We grow a banana at home. How to grow a banana at home: exotic within walking distance

Many people think that growing a banana at home is a rather difficult task. However, practice shows that everything is quite simple.

At proper care behind fruit tree fruits will be tasty and sweet.

Basic information

The banana plant is often called a banana tree, but this is an erroneous opinion, because it does not apply to tree crops. In fact, it is a grass that can grow from 1 to 8 meters, depending on the variety. In addition, homemade bananas are always much smaller than those grown in the wild. The large stem consists of dried leaf petioles. With normal growth, the banana blooms profusely and bears many fruits. After the crop ripens, the plant begins to die. Instead of old and shrunken stems, new offspring begin to grow, which will soon repeat the entire life cycle from the beginning.

Growing a banana at home often does not cause serious problems for gardeners. The plant is able to bear the first fruits after three years of growth. Banana grows green mass quickly enough, and during the normal course of the growing season, one leaf per week will appear on it. The older the plant, the larger its leaves will be. They can reach up to 3 meters in length and up to 1 meter in width. The color may vary from contrasting green to greenish-reddish. With proper care of the plant, it will be able to bloom and bear delicious fruits (it all depends on the variety and type). The flowers are usually yellow and red and clustered at the top of the inflorescence. Banana fruits are called berries. In the first days of ripening, they are green, but over time they turn yellow or red. The ripe fruit is sweet, sometimes with a slight sourness.

What species are suitable for growing at home

There are two types of bananas - ornamental and fruit.

All types can be divided into several categories - decorative bananas and fruit.

Ornamental bananas are grown for interior decoration, their fruits are inedible.

We list the most common varieties:

• Banana Velvety - grows up to 1.3 meters;
• Lavender - up to 1.5 meters;
• Bright red - up to 1 meter;
• Chinese dwarf - up to 1.5 meters.

The most common among fruit varieties are the following:

• Pointed - up to 2 meters;
• Cavendish dwarf - from 1.8 to 2.4 meters;
• Cavendish super dwarf - from 1 to 1.3 meters;
• Kyiv dwarf - from 1.5 to 1.7 meters;
• Kyiv superdwarf - up to 1 meter.

The last two varieties were bred in 1998 by Anatoly Patiy, a breeder from Ukraine. He assures that even at home, with quality care, the presented varieties can produce up to 160 fruits, which will not differ in any way from the store ones.

seeds

Seeds can be used to plant a banana

Those who are not afraid of difficulties in growing can buy seeds for planting a banana. Some varieties are considered indoor, they rarely grow more than 1.5 meters. This is especially important for residents small apartments and houses.

• Before planting, the seeds should be soaked in warm water for several days. It is important that the water temperature during this period is kept within 35°C - 40°C.
• Water needs to be changed, but no more than 2-3 times for the entire period.
• At the end of the term, banana seeds must be cleaned of pulp and mucus.
• Then they need to be disinfected in diluted 10% bleach. Next, the seeds are thoroughly washed in clean cool water.
• Landing in the ground is carried out at a distance of 7 to 10 centimeters from each other. But it will still be better if each of them is planted in different pots. So the risk of damage to the root system during growth will be minimal.

Pot selection

In order for a banana to grow properly and bear fruit, you need to choose the right pot

Banana is not a very whimsical plant, but despite this, in order for it to grow properly and bear fruit, it is necessary to choose the right pot. For small, newly sprouted plants (up to about 20 centimeters), a 3 liter container is quite suitable. A banana that has grown to 1.5 meters must be transplanted into a 20-liter container. But for an adult plant, you need to purchase a large pot with a capacity of more than 50 liters.

Helpful Hint: It is important not to forget that it is necessary to transplant a banana as it grows. If small plant immediately planted in a large container, its root system may begin to rot, which will cause malaise.

Substrate and transplant

The best soil is found under deciduous trees such as walnut, linden, birch and acacia. But poplar, chestnut and oak are bad options.

You need to dig out the outer layer of the earth in 5-10 centimeters. Then, 500 grams of wood ash, 2 kilograms of river sand and 1 kilogram of humus or biohumus should be added to this soil (per bucket). Carefully place it all and pour boiling water or ignite for disinfection.

It is important that there is a drainage layer - depending on the size of the pot, it can have a height of 4 to 10 centimeters. Above it, you need to lay a layer of sea sand, and only then - the soil itself.

It is important to pay attention to small feature- do not place the pot directly on the tray. First, put a few flat stones or a grate in it, and only then set the container. Thus, air will flow to the root system, and the banana will grow better.

Air plays the same important role as water. Therefore, its access must be provided both from below and from above. To do this, a few days after watering, loosen upper layer soil by 1 centimeter. With each transshipment, the banana needs to be deepened into the ground more than the previous time. Therefore, choose deep pots.

Watering and humidity

Banana loves water because its leaves are large enough to evaporate a significant amount of moisture. It is not necessary to water the plant often, but plentifully. This should be done when a few centimeters of the top soil is completely dry. Water temperature for irrigation should be between 25-30°C. It is important to water the banana generously so that the water can seep into the drainage holes. So the plant will be regularly fed.

If in winter period room temperature - about 18 ° C, the number of waterings must be reduced to avoid rotting of the root system. It is important to ensure good humidity (at least 70%) in the room where the plant is standing.

Useful information: In summer, spray banana leaves every day, in winter it will be enough to do this once a week. Dust them regularly.

Temperature

acceptable temperature for normal growth– about 25-30°С. At 15°C the plant will stop growing. Make sure the temperature is always kept at the same level. If in the summer a banana is located in the garden or on the balcony, then with the advent of cold nights it must be brought into the house.

Lighting

Bananas that are grown at home require special care. So, they need bright light during the growing season. IN lunch time when the sun's rays are especially active, it is recommended to move the plant to the shade, away from the "hell". In winter, for normal growth, you need to install a special suspension. If the banana is growing on a windowsill, make sure that the leaves do not touch the glass, as they can burn. It is also unacceptable to leave the plant in a draft. Sudden changes in temperature will not benefit the banana, it is, after all, a tropical crop.

Useful information: It is best to put the plant on the south side. The northern placement will be the most unfortunate, regardless of the season.

top dressing

In order for a plant to bear fruit, it must be fertilized. Top dressing should be poured exclusively into moist soil so as not to damage the root of the plant. In the warm season, feed the banana once a week, and in the cold season, once a month.

The following solutions work well. You can apply them in the same order:

• Humus (any one is suitable, except for chicken and pork) or biohumus;
• You can also use fish soup with humus. It is suitable only for an adult plant (above 1 meter). This fertilizer greatly enhances fruiting.
• Any infusion green grass(weed, quinoa and lupine will do).

Pests and diseases

When growing a banana at home, pests practically do not disturb the plant. The only one who can harm spider mite. It appears at very low humidity.

Useful information: Every day, inspect the leaves of the plant for diseases and harmful insects, especially if it was bought recently and has not yet passed the quarantine period. For prevention, you need to loosen the top layer of soil and sprinkle it with tobacco dust. It is necessary to do this procedure no more than once a month. Some gardeners once every six months water the plant with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Video: How to grow a banana at home?

Growing bananas at home is not at all difficult. It is important to simply follow all the rules for care - and after a while you will be able to taste the fruits of your efforts.

The very idea of ​​growing bananas in your apartment or house seems pretty fantastic. However, everything is possible. It is possible not only to grow real bananas, but also to enjoy delicious fruits that will not differ in any way from those that can be bought in a store. It all depends on the type of plant you choose. Of course, similar exotic plant You can easily sell and earn on it.

First, let's talk about the plant itself. Banana is a herbaceous plant, not a palm tree. The root of such a plant is located deep underground, has a spherical shape. On the surface - leaves that are very tightly adjacent to each other, form a pseudo-stem, from which an inflorescence subsequently appears. After fruiting, the pseudostem dies off, and a new one grows in its place. A banana rhizome in the ground can live up to 40 years, constantly releasing new shoots that continue to bloom and bear fruit.

Bananas are propagated by seeds, rhizome division or amniotic processes. The bananas we buy in the store are seedless and only propagate vegetatively. Bananas, which are propagated by seeds, are usually not eaten. Since there are a lot of seeds inside the fruit, and there is practically no pulp, and it does not taste very good. They are bred mainly for their ornamental appearance.

Some varieties of bananas can reach a height of 12 meters. But there are those that are undersized, they can just be grown at home.

Now let's move on to the varieties of bananas. All varieties of banana can be safely divided into two groups: decorative And fruit.

First about the decorative ones. They are grown for decoration and landscaping. Most fruits of these varieties should not be eaten. Examples: banana lavender, it can reach a height of up to 1.5 meters, a velvety banana - 1.3 - 1.5 m, and a bright red banana, it can grow up to one meter in height.

And now about fruit. Such varieties are grown for their delicious fruits, these are the most banana bananas. Examples: banana Cavendish dwarf, this variety can grow up to 2.5 meters, the banana is pointed, the height of this variety can reach two meters. And new varieties bred in 1998 by the Ukrainian breeder A.V. Patiy, Kyiv dwarf– 1.5 - 1.7 m in height, and Kyiv superdwarf- up to one meter in height. The scientist claims that these varieties can be grown indoors, with proper care, and their harvest will be up to 150 fruits, the taste is the same as in the store.

Instructions "How to grow a banana at home"

And now to the most interesting. How can you grow such a miracle at home as a banana. The most important thing is, of course, the substrate and correct transplant plants. You need to find good soil to prepare the substrate, which can be dug out from under trees such as linden, acacia, birch or walnut. Poplar, oak or chestnut soil is not recommended. Take the top layer 5-10 cm thick.

A bucket of this land goes: wood ash - 500 g, river sand - 2 kg, humus - 1 kg. Mix and disinfect, pour boiling water and ignite.

Do not forget to make drainage, it can be from 3 to 10 cm, see the size of the pot. On the drainage layer, on top, put a layer of river sand, always wet, and only then spread the soil. Don't forget one important nuance, do not put the pot immediately on the pallet, put something like a grate between them, you can take several flat stones, air will get into the resulting space, which means it will get to the roots, which is quite important. Air is very necessary for the roots, both from below and from above, so a couple of days after watering, loosen the topsoil.

Watering. Bananas love moisture very much, but they are rarely watered, but very plentifully. Watering should be done only when the topsoil is completely dry by 1 - 2 cm. The water temperature should be 25 - 30 degrees. When watering, make sure that water seeps through the holes in the pot. In winter, when the temperature is 18 degrees, reduce the amount of watering, otherwise the roots will rot. Air humidity plays a significant role for this plant. In summer, the leaves should be sprayed daily, in winter at least once a week. Remove dust from leaves.

The temperature regime is very important for the ripening of fruits, since growth slows down at a temperature of +15, so it should be +25 - 30 degrees.

Lighting plays an important role in the maturation process. Bananas require bright and plentiful light, so it is best to place the pot closer to the window. In the summer, if the plant is outside, make sure that direct sunlight does not fall on it, it is better to put it in the shade of a tree.

To enjoy delicious bananas, the plant needs to be fed. It is desirable to introduce fertilizer into moist soil so as not to burn the roots. In summer, fertilize once a week, in winter once a month will be enough. The best fertilizer solution is humus, just do not take pork or chicken. An infusion of an herb such as lupine, quinoa, or common weeds is also effective. For adult plants, from a height of one meter, humus with a fish ear is well suited to enhance fruiting.

If we talk about diseases and pests, then there are practically none in the home environment, but due to low humidity, a spider mite can start. Concerning natural environment habitat, the plant is affected mainly various types fungi, as well as black weevils and roundworms.

As you can see, it is quite possible to grow a banana at home, the price of such plants is quite significant. Therefore, gardeners and plant lovers, in addition to their own interest in the new, in the new culture at home, can also make good money.

Let's plant and grow mini-bananas at home, in an apartment. Detailed description agricultural technologies for growing banana palms at home (10+)

Mini bananas - even more exotic

Banana mini- This is one of the varieties of a banana already familiar to us. They differ from the traditional variety only in size - their maximum length does not exceed 12 cm. If before that the largest banana fruits were considered the best, now there is a fashion for miniature berries, this is how bananas are classified.

Usage options

There is a banana from Southeast Asia, where its role is difficult to overestimate. Many peoples consume a banana in amounts that are simply incomprehensible to us: in Ecuador, annual per capita consumption is almost 74 kg, in Samoa 85 kg, for comparison, we have about 7 kg.

Mini bananas, despite their modest size, have a more pronounced sweet taste and rich characteristic aroma.

As you can see, the banana has gained popularity far beyond the borders of its homeland. In Asia, Africa, and many Latin American countries, bananas are used to make snacks, side dishes, soups, and even beer. It is still customary for us to prepare desserts from a banana and consume it in its natural form.

Beneficial features

Banana is a real battery for the body. Thanks to the content of B vitamins and carbohydrates, this fruit is an excellent source of energy. Just a couple of bananas can provide enough energy for an hour and a half of vigorous activity.

The banana contains a large number of food pectins, but the concentration of organic acids is low. This makes banana an ideal fruit for people with gastrointestinal problems, liver diseases.

The most valuable element of a banana is potassium. Banana helps to remove from the body excess water, waste products, lower blood pressure, cholesterol levels. Banana strengthens the immune system, helps to relax, relieve mental stress, helps with insomnia and bad mood, - this is due to the content of the protein tryptophan, which is transformed into serotonin, which makes people feel happier.

Banana has a beneficial effect on the human body and has a high nutritional value and excellent taste. It is desirable to use it not only occasionally as an exotic fruit, but periodically (it is better to make it part of the diet). Of course, it would be more convenient not to buy bananas, but to grow them at home, especially since this is quite possible.

Appearance

The trunk of a palm tree is powerful, with a large cut, from which roots extend, new shoots will appear on the surface. Banana leaves look very exotic: they big size, oval, juicy, have a light green saturated light, on top the leaves are covered with a wax-like coating.

Growing at home

A mini banana is good because it can be successfully grown even in a city apartment. While a standard banana in its natural conditions reaches 10 m, the average height of a mini banana palm is about 1.5 m.

First of all, you need to choose a place for a banana. It should be a well-lit, warm place. The southern directions of the windows are ideal, but on especially hot and sunny days, the plant should be shaded. As for the temperature regime, the summer temperature should be at least 30 ° C, and in winter about 20 ° C.

You need to water the banana abundantly, especially in the hot season (about 2 times a week), but it is important to ensure that the water does not stagnate, as this can lead to decay. Humidity should also be maintained in the atmosphere around the plant: often spray the plant, wipe the leaves with a damp sponge. This is especially necessary during heating season when the air in the apartments is dry from heaters.

Banana at home requires top dressing: add humus 3-4 times a week in summer and once a month in cold weather. You also need to consider that in order for a banana to bear fruit, it needs phosphorus. You can make a decoction of small sea ​​fish, strain it and add little by little when watering.

Special attention should be paid to transplantation. Young seedlings need to be transplanted 2-3 times during the summer. Each time you need to increase the pot by 2 cm as the root system grows. An adult plant should be in a pot with a capacity of about 40 liters. Drainage is needed at the bottom of the pot, and the optimal composition of the soil is: a mixture of soddy soil, humus and sand in proportions of 1:2:1 and add a little ash.

As the plant develops lower leaves will die, they must be cut to a living place.

Banana flowering begins with the release of a sprout, which ends with a bright bud-bud. When the petals fall, densely spaced beige inflorescences will appear. From them, future fruits will be tied up in the future. The mini banana will bloom all year, during which time the clusters will drop lower. After the harvest ground part dies off, but this is not the end at all - new sprouts will come from the root and this can continue for up to 40 years.

You can usually buy a mini banana shoot about 30 cm tall. In this case, the first harvest should be expected in 2-3 years. You can immediately take a more mature plant, so, of course, bananas will appear earlier, but it’s better not to do this, because. a young shoot has a better chance of successfully adapting to the new conditions of your apartment.

Harvest with proper care and creation of favorable conditions can reach 300 delicious and fragrant mini bananas.

Unfortunately, errors occur periodically in articles, they are corrected, articles are supplemented, developed, new ones are being prepared. Subscribe to the news to stay informed.

Cultivation of cranberries. Agrotechnical technologies. Planting, breeding...
Cowberry farming. How to plant and grow a berry. How To Choose A Plot Than Have...

Knitting. Openwork holly, spring openwork. Patterns, drawings...
How to knit the following patterns: Openwork holly, spring openwork. Detailed instructions...

Knitting. Large cells, Face track, Double track, Face tops...
How to knit patterns. Detailed description Large cells, Front track, Double door...

Sweet corn - cultivation. Soil, soil, care. Planting, sowing. BUT...
How to plant and grow sweet corn. How to care for a plant. Agrotechnical...

Who at least once in their life would not like to grow a banana at home? At least in your childhood you probably had such thoughts, admit it.
Now is the time to make your dreams come true. So let's learn how to grow bananas. Is it possible? As it turned out, quite.

The first step is to choose a banana for planting. If you want the plant to bear fruit in the future (and you probably want to), then you need low-growing varieties - Kyiv dwarf, for example. It is best to start growing from a sprout.

There is another option of growing from seeds, but it much more difficult, and finding seeds in the store is not an easy task.

When looking at a banana fruit from a store, you will not find those very seeds in it, and all because commercially grown bananas are located on the shelves of supermarkets and on the shelves of the market.

Gardeners managed to almost completely rid them of seeds through successful selection. Sometimes small brownish formations are visible in the middle of the fruit - unformed seeds, remember this for the future, so that you know if necessary.

Today, it is quite easy to buy a banana sprout, as they are available in many stores. By the way, you can immediately purchase a suitable pot there.

Growing fruit from seeds or seeds

If you managed to get banana seeds, great! To get started you need slightly damage their shell so that the seeds grow faster. This can be done with a weak sandpaper.

Use disposable cups as utensils. One seed per glass. The soil in the cup should be as follows: we place a drainage layer at the bottom, fill the rest with a regular substrate, leaving about 3 cm to the edges of the container, but no more.

An hour before sowing, water the substrate with a saturated solution of potassium permanganate. Then we plant banana seeds, not very deep, approximately in the middle of the cup, do not overdo it.

We cover with glass from above and freeze in anticipation. Will have to wait a long time, the seeds germinate in at least 3 months. during this time, the glass must be periodically raised to ventilate the soil.

Cups should be in a warm, well-lit place. When sprouts already appear, be guided by the rules described below.

On the Internet, they often say “buy” about the soil for a banana, but we will say “go to the forest.” It is in the forest, because the best soil for growing bananas is near the linden, birch, but the land from under the oak should be avoided.

The soil must be fertilized, but there is no need to go to the store for mega-cool approvals with which, according to the promise of noble producers, a banana will grow (grow) in two weeks.

It is ideal to use cow humus as a fertilizer, it can be found in a meadow where cows graze. Add about a liter of sand and half a liter of ash to the soil. soil needed how to loosen, then pour boiling water to remove all kinds of harmful bacteria.

Growing fruit from a piece of banana

When the soil is ready, it's time to transplant the banana sprout. Do not use too large a pot for this, as this is fraught with rotting of the roots of the plant. It must be low, a banana bears fruit in a container with a volume of about 50 liters.

Very important - the pot must have holes for drainage. Many advise before putting the pot on a stand, pour pebbles on it so that there is room for air.

Pour some sand into the bottom of the pot, then fill it with prepared liquid soil. We stick a banana sprout with a clod of earth there and fill it with an additional portion of liquid soil.

Nuances when transplanting a plant

Think it's that simple? It wasn't here. So, we transplant a banana wisely.

• After you have purchased a sprout, give it a couple of days to acclimatize in new conditions, and only after that proceed with transplanting to another container.
• If you see that the plant has become slightly lethargic a day or two after purchase, wait until it begins to grow rapidly again, so repot.
• Keep the banana position after transplant. What does it mean? The side that the plant was directed to the south should remain directed to the south. Make small marks "north", "south" on the new pot so as not to turn the pot in the future. If you turn it wrong, it will not bring much harm, but the growth of a banana stops for a certain period.
• Transplant when it is warm, it is best to do it in late spring or summer, in winter you should not do such things.
• Light, more light! A banana needs maximum lighting, even sunburn of the leaves is not as bad as a lack of lighting.
• plus one more little secret- in order for a banana to start producing canes, it can be a little squeeze in a pot. But this is done after transplantation, that is, a year or two after purchase and transplantation, not in a store pot.

By following these tips, you will get rid of many problems and difficulties when growing a banana.

Watering is one of the most important factors, which affects the growth of the banana. The main thesis to remember is that a banana is not afraid of drought, but excessive watering can be fatal to a plant.

Regular watering is not suitable for him, that is, when they moisturize a little bit and often.

You need to water when the soil is about 2 cm dry on top. When you notice this, pour in much water(all excess will come out through the drainage) and wait for the next "drought".

It is worth considering the small nuance that ordinary running water is not suitable for this, it needs to be defended for several days in order to get rid of chlorine and give it a normal temperature. But spraying banana leaves is very fond of, you can spray at least every day.

When it gets cooler, watering can be canceled quite for a long period. When cold, moisture almost does not evaporate and the banana root can rot.

If you see that the lower leaves of the plant are drying up, this is normal, and does not mean that the root has begun to rot.

There are secrets for the cold season. The fact is that when the temperature drops, the banana stops growing, and you can resume this process simply by heating the soil, that is, by putting the pot on the heating battery. If the batteries are too hot, place foam under the pot.

Is the banana sick?

Growing a banana is not the easiest task even for a good gardener, but everything is greatly simplified if only by the fact that this plant is quite disease resistant.

While many plants infect harmful scale insects, they have no effect on the banana. In fact, the only thing a banana is afraid of is a midge that appears if the soil is waterlogged.

Feel free to buy a sprout and start growing, the process is slightly complicated, but entertaining, so do it with great pleasure.

Perhaps, people who are completely indifferent to ornamental plants and do not seek to decorate their homes with flowers in pots and tubs are a rarity. Indeed, green pets decorate the house and clean the air, and do not require much time for care. As for preferences, they, of course, are different for everyone. Someone is content with the most common and unpretentious home ornamental plants, while someone likes the exotic, and then you can set yourself a more complex and interesting task. For example, how to grow a banana at home? It's not that easy, but it's doable. In tropical countries, the cultivation of bananas is carried out on an industrial scale, but in the northern regions they value their decorative qualities.

Banana: is it grass?

Not so long ago, banana fruits were absolutely exotic for our country. Now, of course, you won’t surprise anyone with them, but what the plant itself is is still not known to everyone. If you have thoughts about how to grow a banana at home, it will not be superfluous to know that this is not a palm tree at all, although it very much resembles it. Banana is a perennial herb. It has a powerful root system, but there is no trunk at all. There is a stem, but it almost does not protrude above the ground. What is usually mistaken for a trunk is actually a tube of banana leaf stalks arranged in a spiral and tightly inserted into each other.

It is difficult to believe in the herbaceous nature of the banana also because this plant in natural conditions is able to reach an average height of 2 to 9 m. Some species grow even higher, making the banana, along with bamboo, the tallest herbs in the world. Do not be afraid of such a height if you doubt whether it is possible to grow a banana at home: its decorative varieties rarely grow above 1.5 m.

Banana as an ornamental plant. banana leaves

Flower growers who are interested in the question of how to grow a banana at home are not attracted to this plant by its fruits, which, by the way, are ornamental varieties are rarely edible. Some species have exceptionally showy leaves, others are valued for original flowers. Cultivated varieties of banana are a hybrid species that does not occur in nature.

Banana leaves are large, oblong, with parallel veins, along which they are easily torn under strong wind or rain, thereby reducing the shock load on the plant. Depending on the variety, they can be completely green or covered with crimson spots. Sometimes the leaves are green color only from above, but inside- red-violet. The plant grows very quickly: in just a week, under optimal conditions, one leaf is able to fully grow.

How banana blossoms

A banana begins to bloom on average in the third year of life. A red, purple, lavender or (rarely) yellow bud appears at the top of the plant and, as it blooms, most often falls down. The inflorescence contains female flowers, from which the fruits develop, bisexual and male. Interestingly, development in the inflorescence is continuous: while the upper flowers are pollinated, the fruits are already ripening below. How to grow a banana at home in order to be able to admire the fascinating process of its flowering, which can last almost a whole year, will be described below.

banana propagation

Although the fruit of a banana is, from the point of view of botany, a multi-seeded berry, in cultivated forms it is most often devoid of seeds. Reproduction of such plants occurs in a vegetative way: having fruited, it dies and is replaced by a new root process. At wild plants in the pulp of the fruit there can be up to 200 pieces of hard seeds of a pointed shape. Their length can be different and range from 3 to 16 mm.

The easiest way, thinking about how to grow a banana at home, is to purchase a ready-made process in a flower shop. They can offer different types ornamental plant: from one that can be kept in a pot on a table, to quite high for a spacious room, winter garden or greenhouses.

How to grow a banana at home from seeds: the preparatory stage

Experienced flower growers may be very interested in such a painstaking task as growing a banana from a seed at home. First you need to soak the seeds for at least a day in warm water, replacing it several times. When the hard shell is slightly softened, it should be lightly scratched with a nail file or sandpaper, or pricked with a large needle, being careful not to damage the core. This process is called mechanical scarification and facilitates the germination of those seeds which, as in the case of the banana, are protected by a very strong shell.

Planting seeds

Next, we grow a banana from a stone at home as follows: you need to plant the prepared seeds in a mixture of sand and peat to a depth not exceeding their size, and find a bright and warm place for the container with heating of about 30º C (possible on a battery), covering it with glass and making sure that the soil in it is constantly slightly moist. It is possible that shoots will appear in such mini-greenhouses in 2-3 weeks, but it is possible that you will have to be patient and wait a little longer, sometimes up to 10 weeks. However, having appeared, the sprouts grow very quickly.

After the seedlings have 2-3 sheets, they can be dived into separate containers. In the first year of life, the banana will have to be replanted several times, each time choosing a larger pot and planting the plant a little deeper than the previous time - this contributes to the formation of additional roots. Be sure to arrange at the bottom of the pot good drainage and use neutral soil for planting.

Plants grown from seed are more viable than vegetatively propagated plants, but tend to almost always produce inedible fruits.

Optimal conditions for a banana

In an effort to collect as much information as possible on how to grow a banana at home, it must be remembered that this plant comes from the tropics of Southeast Asia. Therefore, in order for it to feel good, it is necessary to recreate the conditions of its homeland for it. And this implies a temperature regime within 22-26 ºС, without sharp fluctuations, high humidity and a lot of light. In winter, it is worth organizing additional lighting for the banana, so that daylight hours last at least 14 hours a day. At the same time, it is better to provide diffused light, and lightly shade the plant at noon. Drafts and sudden changes in temperature will destroy the banana.

In summer, the banana is watered abundantly, however, not allowing the water to stagnate in the pan. In winter, if the air temperature is at the level of 18-20 ºС, watering should be reduced and the plant should have a dormant period. The plant loves regular spraying (in summer this procedure can be done daily) and wiping the leaves with a damp sponge.

Due to active growth, the plant is fertilized weekly in summer, but in winter it can be done once a month, preferably using organic fertilizers.

Popular ornamental banana varieties

Now, having the basic information on how to grow a banana at home from seeds (see the photo of the plant in the review), you might think which variety of this tropical handsome man is better to give preference to.

The Golden Lotus is so named because of its large yellow flowers. It grows in the highlands of China. Able to endure low air temperature, flesh to zero.

The lavender banana has showy bright yellow flowers with purple bracts and grows well indoors.

The blood banana, with wine-red spots on the leaves, is attractive even outside the flowering period, the fruit is inedible. The pink velvet banana features bright green leaves and pink flowers, which are replaced by small, fleecy edible fruits of the same shade with many seeds inside.

The scarlet banana owes its name to the bright red-orange bracts. This is not a very tall variety, reaching a maximum of 1 m.

The dwarf banana grows up to 1.5 m, the fruits are sweet and quite large. The Japanese banana is the most cold-hardy species, for this reason it can be cultivated in open field southern regions of Russia. The fruits of this variety are inedible.