How to grow a banana at home

Although the banana looks like a tree, in fact, it belongs to the herbaceous. Moreover, in terms of size, this grass is the second after bamboo. And it's easy to grow a banana at home. How? Everything is described below in the article.

Description of culture

The banana has strong roots and a short stem. The number of leaves varies from 6 to 20 pcs. The root system is widely developed, the trunk can grow up to 20 m in height and up to 40 cm in diameter. Banana leaves sometimes reach gigantic sizes: more than 2 m in length and about 1 m in width. The color of the leaves depends on the variety of the banana and can be green, spotted, or two-colored. The flowering phase lasts 8-10 months. Subsequently, a peduncle of dark purple color appears. Flowers of banana fruits are already forming around it.

Bananas

How to grow a banana at home

Recently, it has become popular to grow a banana tree in an apartment or a private house.

But do not despair, there are varieties that can be grown at home. First of all, you need to decide what exactly you need an exotic plant for. So, for aesthetic purposes, velvety, lavender and bright red varieties are used. They are easy to care for and they reach a maximum of 1.5 m in height. But if you want to get a harvest, you should take varieties such as the Cavendish dwarf and Kiev superdwarf. You need to be patient, take proper care of them, and after a couple of years you can grow bananas that taste like store-bought ones.

Planting methods

There is practically only one way to grow a banana at home - to purchase a ready-made seedling. In the store, you can immediately choose a variety, but the disadvantage of this method is that such a banana will be very moody and require constant care.

The more difficult way is to purchase plant seeds. In Russia, this can be done by purchasing them in an online store. For this method, you need to purchase a medium-sized pot and a sand-peat mixture, most similar to the soil in which the banana grows in its natural environment.

Breeding by dividing the rhizome is also possible, but it is used only on an industrial scale. Of course, you can try to apply it at home, but the chances of success are very small, since you need a lot of experience in such matters.

Seedling

Care

But just sprouting a banana is not enough. So that he does not die prematurely, he needs special care. Key Features:

Temperature regime

The homeland of bananas is the tropics, therefore, the temperature regime should be observed accordingly. Cold is contraindicated for this resident of warm countries. In summer, the optimal temperature will be 26-30 ° C, in winter - 18-21 ° C.

Spraying and watering

It is difficult to achieve the conditions in an apartment in which a guest from the tropics is used to growing up. It is required to provide humidity up to 65%, which is difficult to do, especially during the heating season.Therefore, it is recommended to spray the banana at least four times a day, in winter you can twice and wipe the leaves with a damp cloth.

For a homemade banana, you need to keep the soil moist all the time. It is recommended to water it 2-3 times a day in the summer, once a week will be enough in the winter. Additionally, you can remind the plant of its homeland with constant tropical showers and water it under the shower.

If you do not follow these requirements, then the leaves begin to turn yellow, it will be very difficult to crumble and revive the tree.

Lighting

Homemade banana loves bright sunlight. Ultraviolet light has a direct impact on its growth and development. Therefore, for proper care, it is better to place the plant on the windows overlooking the sunny side of the house, but in especially strong heat, remove it in the shade. If the tree is constantly in the shade, then it will stop growing, flowering, and it will no longer be possible to expect fruits from it.

Banana lighting

Priming

It is best to choose a medium that is breathable and neutral in acidity. A primer with these properties is available in most flower shops. If there are no such mixtures nearby, then you can do it yourself by mixing peat, sand, turf and leafy soil. Additionally, you can use additives to increase soil looseness.

Fertilizers

During the period of active growth of a banana at home, additional fertilization is needed. For this, organic additives are used in a diluted form. They need to be applied once a week, immediately after watering. After this procedure, the plant should be left in the shade for a day.

One of the interesting features of the banana tree is the absence of such a dormant period, which is typical for some plants. However, conditionally, such a period is considered the winter season. With the onset of cold weather, the tree is given the opportunity to rest: it is kept at a temperature of about 20 ° C, less often it is watered and fertilized.

Banana pruning

At the end of the rest, the flowering phase begins. But don't expect a harvest in the first year. With proper care, the fruits of a banana grown from seedlings will appear in two years, from seeds in four.

If, first of all, you need not fruits, but a beautiful tree, then you can use the pruning method. As a rule, it is not recommended to do this at home, but if initially the banana does not please the eye with lush greenery, then pruning at the root will allow new sprouts to appear.

Reproduction

After the home banana grows and gets stronger, you can start to further multiply it. There are several ways how to do this: by dividing, in which a part with a formed process is cut off from the main rhizome and planted in prepared soil (the cut is sprinkled with coal); propagation by shoots - a method similar to the previous version, but the cut off fragment must have leaves.

There is also a third, more laborious, option - to grow from seeds. It is important to know that it is impossible to germinate store fruit seeds. If there is an opportunity to get the fruit of a wild-growing banana, then for reproduction you need to be patient. The seeds obtained in this way have a thick shell, and you must first help them get out. To do this, they are soaked in warm water and slightly grinded.

Transfer

Given that the banana grows quite quickly, it will have to be transplanted every year. This should be done after the end of the rest period, when the roots are already protruding to the surface of the soil. For each subsequent transplant, a pot is taken 4-6 cm larger than the previous one.The bottom is covered with a drainage layer. If there is a possibility of root damage, then this method can be replaced by a simple renewal of the topsoil.

Growing problems

Problems when growing a banana at home can only arise with improper care. They are manifested in the following:

• the banana stops growing - insufficient lighting and too small a pot;
• leaves begin to dry - dry air, high room temperature;
• black-brown spots on the leaves - excessive humidity of the environment or frequent watering;
• slimy rot on the stem - watering the soil at low temperatures.

Although this guest from the tropics is an exotic home plant, following all the tips and tricks, you can personally observe how easy it is to plant and grow a banana at home.