Banana Growing Tips Required

Hi Rob. Are you in the UK? My plants died in their first winter despite being in a greenhouse
This thread may help http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...one_85367.html

Even where I live I can't grow bananas outside, it's too cold in the winter. However, in the Botanical Gardens in Jerusalem they have a large banana plant growing in the tropical hothouse.

Bananas

Yes, I'm in the uk and have had them for some years now and they haven't died yet. I just want to make them as healthy and as strong as possible.

Monty has a couple of bananas in his garden... there was an episode about them towards the end of the last season. All I remember is that he brought them inside for winter

yeah he cut them back big time, and dug them up and brought them inside

my bananas didn't survive winter INDOORS !!!! bought it for like a £5er from Lidl, it did well and as soon as winter came, the leaves turned brown, the plant just rotted away

I remember my Dad growing one from seed back in the 1970's, it was in the airing cupboard next to the hot water tank for months. Then when he finally got one to germinate as a house plant, I seem to think it died within a couple of years.

Banana's

We have Musa Basjoo in a raised brick planter outside here in West Sussex. We cut it down in winter and pack the top with layers of straw, and cover over the top with a metal garden table top. Musa Basjoo is fairly hardy.

We also grow Dwarf Cavendish, which is not hardy, in our conservatory (heated when the temp drops below 5c). I have 2 plants in there, neither of which has been cut back.One is grown in a hydroponic solution, and the other in compost a large pot. They have both survived so far, however the one in the compost is suffering a bit. I hope to get these to fruit this year.

I do remember seeing a program about them on the telly, where they grow bananas as soon as the plant has fruited they dig them up because they die anyway.

Good job you don't want the fruit as Musa doesn't produce fruit. It is a hardy type and should survive if you wrap with straw and fleece.

I have 2 dwarf cavendish in large pots which rotted off last winter, grew back, died again this winter and are currently in the kitchen growing back again.

Thanks for all the advice. Anyone advise on best soil?

Regards......Rob

Compost

I just use a general multi purpose compost, but feed them well using a tomato fertiliser. Banana's are gross feeders and require lots of water and regular feeding.

I have included a couple of pics of my indoor grown Dwarf Cavendish below, the smaller one is in a large pot, and the larger one is growing hydroponically

Thanks minimag

Musa Basjoo Growing Tips

Hi Rob,

I've had Musa Basjoo outdoors in my garden in Southern England (Gloucestershire) for about 15 years now. Each October/November I cut them back to around 4 feet high, then build a chicken wire frame around them. I infill with straw then cover the lot with a sheet of clear plastic tied around with string. That stops moisture and frost damaging them. In late Spring (Late April/May) you'll see the centre shoots pushing up against the plastic sheet, so you'll know it's getting near unwrapping time, ready for the new season.

After around 5 or 6 years when the plant trunks reached about 6 to 7 feet high (and the leaves were about 7 to 8 feet long) they started to flower and then produced little tiny bananas around 4 to 5 inches long. The process is wonderful to watch, as you get a succession of oval pointed flower buds that open pairs of leaves in succession. As the flowers die off the bananas appear, just like the "hand" of bananas you see in edible varieties, but tiny by comparison. I rarely fed my Musa Basjoo, but often watered it as they seem to like lots of moisture.

The best bonus is that they produce little new banana plants from the base, called "pups". I leave then to grow until they're about a foot high, around June time,then get a bread knife or similar and cut them off below ground so you get as much root as possible. Pot them up and keep them moist and warm and they should root in around 3 to 4 weeks in a cool greenhouse. You can then start again or pass them on to a friend.