneedalargeplantingcontainersufficientforitsadultsize,orbewillingtotransplantthebananaintoa
largerpotwhenevernecessary.
Alwaysuseapotwithadrainageholeinalocationwherewatercandrainwell.
Consideradwarfvarietyifyoudon'thavesufficientindoorspace.

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Usehalftheamountoffertilizerwhengrowingaplantindoors,orceaseentirelyifyoudon'thaveroomfora
largerplant.(Thismaybesuitableforahouseplantyoudon'tintendtoharvestfruitfrom.)

Part
PlantingtheBananaPlant
2

1 Selectyourplantingmaterial.Youcanacquireabananasucker(smallshootfromthebaseofabananaplant)
fromanothergrowerorplantnursery,orbuyoneonline.Abananarhizomeorcormisthebasefromwhich
suckersgrow.Tissueculturesareproducedinlaboratoriestocreatehigherfruityield.Ifyou'retransplantingamature
plant,prepareaholeappropriatetoitssizeandhaveanassistanthelpyou.
Thebestsuckerstouseare1.82.1m(67ft)inheightandhavethin,swordshapedleaves,althoughsmaller
suckersshouldworkwellifthemotherplantishealthy.[11]Big,roundleavesareasignthatthesuckeristrying
tomakeupforalackofadequatenutritionfromthemotherplant.[12]
Ifthesuckerisstillattachedtoamotherplant,removeitbycuttingforcefullydownwardwithacleanshovel.
Includeasignificantportionoftheundergroundbase(corm)anditsattachedroots.[13]
Arhizome(corm)withoutnotablesuckerscanbechoppedintopieces.Eachpiecewithabud(protosucker)
willgrowintoabananaplant,butthiswilltakelongerthanusingasucker.

2 Trimtheplant.Cutoffanydead,insecteaten,rottingordiscoloredsectionsoftheplant.Ifmostoftheplantis
affected,disposeofitawayfromotherplantsandfindanotherplantingmaterial.
Ifusingasucker,removeallbutafewcentimeters(12inches)oftheroots.Thiswilllimitthechanceof
disease.Youcanalsoremoveanyleavesinexcessoffiveand/orcutthetopoftheplantoffwithaslantingcut
toincreasetheamountofsunlightthatwarmsthesoilforrootgrowthandrotprevention.[14]

3 Digaholeforeachplant.Removeanyplantsorweedsthataregrowingontheplantingsite,thendigacircular
hole30cmwideand30cmdeep(1ft.x1ft.)Alargerholewillprovidegreatersupportfortheplantbutrequire
moresoil.
Ifplantingindoors,insteaduseaplantingpotthissizeorlarger.

4 Mostlyfilltheholewithloose,richsoil.Leaveseveralcentimeters(afewinches)ofspaceatthetopto
encouragedrainage.
Donotusepottingsoil,noryourregulargardensoilunlessyouaresureitissuitable.Soilmixesintendedfor
cacticanproducegoodresults,[15]oraskothergrowersofthesamebananavariety.
TheidealsoilacidityforbananasisbetweenpH5.5and7.AciditypH7.5orhighercankilltheplant.[16]

5 Placetheplantuprightinthenewsoil.Theleavesshouldbepointingupwardandthesoilshouldcoverthe
rootsand1.52.5cm(0.51inches)ofthebase.Tampthesoildowntokeepitinplacebutdon'tpacktoofirmly.

Part
CaringForYourPlant
3

1 Fertilizemonthlyashortdistancefromthetrunk.Usestoreboughtfertilizer,compost,manure,oramixtureof
these.Addfertilizerimmediatelyafterplantinginanevenringaroundthebananaplantandrepeatatmonthly
intervals.
Youngplantsrequire0.10.2kg(0.250.5lbs)eachmonth,risingto0.70.9kg(1.52lbs)foranadultplant.
Increasegraduallyasyourplantgrows.
Ifthetemperaturefallsbelow14C(57F)orifthebananaplanthasn'tgrownsincelastmonth,skipthe
fertilization.[17]
Fertilizersareusuallylabeledwiththreenumbers(NPK)representingtheamountofNitrogen,Phosphorus
(Potash),andPotassium.BananasrequireveryhighamountsofPotassium,buttheothernutrientsare

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importantaswell.Youcanuseabalancedfertilizer(threenumbersroughlyequal)orafertilizerthataddresses
deficienciesinyoursoil.[18]
Donotusemanureproducedinthelastfewweeks,astheheatitreleaseswhiledecomposingcandamagethe
plant.[19]

2 Waterfrequentlybutavoidoverwatering.Underwateringisacommoncauseofbananaplantdeath,but
overwateringcancausetherootstorot.[20]
Inwarmgrowingweatherwithoutrain,youmayneedtowateryourplantdaily,butonlyifthetop1.53cm
(0.51in.)ofsoilisdry.Testwithyourfingerbeforewatering.
Reducetheamountofwaterpersessioniftheplantissittinginwaterforlongperiods.(Thatcancauseroot
rot).
Incoolertemperatureswhenthebananaisbarelygrowing,youmayonlyneedtowateronceeveryweekor
two.Remembertochecksoilmoisture.
Leaveshelpevaporateexcessmoisture,sobecarefulnottosoak(justmoisten)ayoungplantthathasnotyet
grownleaves.[21]
Watertheringoffertilizeraswelltohelpitsoakintothesoil.

3 Addmulch.Removedeadleavesandbananaplantsandchopthemuptoplacearoundtheliveplants.Other
yardwasteandwoodashcanalsobeaddedtoreturnnutrientstothesoil.
Checkthemulchregularlyandremoveanyweedsthataregrowing.Thesecancompetewiththebananaplant.

4 Keepaneyeoutfordiscolorations,dyingleaves,andpests.Ifdiseasedplantsarediscovered,identifyand
treatthemimmediately,oruprootthem.Insectpestsshouldalsobecontrolledassoonastheyarefound.Nitrogen
andpotassiumdeficienciesarethetwomostcommonnutritionalproblemsforbananas,solearntorecognizethesigns.
Signsofnitrogen(N)deficiency:verysmallorpalegreenleavesreddishpinkleafsheathespoorgrowthrate
smallfruitbunches.[22]
Signsofpotassium(K)deficiency:rapidappearanceoforange/yellowcoloronleavesfollowedbyleafdeath
smallorbrokenleavesdelayedfloweringsmallfruitbunches.[23]
Examplesofmajorplantdiseasesinclude:BacterialWilt/MokoDiseasePanamaDisease/FusariumWilt
BananaBunchyTopBlackhead/RootRot/TopplingDiseaseandBlackLeafStreak.
Examplesofmajorplantpestsinclude:CornWeevilBananaAphidMealyBugs.Fruitpestsinclude:Flower
ThripsRedRustThripsandScarringWeevil.

5 Desuckeryourplants.Onceyourplantismatureandhasseveralsuckers,removeallbutonetoimprovefruit
yieldandplanthealth.
Cutallbutonesuckeroffatgroundlevelandcovertheexposedplantwithsoil.Repeatwithadeepercutifthey
growback.
Thesurvivingsuckeriscalledthefollowerandwillreplacethemotherplantafteritdies.
Exceptionallyhealthyplantscansupporttwofollowers.

6 Supporttheplanttoavoidtopplingoftheplantduetostrongwindorbunchweight.Thereare3easyways
ofdoingit:
Wire/RopeandBottleMethod:Cutoffthebottomofaplasticbottle.Insertaverylongwire/verystrongtwine
throughthemouthandbottomofthebottle.Crunchthebottletomakeitbendableandsoft.Propupthebanana
stemonthebottle,andusethewiretopullthestemslightlymoreupright.Tiethewritetoastrongsupport.
SingleBambooMethod:Usea3m(10')longbamboopoleorotherstrong,durablematerial.CutapieceofY
shapedwood10cm(4")thickand60cm(2')wide.Letthestemrestonthemiddleofthe"Y"andpushthe
bambooupwardsalittlebitsothestemiswedgedintothe"Y"tightly.Burytheotherendofthebamboo(the
base)deeplyintotheground.Tampveryfirmly.
DoubleBambooMethod:Usetwo3m(10')longbamboopoles.Ononeendofthepoles,tiethemtogether
withstrongwire30cm(1')fromtheend.Openupthepolestoformaletter"X".Letthestemrestontheshort

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end,pushupwardsalittlebittocreatepressure,andburytheotherendsofbothpoles.Tampveryfirmly.

7 Provideoverwintercare.Iftemperatureduringwintermonthsfallstoolowforyourplant,thereareseveralways
tocareforit:[24]
Coverthestemwithablanketorsoil.Ifthereisnofrostandtheplantisstillsmall,thismaybeadequate
protectionuntilthetemperatureriseshighenoughforittogrowagain.
Storetheplantinside.Uprootingtheentireplant,removingtheleaves,andstoreinmoistsandinaheated
indoorarea.Donotwaterorfertilizetheplantwillgodormantuntilyou'rereadytoplantitoutsideagain.
Growtheplantinside.Thiswillrequirealargepotwithdrainagehole.Ifyoudon'twanttogrowyourbananatoo
bigforyourpot,youmayneedtoceaseorreducethefertilizertreatments.
Salvagepiecestoplantlater.Iffrostorcoldhaskilledmostofyourplant,chancesarethesuckersandcormat
thebasearestillusable.Cuttheseawayfromthedeadportionandstorethemintheirownsmallpotstoplant
outsidelater.

Part
NurturingandHarvestingFruit
4

1 Waitforthepurpleflowertoemerge.Thetypicalbananaplantflowersin67monthsunderidealconditions,but
maytakeuptoayeardependingontheclimate.[25]
Neverremovetheleavesaroundtheflower,astheyprotectitfromthesun.[26]
DonotconfusethiswiththeBananaBunchyTopVirus.SeeTipsbelow.

2 Waitforthepetalstowithdrawandrevealbananas.Thismaytakeanadditional2monthsorlonger.[27]Each
connectedclusterofbananasiscalleda"hand"andeachindividualbanana,a"finger".Theentirestemcontaining
severalhandsiscalledabunch.

3 Onceallbunchesarerevealed,removetheextraportions.Theremainingflowerbudand/ortinyextrabanana
handarethesterilemaleportionsoftheplant.Thehandshouldwitheroffonitsown,butremovingtheflowerbud
willcausetheplanttoputmoreenergyintogrowingfruit.
Themaleportionofthefloweriscalledthe"bananaheart".Somevarietiesofbananaplantsproduceedible
bananaflowersthatarepopularinSoutheastAsiancuisine,butnotallaresuitableforconsumption.
Useasticktopropuptheplantifthebunchesaredraggingitdown.

4 Coverthebunchwithplasticcovers.Thiswillprotectthefruitfrominsectsandotherdangers,buttheymustbe
openatbothendstoallowadequateairandwaterflow.[28]
Tiethenylonorplasticsackwithsofttwineseveralinchesfromthefirsthand.

5 Harvestbananaswhentheflowersorplantaredying.Thesmallfloweratthetipofeachbananawillbecome
dryandeasilyruboff,orthebananaplantwilllosemostofitsleaves.Thisisagoodtimetoharvestthefruit.
Cutanotchhalfwayintothetree,oppositethesideofthebunch.
Carefullyletthetreebendandcutoffthebunch.
Thefruitwillripenquicklyonceharvested,soyoumaywanttopicksomewellinadvanceofharvestingsoyou
don'tendupwithexcessfruitthatwillgotowaste.

6 Cutthestemofthetreeandpreparethenextsucker.Removethetophalfofthebananastemonceyou
harvestthefruit.Desuckerthebaseusingthesameprocessasyouhavewhilecaringforyourplant.
Remembertoleaveonesuckertoreplacethenowdyingmotherplant.

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CommunityQ&A
Howtalldobananatreesgrow?

Itdependsonthevariety,somecangrow5feetothersto18feet.Ihavebothgrowing.
JaneAndrews
NotHelpful 3 Helpful 22
20+yearsof
caringformy
garden
Whataretheidealclimateconditionsforgrowingbananas?

Bananaplantsarenotseasonalplantsandsocanbegrownatanytime.Ifitisnotaheavysummerandrainyseason,
wikiHow
Contributor
thenthetimewillbeperfectforthegrowingbananatrees.Bananaplantscannotbegrowninsnoworverycold
environmentsandmustbecoveredduringtemperateclimatewinters.
NotHelpful 14 Helpful 26

Whenistherighttimetopickthebananas?

Whentheflowerdriesup,orifyouareregularinyourgarden,youcanwaituntilafewripen.
wikiHow
Contributor NotHelpful 3 Helpful 9

IfIfoundsmallblackseedsonmybananaplantandwanttotrytostartaplantfromthem,shouldIsoaktheseeds
overnightfirst,orcantheybeplantedrightintothesoil?

ThebananasthathavesmallblackseedsareSEAsiaJungleBananas,theyareoftensoldinmarketsasordinary
wikiHow bananasbecausetheylookalike,butcostless.Mybananatreecamefromaseedthrownontothecompostheap,so
Contributor
theyareeasytoreproduce.
NotHelpful 8 Helpful 10

Iaccidentallycutthestemwhileinfullgrowth.WhatshouldIdo?

Yourplantwillprobablydieandyouwillhavetoreplantthesproutsseparatelyorsinglytobeginagain.
wikiHow
Contributor NotHelpful 8 Helpful 10

HowdoIstopmybananaplantsfromrotting?

Makesuretheareaisdrainedwellanddonotoverwaterit.
wikiHow
Contributor NotHelpful 2 Helpful 4

CanIgrowabananatreeifitisrootbound?

Yes,youcanjustremovealltherootbounddeadarea,leavingabouttwoinchesandreplant.
wikiHow
Contributor NotHelpful 7 Helpful 8

ThingsYou'llNeed

Bananaplant(sucker,rhizome/corm,tissueculture,orfullplanttotransplant)

Adequateindoororoutdoorenvironment(seeinstructions)

Rich,dark,fertilesoil

Balancedfertilizerand/ormanure&woodash(largeamounts)

Largeamountsofwater

Shovel

Largeknife

Tips

Ifthenewlyplantedbananaisaccidentallydamaged(e.g.hitbyball)oriftheplantisgrowingweak,buttheplantisstill
alive,simplycuttheplantinhalf.Thebananaplantwillregrow.
Immediatelyafterremovingasuckerfromalivebananaplant,careforthemotherplantbysupportingtheweakenedside
withsoiltopreventleaningandapplyingfertilizertoreplacelostnutrients.

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Whenitcomestodesuckeringdwarfbananas,donotbeconfused.Theveryfirstorthesecondleafoftheemerging
suckershouldbenarrow,notwide.
The"BananaBunchyTopVirus"isoneofthemostdangerousplantdiseases.[29]Onceinfected,evenasinglesucker,all
theplantsthatareconnected(includingthemotherplantandallitssuckers)willbeinfectedandalltheplantsarestunted.
Thevirusisspreadbyabananapestcalled"BananaAphid"(PentaloniaNigronervosa).Thesepestsareslowandlivein
coloniesandtheycantransmitthediseaseinhours.
Takecarewhiletransplanting/desuckeringthemotherplant.Ifthisisdoneincorrectly,themotherorthesuckerwilldie.
Ifyouaren'tplantingyoursuckerimmediately,chopoffthetoptoreduceevaporation.[30]

Warnings

Wearoldclothesbeforecuttinganypartofthebananaplantbecausethesapcausesblackpatchesthatareveryhardto
washout.
Avoidtakingandplantingdiseasedplantsfromdiseasedmotherplants.
InareaswhereBananaBunchyTopexists,donotsharebananasuckerswithfriends.Onlybuyplantsfromretailerswho
canassuretheplantisdiseasefree.ItmaynotbeobviousthataplanthasBananaBunchyTopsoensureyoudon'tshare
plants.

SourcesandCitations

1.http://www.bananatree.com/GrowingBananas.html
2.http://www.bananatree.com/GrowingBananas.html
3.http://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/growingbananas.html

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