Growing a Banana Plant

[Caraccioli]

Has anyone (in the US) ever been able to do this indoors? I want to try it. Last time I tried it however, it failed. Do I need a greenhouse or what?

[Silent]

I don't even know how to get a banana seed

[Mary Diamond]

I believe you will need a heat mat, uv light, and high humidity ~ most will require some scarification as well to break the seed coat.

Do you know what variety you have?

I have my red banana in the "growing room" (corner of the laundry, close to the furnace, converted to mini-greenhouse) to get it started for the season. Doing quite nicely with the hot spot light on it ~ doesn't do as well without the intense heat and light.

Chicago Zone 5 ~

[Caraccioli]

I don't even know how to get a banana seed 

It's a wee little elongated football sort of thing in one end of the banana. It's dark brown.

Heat, huh? I should have known you'd know, Mary. These are just regular store bought yellow bananas. I am plant illiterate, but I am cultivating several miscellaneous tropical plants - two are in the pirate room (Caribbean themed!) that you can see on this page with their specially designed plant growth light. (You can also see two little bamboo plants in there as well. I'm still not sure why I was compelled to buy them.)

The other two are sitting forlorn hogging all the sunlight coming in from through the lone outside window of what will one day be the Key West-themed dining room. (They're too big to put on a shelf.) They all seem to be thriving, so maybe I can get a banana plant to grow as well. I'm not looking to have it produce, I just think it would be cool to grow my own banana plant from a seed.

Michigan, probably also zone 5?

[Bilgemunky]

I never grew a banana tree from a seed, but I do have one that I grew for pretty much a sapling. I got it a couple Februaries ago and it took off surprisingly well once I repotted it. That summer it grew tremendously, and then went pretty dormant (but stable) for the winter. I live in Wisconsin, so I tried putting a plant light on it to help it tough out the winter, but this didn't seem to make much difference. This past summer it livened up again, although not as much as the previous year.

It's been a rough winter, though, as our new kitty decided the tree's soil would make a nice litter box. I did my best to reverse the damage (cat urine isn't very friendly to plants), but it looks like I was too late, as the stem (trunk, I guess) has begun to blacken and split. Not a good sign

[Mary Diamond]

I never grew a banana tree from a seed, but I do have one that I grew for pretty much a sapling. I got it a couple Februaries ago and it took off surprisingly well once I repotted it. That summer it grew tremendously, and then went pretty dormant (but stable) for the winter. I live in Wisconsin, so I tried putting a plant light on it to help it tough out the winter, but this didn't seem to make much difference. This past summer it livened up again, although not as much as the previous year.

It's been a rough winter, though, as our new kitty decided the tree's soil would make a nice litter box. I did my best to reverse the damage (cat urine isn't very friendly to plants), but it looks like I was too late, as the stem (trunk, I guess) has begun to blacken and split. Not a good sign

Bilgemunky ~ whack the plant back to about 6" - should come back strong and more dense this summer. A grow-spot bulb will really help get it to a nice size before you move it back outdoors for the summer. A high nitrogen fertilizer will also help produce lots of beautiful new foliage (and will replace nutrients lost/used last year).

My 5 year old red banana (grows easily 6' every year) - I cut it down/even about 10 days ago.

My pre-greenhouse area in the laundry room (tropicals + seedstarting)

Caraccioli ~ I am pretty sure store bought banana seeds are sterile! So they won't germinate. Better to pick up a tropical from the local garden center this season. If you do decide to still try to germinate the seeds, pick up a Planters Pride Heated Greenhouse kit from Menards for seed starting, about $25 - it has a seed-starting trays and lid plus the heat mat, so all you need to pick up is the seed starting mix. Cheaper than ordering them online, pretty consistent 72-75 degree temps, saves you money so you can also pick up the grow-lights.

By then you could have bought 2 banana plants! But growing from seed is rewarding ~

Michigan ranges from Zone 2 (Lake Michigan edge and eastern U.P.), to Zone 5 (very southern edge of Michigan) - the majority of the state is Zone 4.

Good Luck!

[Caraccioli]

Uh...apparently I am all wet here. From an Oz website:

"But the edible farmed banana has no seeds. So how do we get new bananas? They take cuttings from an existing banana plant.

New banana "trees" are "born" in a new location when the shoots of cuttings are planted in the ground, and take root successfully.

The cycle starts with an underground stem (or vigorous root), often metres across, that can have several banana "trees" growing from it. Each of these so-called "trees" started from an underground "bud".

A "bud" will push up a shoot, which breaks through the soil. The shoot is made of leaves, wrapped tightly around each other, so that it looks like a green tree trunk - even though there is no wood present. The oldest leaves are on the outside, with the newest leaves pushing upward through the middle.

When the time is right, the underground stem switches from making leaves, to making an "inflorescence", which makes flowers, and subsequently, fruit. The inflorescence has a broad leaf-like structure that wraps around a hand of flowers, which ultimately turn into a hand of bananas. The final "tree" can be up to 6 metres tall, with bunches of 50-150 individual fruits or "fingers" of bananas, broken up into hands of 10-20 bananas each.

Once that particular underground bud has grown an inflorescence, it cannot reset itself to growing leaves, and ultimately, another "trunk". It has done its dash. So that bud and trunk will die and wither away. But in the next summer, other buds appear on the underground stem, and so the cycle continues.

So bananas are definitely a fruit, even though the fruit is sterile and has no seeds.

And the banana hand does not grow on a tree. It grows on a plant. But it's not a tree, because it's made from leaves, not true woody tissue.

So even though the banana has a phallic shape, it is a sterile and mutant fruit that has not had sex for 10,000 years."

(http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/moments/s1453046.htm)

Boy, there is so much to learn. I guess that's why you weren't aware of them, silent. They don't exist! I wonder what that little thing in the bottom of the banana is...?

[Mary Diamond]

Go to: Why do men still have nipples?

I think it is the same answer ~

[oderlesseye]

Oh Mary!

I planted bannana plants two years ago and then another six months ago.

I thought for sure they was not gonna make it due to a couple of cold snaps

that ruined 25% of Californias avacodo, orange and flower crops. To my suprise the bannana plants are a hearty lot and have come back since, after trimming all the dead leaves off and "topping" the older one. I was delighted,to say the least.

[Caraccioli]

So...extrapolating a bit...this means all banana plants must be decended from one banana plant. (When banana plants congregate or attend conventions and cocktail parties, they must surely refer reverently to this "supreme" banana plant or "the lawgiver" or some such. Maybe it's a minor diety in the banana religion or something. We should ask the bananas in pajamas...anyhow...)

The crux of the issue, the real burning banana question in my mind, is where did the first banana plant come from? Paging Dr. Darwin to the tropical plants greenhouse!

Was the world originally a giant banana plant floating through the recesses of space (and time) that gradually gathered space dust and debris in its luxuriant buds and leaves, the bulk of which said dust and debris, over billions and billions of years, coalesced to form the planet that we now call "Earth?" The mind simply reels.

Now I really want a banana plant cutting. I may go and see someone at the local greenhouse tomorrow. A slice of the master banana plant...

[Patrick Hand]

Mary… You don’t have any nieces or nephews do you?

If you do…..

Watch out…..

<Singing>

“Just what makes that little ol’ Aunt, think she can move a banana tree plant…………”

Ok so it was a rubber tree….. but where do you think rubber bananas come from……

[Mary Diamond]

Mary… You don’t have any nieces or nephews do you?

If you do…..

Watch out…..

<Singing>

“Just what makes that little ol’ Aunt, think she can move a banana tree plant…………”

Ok so it was a rubber tree…..  but where do you think rubber bananas come from……

Patrick, actually, I do ~ one of each! Robert (21 mos. old, my godchild) and I are getting to know each other. He thinks I am a little weird ~ that's ok, I think he's a little weird, too! He is my first up close and personal continuous child relationship, so I don't know how to make him laugh or like me as easily as other people. But I know I interest him ~ every time I am over he watches me (unnnh, on second thought, maybe he's just scared).

MOVING THE BANANA PLANT

This is the same banana that is cut down in the other photo, on our deck July 2003. That pot is 30" high, and weighs about 150 pounds just with dry soil. Every year until last year, I had to enlist the help to move it inside for the winter! Hubby is most happy that I dug it out and put it in plastic to overwinter this year!

Caraccioli - the domestic sweet banana has been selected and propogated to encourage the "seedless" tendencies. Read "The Botany of Desire" when you get a chance ~ I think you will enjoy it! Wild bananas still have seeds. Since you are "getting into" tropicals and starting from seed:

http://www.rarepalmseeds.com/index2.shtml

Oderlesseye - your pirate grotto must look magnificent with the bananas! Mulch or wrap the leaves in layers of burlap to protect them during cold snaps - you will lose less foliage that way. I prefer cutting back to encourage more dense growth, but it is shorter then, which works well in our windy location.

[Jacky Tar]

Robert (21 mos. old, my godchild) and I are getting to know each other. He thinks I am a little weird ~ that's ok, I think he's a little weird, too! He is my first up close and personal continuous child relationship...

Mary luv, please don't plant Robert's feet in dirt and stick him under a heat lamp, kids don't like that!

[Mary Diamond]

Oh, I don't know about that!

Especially if I sell it to him as playing in the dirt under the sun!

[Bilgemunky]

Mary,

As I'm not too plant savvy, could you explain what whacking my banana tree to a stub will do for it? I sincerely believe you speak from experience, but would like a little more info before I take such a seemingly drastic step.

It's clearly having health issues, what with the splitting stem, and some sort of white residue - is this a bad time to whack it, being as it's not in it's peak? Or is this the best time?

Banana Tree info has proven dreadfully sparse around here, so any tips or advice are always appreciated.

-Bilge

[Mary Diamond]

Happy to help, Bilgemunky! If you can tell me what variety you have, I can get you very specific information ~

Generally speaking, bananas are so herbaceuos (produce so much foliage) they can benefit from being trimmed back over the winter in cold, dry climates. They will lose leaves due to a lack of humidity and to reduce the nutrional demand on the plant (unless you have high intensity grow-lights, it is unlikely you are meeting the banana's photosynthetic demands).

The stub you saw was out in our attached garage until 2 weeks ago, when I brought it into the laundry. The leaves were still still tall, but long-necked, and would be prone to breaking in our wind come summer. Cutting it back ensures shorter, denser growth. My banana is a Red Abyssian Banana.

You can also contact your local botanic garden to see if they have any recommendations ~

[Bilgemunky]

It's a Goldfinger. I found it the plant store buried in the corner, and they told me it had been a sapling for years. Once I got it home, it took off

Unfortunately, since then it's had a more exciting life that I would have liked. Once while gone on vacation, a squirrel snuck into my office and tried to climb it, breaking several branches. Then this past summer, our new kitten started using it as a litterbox - this had a profound effect, as the leaves began to discolor dramatically. Per a local plant nursery's advice, I flushed out the soil several times and let it drain. This seemed to do the trick, as the leaves perked up rather splendidly. To deter future cat problems, I eventually worked out a soil topcoat of lavarock and upturned seashells, which the cat didn't care to walk on. Unfortunately, I think this also prevented any real evaporation, as the soil secretly remained incredibly damp. The leaves have started to die, those that remain are slumping again, and the bottom of the stalk is discolored, splitting, and has a white powdery residue.

Some current pix:

A large shot. You can tell it's not too happy these days. The sticks in the soil are my latest (hopefully low impact) cat deterrant.

Some close-ups of the stalk:

Good image of the white residue, although the flash makes it look 10x worse than it is. You can also see that the stalk is beginning to contract in the blackened area.

It's hard to see, but this shows how it is splitting vertically towards the base. Green healthy looking stalk can be seen inside, but the outer layer is getting black and crunchy.

It's proved a healthy, hearty tree, but I worry that it may be on the downslope. Any advice is appreciated. Great idea about the local botanical gardens too. I'll give them a shout tomorrow.

[Boots MacGee]

A large shot. You can tell it's not too happy these days. The sticks in the soil are my latest (hopefully low impact) cat deterrant.

Pungie Sticks Indoor Jungle Warfare......

I have never seen a Banana Plant, I might have to get one this summer.

[oderlesseye]

Yeah Mary the bannana plant added an island feeling.

The plant is now 20' high and has many saplings that have reached near 10' high surrounding the original plant.

Caraccioli... That was certainly a funny post about where bannana plant come from... Maybe the big bannana bang theory applies here...

Bilgemunky..yeah eye think the soil needs a little drying out... That white stuff might well be a mold..

[Hester]

Oh, right ... you pirates have all these special "grow lights" and "heat lamps" and "humidy monitors" and you expect me to believe that all you're growing is bananas?

Hey, dudes, I'm Canadian, eh ... I'm hip to what you're really growing!

Cheers, Hester

[oderlesseye]

Maybe thats why the police hovered their helicopter over my house for 20 minutes!

[Mary Diamond]

It's a Goldfinger. I found it the plant store buried in the corner, and they told me it had been a sapling for years. Once I got it home, it took off 

Unfortunately, since then it's had a more exciting life that I would have liked. Once while gone on vacation, a squirrel snuck into my office and tried to climb it, breaking several branches. Then this past summer, our new kitten started using it as a litterbox - this had a profound effect, as the leaves began to discolor dramatically. Per a local plant nursery's advice, I flushed out the soil several times and let it drain. This seemed to do the trick, as the leaves perked up rather splendidly. To deter future cat problems, I eventually worked out a soil topcoat of lavarock and upturned seashells, which the cat didn't care to walk on. Unfortunately, I think this also prevented any real evaporation, as the soil secretly remained incredibly damp. The leaves have started to die, those that remain are slumping again, and the bottom of the stalk is discolored, splitting, and has a white powdery residue.

***

It's proved a healthy, hearty tree, but I worry that it may be on the downslope. Any advice is appreciated. Great idea about the local botanical gardens too. I'll give them a shout tomorrow.

OK, here goes ~ bananas love water, but hate flooding, and cannot sit in saturated soils. If your soil is not drying out, you may have a fungus attacking your banana, which may be weakened from stress (drowning).

Either way, if it is a Goldfinger, I am pretty sure you would not want it to bloom/fruit. It will require more room, as it is a production banana, not an ornamental, if you plan on keeping it around a while. My experience is limited to ornamental tropicals, so I am going to recommend you contact:

http://www.lightworksnursery.com/bananas.html

A good article on bananas:

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/banana.html

Hope this gets you on the right track!

[oderlesseye]

WoW ! Eye must go and get some fertilizers...

"

It has been calculated that a harvest of 5 tons of fruit from an acre leaves the soil depleted by 22 lbs (10 kg) nitrogen, 4 lbs (1.8 kg) phosphorus, 55 lbs (25 kg) potash and 11 oz (312 kg) calcium. In general, it can be said that banana plants have high nitrogen and phosphorus requirements"

"Bananas prefer an acid soil but if the pH is below 5.0 use lime ."

"Folklore

The banana plant because of its continuous reproduction is regarded by Hindus as a symbol of fertility and prosperity, and the leaves and fruits are deposited on doorsteps of houses where marriages are taking place. A banana plant is often installed in the corner of a rice field as a protective charm. Malay women bathe with a decoction of banana leaves for 15 days after childbirth. Early Hawaiians used a young plant as a truce flag in wars."

[Caraccioli]

Ya' know...I started this post half in jest - I figured it would tire itself out in 5 or 6 posts... (Although I've wanted to grow a banana plant from a seed since I was a kid. Tried it twice, actually.) Yet here there's all this pent up banana plant discussion!

If there's a banana plant called Goldfinger, that's probably the one I should get, even if it is a large production plant. It's just karma. (Goldfinger is presently #5 on my list of top 5 fave movies, see...you can't watch that movie without marveling at how cool it must be to be a secret agent. Contrast this with Roger Moore's portrayal...but I digress.]

Hey, I have a piratical plant light! I designed it myself. http://www.markck.com/images/My%20House/Li...oom%20lamps.htm

(I want to get a plaque with pirate flags and ships or something like that for the front of it, but it's a tad spindly and don't want to overburden the joint at the base. I saw a shop that makes cast bronze plaques from pictures for gravestones and am I considering the possibility. I think that would be neat on several levels.

[Mary Diamond]

Ah, but a TRUE pirate wouldn't have a measly little plaque ~

WE DON' NEED NO STINKIN' PLAQUES!

A TRUE pirate would have a figurehead - now THAT is something to work for!

Get a Barbie, hack her up, hack her up, hack her up, Get a Barbie, and a Plank ~

Add some paint, mount her and there you have it!