Knowledge from Olle Garden Bed: Banana Plants Indoors

These basic techniques will help you successfully grow bananas as indoor plants. It also has some reference value for raised garden beds.

When you think of large and charming indoor plants, banana plants may not be the first. Elephant ears, monsters or snake plants may already have a place in your house and heart, but there is always room for more plants. Banana plants add tropical flavor to any room. They have huge and shiny leaves. But don't expect to hang a bunch of bananas in the living room. When planted inside, banana plants almost never bear fruit. So find a large flowerpot to make room, because bananas will become the next supplement to your indoor plant collection.

The best banana variety for indoor planting

You may be most familiar with the Cavendish variety, which is a type of banana sold in supermarkets across the United States. Its classic yellow fruit is the fruit we use as a staple snack or mix of smoothies. However, not all bananas have yellow skin. Blue Java bananas have turquoise colored peel, while red bananas have dark wine red peel. In the wild, banana trees can easily reach 20-40 feet high. Their red or purple flowers eventually produce the banana bunches we are used to seeing in grocery stores.

When planting banana plants indoors, please pay attention to the space you have. Because they can grow so high, the classic Cavendish is not a good choice. Instead, look for dwarf varieties of banana plants. These will be the best choice for indoor plant growth.

The short Cavendish is 8-10 feet tall.

Aihong grows to six feet tall.

The balcony can grow to 10 feet high.

If you are considering planting banana plants from store bought fruits, please note that these bananas have been bred seedless. Otherwise, bananas are actually inedible because there are large and hard seeds in the fruit. The disadvantage is that all Cavendish bananas are clones or genetic copies of each other. This makes them all vulnerable to diseases that can quickly spread to all. The best way to grow banana plants indoors is to buy bananas from reputable sellers.

How to plant banana plants indoors

Potted plant

Give your banana a flowerpot about twice the size of the plant root system. Make sure your container has a drain hole. Fill the container with fresh potting mixture. Do not cover the green leaf layer of the stem with soil.

light

Banana plants are native to tropical regions near the equator and need a lot of sunlight. "Outside, bananas grow in full sunlight," says Justin Hancock, a horticulturist at Costa Farm. "So indoors, you want to give them as much light as possible, whether it is natural light, artificial light or both. You want your plants to cast strong shadows most of the day. Buying a growth lamp will help keep the banana plants healthy throughout the winter.

"Banana plants perform best in direct sunlight for at least six hours, which means they need to be close to windows facing south or west," Panborn said.

temperature and humidity

The banana plant likes it warm and moist. They can grow in the 9-11 area of the United States. Inside, plants should be kept between 67-90 ° F. They will stop growing at colder temperatures. Banana plants grow fastest at 80-95 ° F. With more water, banana plants can handle higher temperatures, but they don't want to.

Lindsay Pangborn, a gardening expert at Bloomscape, said: "Bananas originate in humid environments. If the air in your home is too dry, your banana plants may show signs of pressure. Protect the plants from the effects of ventilated areas and vents, and use pebble trays or humidifiers placed nearby to increase humidity.

water

Water the banana plants regularly to keep the soil moist, but not wet. If allowed to sit in water, the plant may rot its roots.

fertilizer

Banana houseplants are common feeders. Give you a healthy and frequent dose of fertilizer. The goal is to fertilize your banana plants once a month. Apply the balanced soluble fertilizer evenly in the whole flowerpot to obtain the best effect.

Redelivery

The bigger you want your banana plant to grow, the bigger the pot you should give it. Banana plants grow to the size of their environment. The best time to re pot banana plants is in spring, before the active growing season begins. The banana plant is not a picky plant that needs to be replanted frequently. They don't mind having roots. Based on experience, try to plant banana plants again every three years.

Pests and problems

The most common problem of indoor banana plants is root rot caused by over watering. Make sure you never let your plants sit in water. In rare cases, your banana plant may encounter some leaf diseases, such as powdery mildew. These pop up when the air circulation is too wet. Cut off any affected leaves and let the fan gently blow through the leaves until the problem disappears.

Watch out for spider mites. These tiny, almost transparent pests usually hide under the leaves. The signs are yellowish bumps and cotton webbing with small spots (mites) on it. To get rid of spider mites, use a mixture of 1 part rubbing alcohol and 4 parts water (for example, 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol and 2 cups water). Wipe or spray the leaves of plants with this mixture.

Over time, dust, dirt and debris will settle on the leaves of the banana plant. A quick wipe will help keep plants healthy and looking best. Spread a clean soft cloth on the leaves of the plant about once a month.