How to Grow Banana Plants Indoors and Outdoor - Part 1

If you love bananas, you’ll be ecstatic to learn that you can grow banana plant yourself. While many people in subtropical climates tend to grow banana plant outside in their yard, banana trees can actually thrive in a pot or container inside of your house. If you get the correct materials and plant and care for your tree properly, you can grow your very own banana tree right at home. Within a year of planting, you can have fruit growing on your new banana tree!

There are banana varieties that can withstand temperature drops and grows well in pots or containers, popular especially among the fans of exotic tropical plants.

The first question that may come up in your mind is– Will banana tree in a pot can bear fruits?

And the answer is yes. It is possible, a banana tree bears fruits in pot prolifically. It may take up to 3 to 5 years to fruit if grown from seeds.

I/ Growing Banana Plant in Gardens

Best Banana Varieties for Gardens

Grow-Banana-Trees-In-Pots-2. Image Source: quiet-corner

Cavendish is the variety that you know from the shops. It’s a stout variety that produces large heavy bunches.

Lady Fingers are very tall and slender plants and have sweeter fruit.

Plantains are cooking bananas. They are drier and more starchy. You use them green like you would use potatoes, and they taste similar.

(80% of all bananas grown in the world are plantain varieties! They are an important staple food in many tropical countries.)

There are other varieties, but those are the most popular and most commonly grown. If you have got favorite banana varieties, let’s start to plant it.

1. Location

Bananas love sun and heat so pick a sunny location where they will receive light most of the day. Fruiting bananan plants will stop growing if in a mostly shady location; as well shady locations tend to stay wet longer especially in the winter when it is important to reduce watering as it may lead to root rot.

2. Allow sufficient space.

While banana plants are technically herbs, they are often mistaken for trees for a reason. Some varieties and individuals can reach 7.6 m (25ft.) in height, although you should check the source of your banana plant or local banana growers for a more accurate estimate for your locale and variety.

• Each banana plant requires a hole at least 30cm(1ft.) wide and 30cm (1ft.) deep. Larger holes should be used in areas of high wind (but will require more soil).
• Keep banana plants at least 4.5m(15ft) from trees and shrubs (not other banana plants) with large root systems that may compete with the bananas’ water.
• Multiple banana plants help each other maintain beneficial humidity and temperature levels, as long as they are planted at the correct distance. If you can, plant several plants in a clump with 2–3m(6.5–10ft.) between each one, or a large number of banana plants 3–5m(10–16ft.) from each other.
• Dwarf varieties require less space.

3. Select your planting material.

You can acquire a banana sucker (small shoot from the base of a banana plant) from another grower or plant nursery, or buy one online. A banana rhizome or corm is the base from which suckers grow. Tissue cultures are produced in laboratories to create higher fruit yield. If you’re transplanting a mature plant, prepare a hole appropriate to its size and have an assistant help you.

• The best suckers to use are 1.8-2.1m (6–7ft) in height and have thin, sword-shaped leaves, although smaller suckers should work well if the mother plant is healthy. Big, round leaves are a sign that the sucker is trying to make up for a lack of adequate nutrition from the mother plant.
• If the sucker is still attached to a mother plant, remove it by cutting forcefully downward with a clean shovel. Include a significant portion of the underground base (corm) and its attached roots.
• A rhizome (corm) without notable suckers can be chopped into pieces. Each piece with a bud (proto-sucker) will grow into a banana plant, but this will take longer than using a sucker.

4. Dig a hole for each plant.

Dig a hole for each bananas. Image Source: farmersweekly

Remove any plants or weeds that are growing on the planting site, then dig a circular hole 30cm wide and 30 cm deep (1ft. x 1 ft.) A larger hole will provide greater support for the plant but require more soil.

5. Fill the hole with loose, rich soil.

Well-draining soil for Banana tree. Image Source: tipsabout

Leave several centimeters (a few inches) of space at the top to encourage drainage.

• Do not use potting soil, nor your regular garden soil unless you are sure it is suitable. Soil mixes intended for cacti can produce good results, or ask other growers of the same banana variety.
• The ideal soil acidity for bananas is between pH 5.5 and 7. Acidity pH 7.5 or higher can kill the plant.

6. Place the plant upright in the new soil.

The leaves should be pointing upward and the soil should cover the roots and 1.5–2.5cm (0.5–1 inches) of the base. Tamp the soil down to keep it in place but don’t pack too firmly.

Planting the Banana Plant in pot or container

Growing Banana Trees in Pots Indoors. Image Source: quiet-corner

Banana is a lush green, fast-growing plant that can give any place a tropical look and feel. Many varieties become excellent houseplants that don’t need much care and grow up very quickly.

Dwarf varieties of banana trees can grow anywhere between 2 to 4 meters. Compared to the ordinary banana trees that can reach up to 15 meters high.

II/ Banana Plants Varieties you can Grow in Pots or Indoors

These dwarf varieties of banana tree restrict up to only 1.5 m to 4 m. (4 to 12 feet) tall and are suitable to grow in containers. You can also grow these banana varieties indoors.

• Dwarf Red
• Dwarf Cavendish
• Dwarf Brazilian
• Dwarf Jamaican
• Rajapuri (Musa)
• Williams Hybrid
• Gran Nain
• Dwarf ‘Lady Finger’

If you would like to grow ornamental bananas check out these varieties:

• Ensete ventricosum
• Musa sikkimensis ‘Red Tiger’
• Musa ornata

III/ Requirements for Growing Banana Plant in Pots

Sun

Banana trees grow in tropical and subtropical parts of the world and therefore they love full sun, heat and humidity. If you’re growing banana tree you should keep it in a spot that receives the sun most of the day but preferably sheltered from the wind.

Soil

Growing Banana tree requires well-draining soil, sandy soil that is rich in organic matters and compost. Buy a good quality potting mix for your banana tree. If you are making it at home make sure to mix sand, perlite, and compost or manure.

Banana needs slightly acidic to neutral soil to produce those potassium rich nutritious bananas. The soil pH should be around 6 – 7. If your soil is alkaline mix sulfur to decrease the pH.