Banana – Fruit garden

The beautiful and stately banana “tree” grows about one hundred pounds of bananas. Bananas are cut and left in large clusters just as they grew. Cut while still green and unripe, the flesh of the banana is very dense and starchy. As the banana ripens, the flesh becomes somewhat sticky and deliciously sweet. A very popular fruit, a ripe banana offers a satisfying soothing flavor and a wonderful creamy texture. Broad, long, graceful leaves and rapid growth-commonly reaching full size in just a few weeks-make bananas a favorite plant for providing a tropical look to pool and patio areas. The development of bananas following a frost-free winter is a source of both pride and amazement to those unfamiliar with the banana culture. Banana is a tropical herbaceous plant consisting of an underground corm and a trunk (pseudostem) comprised of concentric layers of leaf sheaths. At 10 to 15 months after the emergence of a new plant, its true stem rapidly grows up through the center and emerges as a terminal inflorescence which bears fruit.

Genus: Musa

Common Name: Banana Plant

How to grow and maintain banana plant:

Sun light:
The Dwarf Cavendish is a tropical plant so needs splendid light and will appreciate bright direct sunlight. You can put it by the south-bound window (since they receive the most sunlight). The banana plant will do well in 12 hours of sunlight. That is especially essential if you are growing your banana plant for its fruits.

Watering:
The indoor banana tree is one that needs to be watered more frequently as compared to other house plants. It is essential for you always to keep the top 1 to 2 inches of soil uniformly moist during the warmer seasons (spring & summer), and slightly less wet during the winter. When watering, do so slowly, allowing the water to trickle out of the drainage holes. After watering, remove the saucer/ tray, this will prevent the roots from rotting.

Twice a year, it will be necessary to wash out the build-up of salt and residual minerals in the soil/ potting mix, place the pot under running water for about 4 minutes until the water pours out through the drainage holes.

Humidity:
The moderate room humidity will do just fine for your dwarf banana plant. You can have a humidifier to maintain humidity at a moderate level if the climate is dry. You can also spray the foliage of your indoor banana tree regularly with lukewarm water.

Temperature:
The average room temperature will do just fine for your plant. You should ensure the temperature does not fall below 60 °F or 16 °C or your plant will cease to grow at all. And temperatures close to 32 °F or 0°C might kill it. A temperature of 65 to 75°F/ 18 to 24°C should be ideal for the indoor banana tree.

Soil And Fertilizer:
Plant your banana(Musa) plant in a potting mix composed of vermiculite, perlite, and peat. Also, you should ensure that the pH level of the mix is always between 5.5 and 6.5, which is slightly acidic. It is essential to fertilize your indoor banana tree fortnightly from spring to fall with a half strength general purpose liquid fertilizer.

Propagation:

Banana trees grow from rhizomes (suckers). Rhizomes are produced from the parent plants’ roots. Since you can propagate banana through the division of the rhizomes, you would have to separate it carefully from the parent plant. To cut off the sucker, dig further into the potting mix or soil, so as not to harm the roots. Cautiously take apart the sucker from the parent plant, and then re-pot it. It would take up to a year before the banana tree will start to flower.