Increasingly, lovers of exotic plants grow bananas at home. And this is not surprising, because these tropical trees are attractive. In addition, with proper care, bear fruit. But you can’t call them unpretentious, and it takes a lot of effort to grow a culture. In this article you will learn how to plant a banana at home and look after it in the future.
Is it possible to grow a banana from seeds?
If you plan to grow a tree from purchased bananas, then immediately abandon this venture, because you will not succeed. The fact is that in such fruits there are no seeds and it is impossible to germinate them. And those numerous videos that show the process of growing trees from purchased fruits are nothing more than a fiction. In these videos, the experimenters get black grains from the fruit. But how they are formed in fruits, "flower growers" do not show.
And they will not show, because this process is impossible in principle. And you can sprout seeds only from wild fruits. Of course, if you are often in Thailand, India or other Asian countries, then finding the right fruit is not a problem for you. Miniature bananas with large dark bones grow from there, from which trees can be grown.
If you can’t afford traveling abroad, don’t be upset, because you can plant a banana, like kiwi, from seeds that are sold in flower shops or on the Internet. From such grains, a fruitful culture cannot be obtained. Nevertheless, you can easily grow from them a decorative tree, which will become an interior decoration. How to plant a banana at home will be discussed in the next chapter.
Seed preparation
Before planting a banana, the seeds must be sprouted. If you received a wild fruit from which you can grow a tree, then place the fruit in a plastic bag and keep it there until it is completely dark. When this happens, peel the flesh and cut the banana to the core. Carefully remove the seeds with a sharp object and place them on a napkin.
Be sure to calibrate the seed and take only round and healthy samples. Flat seeds will not sprout, so throw them away mercilessly. Rinse the sorted material, and soak in warm water for 2-3 days. After that, rinse and dry the seeds again.
Before planting a banana at home, be sure to scarify the seeds. To do this, make shallow notches on the shell with a needle, a nail file. Without this, the sprouts will not be able to break through the dense shell of the grains.
Seed soil
An inert substrate, which is sold in a flower shop, is suitable for the plant. If you want to make the soil yourself, then mix peat with sand in a ratio of 1 to 3. But in any case, before planting banana seeds at home, be sure to disinfect the substrate. To do this, hold it in a steam bath for 1-2 hours. After the soil has cooled, mix it with perlite, and fill it with a solution of potassium permanganate.
Rooting process
How to plant a banana:
- Lay a drainage layer on the bottom of the pot with a diameter of 10 cm. For these purposes, use small pebbles, expanded clay.
- Pour the prepared substrate with a 5–6 cm layer.
- Moisten the soil well.
- Press the seed into the soil, but leave the tip of the seed above the surface so that the future plant receives light.
- Close the landing with plastic or glass and place in a warm, well-lit place.
In order for the seeds to sprout, it is important to provide them with a comfortable environment.
Seed Care
We figured out how to plant a banana. But for the successful cultivation of the crop, it is also important to know about the rules of care for planting. Indeed, in order for the seed to sprout, it is important for him to provide comfortable conditions. To do this, maintain the temperature in the greenhouse +27 ... + 33 ° C during the day and around +20 ... + 25 ° C at night. Keep the pot in a bright place, but without direct sunlight.
Ventilate the landing regularly and remove condensation from the film. Do not forget to periodically spray crops with warm water from the spray gun, preventing the substrate from drying out. And at the same time, make sure that the soil is not too wet, as mold may form on it. If this happens, moisten the soil with a potassium permanganate solution.
Do not expect quick results, because the first sprouts will appear only after 2-3 months. But immediately after this, the culture will grow violently, and after 2 weeks it can be transplanted to a permanent place.
Landing
You can plant a banana in a purchased substrate, but not the fact that he will feel comfortable in this environment. Therefore, it is better to dig out the top layer of soil, 5-10 cm thick, under linden, birch, acacia or hazel. Add 2 kg of river sand, 0.5 kg of wood ash, 1 kg of humus to a bucket of this soil. For disinfection, be sure to calcine the resulting substrate in the oven or hold it for a couple.
Step-by-step instructions on how to plant a banana from seeds germinated at home:
- Put a drainage layer 3-10 cm thick at the bottom of the container, depending on the volume of the dishes. Please note that it is not recommended to plant the crop in containers that are too large. Moisture accumulates in such containers and the roots of the tree rot.
- Pour a layer of moistened sand onto the drainage and cover it with a layer of substrate.
- Gently transplant the plant into a pot, being careful not to damage the roots.
- Fill the voids with a substrate and moisten the soil liberally.
A similar planting method is also suitable for purchased finished plants. But before planting a dwarf banana from the store, be sure to keep the pot in partial shade for 2 weeks, so that the culture adapts to changes in humidity and temperature. And only then proceed to the transplant.
Watering
If you want to get a beautiful tree, then, in addition to knowing how to plant a banana, you will also need information about the rules for growing a crop. For this plant, it is important to provide abundant irrigation, because its large leaves evaporate a lot of moisture.
Water the tree when the topsoil dries to a depth of 1–2 cm. For irrigation, use standing water with a temperature of + 25 ... + 30 ° C. Pour so much moisture into the pot so that fluid seeps through the drainage holes. In winter, reduce irrigation to prevent root decay. After each watering, loosen the topsoil to increase air access to the roots.
Humidity
Banana does not tolerate dry air. To maintain optimal humidity, install containers of water near the plant. In summer, spray the foliage out of the spray bottle daily. In winter, host this event once a week. And also do not forget to wipe the leaves from dust with a damp cloth.
Despite the love of moisture, a banana does not tolerate fluid stagnation. Therefore, it is advisable to lay a grate or flat stones between the pot and the pallet. Then excess water will immediately drain. In addition, the roots will receive additional air through the drainage hole.
Temperature
For a banana, it is advisable to maintain a room temperature of + 25 ... + 30 ° C. In winter, it is allowed to drop to +18 ° C. If you want to get fruits, then try to keep the culture as warm as possible, but you can’t install the plant near batteries or radiators. The plant suffers from hot air.
In the summer, take the pot of wood to the balcony or to the garden. From this, the plant will only benefit. But if a cold snap is expected at night, then return the pot to the room.
Lighting
Banana is a photophilous plant. And for normal growth and development, he needs good lighting. Moreover, daylight hours should last at least 13 hours. Therefore, in winter, a photolamp is indispensable.
It is advisable to install a pot of culture near the southern and eastern windows, in extreme cases, place a tree in the western side of the room. If the only available window is located in the north, then it will not work to grow a banana here without additional illumination with photolamps.
If you take out the culture in the summer on the balcony or in the garden, then take care of the shading of the culture, because direct sunlight causes burns on the foliage. To avoid this, hang gauze or tulle over the pot. Or plant in the shade of trees.
Top dressing
Banana, like any fast-growing crop, needs regular fertilizer. Feed in the summer every seven days. In winter, fertilize the soil only once a month. As top dressings, alternately use the following formulations:
- Humus, made on the basis of horse or cow manure. Do not use bird droppings or pig waste for fertilizing.
- Vermicompost.
- Herbal infusion of lupine, quinoa, nettle or weed plants.
- Superphosphate or nitroammophosphate.
Apply any fertilizer only to moistened ground so that the roots do not get burned. It is also useful to water the plant with a kind of “ear” - water obtained after thawing or washing the fish.
Growing problems
Bananas are very resistant to diseases and pests, and problems with them arise only due to improper care. Often, flower growers are faced with the fact that the leaves of the crop darken and dry out along the edges. This phenomenon is caused by root decay caused by excessive moisture. To correct the situation, reduce irrigation.
Another problem that gardeners face is yellowing of banana leaves. So the plant signals a lack of nutrients in the soil. To cope with the problem, feed the tree more often.
Now you know how to plant a banana and take care of the plant. And if you adhere to the rules of cultivation, then the tropical guest will not only take root with you, but even begin to bear fruit.