We grow a banana at home

Amateur flower growers are always attracted by the opportunity to grow some exotic plant at home that is not typical of the area. Surely every person had a dream to have fragrant citrus fruits or ripe bananas at hand. Today you will learn how to grow a banana at home from the seeds of a purchased fleshy fruit.

Description of the banana plant for home cultivation

If you doubt whether it is possible to grow a banana at home, then we will answer - you can, but be prepared for the fact that this is a rather troublesome business. To grow a banana at home, you need to familiarize yourself with the features of this plant:

• Tropical varieties grow up to 10-12 meters, and the home banana tree is dwarfed, and its height does not exceed 2 meters.
• The foliage is about 1.5 m long and 30 cm wide.
• The bases of the leaves are so tightly adjacent to each other that a pseudostem (plant trunk) is thus formed.
• And the stem itself (rhizome) is hidden underground. It has the shape of a ball, and in parallel performs the functions of the roots of a tree.
• The main inflorescence grows from the middle of the pseudostem, which dries up after the end of the fruiting process.

Important! Remember that a banana is not really a tree. In theory, it is a perennial herb.

• The life span of a banana is about 40 years. New pseudostems grow in place of the dying ones. If growth occurs on an industrial scale, then reproduction takes place by dividing the rhizome, in other words, the basal processes are deposited. When the process is planted from the rhizome, it retains all the varietal characteristics of the plant. But specimens grown from seeds are used for decorative purposes.

Varieties of banana for home

Modern florists with equal success grow both decorative "trees" for the purpose of decorating a room, and plants with tasty, juicy fruits. On average, such specimens grow from 2 to 2.5 meters, and mini bananas only reach 1-1.5 meters.

Fruit varieties popular for growing at home include the following bananas:

• pointed;
• dwarf Cavendish;
• Cavendish super dwarf;
• dwarf Kiev;
• superdwarf Kievsky.

The decorative varieties of exotic plants include:

• lavender;
• velvety;
• Chinese dwarf;
• bright red.

These varieties bloom brightly and beautifully, but the fruits of the banana tree in these varieties are inedible, small.

Germinating seeds from a purchased banana

If you are wondering how to grow a banana from seeds, you first need to buy wild fruits from the store. They are extremely rare, but common fruits are not suitable as they are harvested for export while their seeds are in their embryonic state. Wild fruits are small in size and have dark seeds in the pulp.

If you managed to find the desired fruit, make sure that there is no damage to the skin. To extract seeds from a purchased banana with your own hands, you need to follow these steps:

• The yellow fruit is placed in a plastic bag, after which they wait until the peel is completely darkened.
• After that, the fruit is taken out, the flesh is peeled, and an incision is made along the middle. With a sharp object, remove the seeds from the inside and lay them out one by one on a paper napkin.

Important! You should carefully sort out the seeds, since only grains rounded in shape are suitable for planting, and flat specimens should be selected and discarded.

• After the seeds are separated from the pulp, they are thoroughly washed.
• Pour the resulting seeds with warm water, then leave them alone for 3 days.
• At the end of the three-day period, rinse and dry the seeds.
• After completing the preparation process, an inert substrate will be required. For these purposes, coconut or sphagnum are suitable, which are easily bought in flower shops. Before use, the substrate is sterilized with steam, then wait for cooling, mixed with perlite and poured with a solution of potassium permanganate.

If you do not have the opportunity to purchase coconut or sphagnum, you can use a mixture of peat and coarse sand in a ratio of 1: 3. To do this, cover the bottom of the container with drainage material (gravel, broken brick, polystyrene), on top of which place a layer of substrate 5-6 cm thick. Squeeze the seeds well into the spread mixture, then water the plant.

The shell of banana seeds is very dense, therefore, before immersing them in the soil, its integrity should be mechanically disturbed. This can be done by rubbing the surface with sandpaper, scratching or surface cuts with a nail file. It is important not to overdo it and not damage the kernel.

The process of emergence of the first shoots takes from 2 to 3 months.

Important! Extraction of seeds is a laborious process, so we recommend purchasing ready-made seeds from a gardening store.

Transplanting a germinated plant

Before you grow a banana tree, you need to take care of replanting it from a germinated seed. The scheme of actions is as follows:

• Take the topmost soil layer (5-7 cm) from under the hazel, linden, birch or acacia.
• Add sand, humus and ash to the collected substance in proportions of 10: 2: 1: 0.5. Mix the resulting composition and send it to the oven for calcination for 5-10 minutes.

• Cover the bottom with drainage material, and pour moistened sand on top of it. Already after the sand, place the prepared warm soil, calcined in the oven.

Interesting! To prevent the pot from adjoining the pallet, place a grate or a few pebbles between them. Thus, air can penetrate to the roots without obstruction.

• The sprouted seed is deepened into the soil to a depth of about 2 cm, lightly sprinkled and watered.
• The indoor plant must grow, and the roots will eventually "take over" the entire area of ​​the pot. In this case, the banana must be transplanted into a larger container.

Rules for caring for indoor banana tree

Taking care of an exotic plant is quite simple:

• Loosen the soil regularly.
• Water abundantly, but infrequently. Drying of the top layer of soil in a pot 1-2 cm deep will serve as an indicator.
• Spraying in summer is done daily, and in winter it should be done once a week.
• It is necessary to strictly monitor compliance with the temperature regime so that the tree does not dry out. The optimum temperature for growth is + 25 + 30. Less is possible, but already at +15, the development and growth of the plant slows down significantly.

• With proper care, the banana grows and develops at an accelerated pace, and after the appearance of 11-15 leaves, the tree blooms.
• Indoor tree lighting is essential. Place the pot on the south and east side of the dwelling, and provide additional lighting during the winter season.
• Top dressing should be applied systematically. It takes place once a week in the summer with the help of humus and wood ash. Take 200 grams of humus, dilute it in a liter of water and leave it for a day to infuse the solution. Introduce into the soil while watering.

• Water the tree with a weak solution of potassium permanganate once every six months.
• It is better to exclude inorganic fertilizers.
• Under natural conditions, the tree can be affected by root nematodes: black weevil, roundworms, fungus. At home, pests practically do not bother the tree, sometimes a spider mite appears as a problem, which appears when the humidity is low.

You can skip the seed preparation and sprout rooting period, and just buy a banana tree at a florist's shop, but growing exotic with your own hands is exciting, and the result is much more appreciated. After the applied diligence, you can enjoy the result and surprise guests with an exotic plant that can become the main decoration of your home.

Video: How to sprout a banana from seeds

The opportunity to have an exotic plant in your home always attracts amateurs. The article will discuss how to grow a banana at home (indoor) conditions from the seeds of a purchased fruit. Videos and photos will help you better understand everything.

Banana plant. Varieties for growing in the room

General view and biological characteristics of the plant:

• The height of a banana tree in the tropics reaches 10-12 m.To grow at home, there are dwarf varieties that grow no more than 2 m.
• The length of the leaves is 1.5-2 m, the width is 30-50 cm.
• Their bases are very close to each other, thus forming a plant trunk (pseudostem).
• The stem itself (rhizome) is underground. It has a spherical shape and in parallel performs the functions of a rhizome.
• The inflorescence emerges from the middle of the pseudostem, which dies off after fruiting.

Attention! The banana tree is not a tree at all. It is a herbaceous perennial plant.

The life span of the rhizome of each banana tree is about 40 years. New ones grow in places of drying pseudostems. On an industrial scale, bananas are propagated by dividing the rhizome, that is, the basal processes are planted. This way all varietal qualities are fully preserved. Plants grown from seeds are used for decorative purposes. Their fruits, most often, are unsuitable for human consumption.

Banana tree

At home, amateurs grow both varieties of bananas with very tasty fruits, and trees that decorate the interior. The average height of such plants is 2-2.5 m, and some dwarf varieties are 1-1.5 m. The first ones include:

• Pointed banana;
• dwarf Cavendish banana;
• banana Cavendish super dwarf;
• Kiev dwarf;
• Kiev super dwarf.

Attention! You can get banana fruits in a room only with proper care.

Decorative varieties:

• Velvety banana;
• Lavender banana;
• Chinese dwarf;
• Bright red banana.

These varieties bloom very beautifully and can produce small, inedible fruits.

How to get seeds from a purchased banana and germinate them

To independently obtain seeds from a purchased banana, you will need to follow these steps:

• A banana with a yellow peel is placed in a plastic bag until it darkens completely.
• Peel the flesh and cut it lengthwise to the level of the pith.
  With a sharp object, remove the seeds from the pulp and lay them out one by one on a paper napkin.

Attention! Only round seeds are suitable for planting. Flat specimens should be selected and discarded.

• To separate from the pulp, the seeds are washed well.
• The resulting material is poured with warm water and so left for 2-3 days.
• Rinse well again and dry.

Take seeds from dark-skinned fruits

Then the seeds are germinated, which requires an inert substrate. Sphagnum or coconut, which can be purchased at specialty stores, will do. The substrate must be steam sterilized. After cooling, it is mixed with perlite and poured with a solution of potassium permanganate.

If it is impossible to purchase a substrate from plant fibers, you can use a mixture of coarse sand and peat (3: 1). Germinate banana seeds in this way:

• The bottom of the container is covered with drainage material. A layer of substrate 5-6 cm thick is placed on top.
• The seeds are pressed into the substrate and watered well.

Attention! The shell of banana seeds is very dense, therefore, its integrity should be broken before germination. This can be done by rubbing between sheets of sandpaper, scratching the shell with a needle, or shallow cuts with a nail file. The main thing is not to overdo it and not damage the kernel.

• To preserve moisture, a polyethylene greenhouse is arranged.
• During the day, the temperature is maintained within +27 .. + 33 ° C, and at night +20 .. + 25 ° C.

Seeds germinate for a long time - from 2 to 3 months. To eliminate mold that may appear during this time, it is enough to treat the substrate with potassium permanganate.

Planting a banana

How to plant and care for a sprouted plant

To grow a banana plant, take the top layer (5-7 cm) of soil from under hazel, birch, linden and acacia. Sand, humus and ash are added to the soil collected in this way in a ratio of 10: 2: 1: 0.5, respectively. The whole composition is mixed and calcined in the oven. The bottom of the pot is lined with drainage material. Moistened sand is poured over it, and only then prepared soil.

Advice. To prevent the pot from adjoining closely to the pallet, you can put several small stones or a grate between them. This technique will allow air to penetrate unhindered to the roots.

The germinated seed is buried in the soil no more than 2 cm, sprinkled and watered well. After the banana grows up and the roots "take over" the entire space of the pot, it is transferred into a larger container.

Caring for a banana in a room consists of performing the following work:

Water the banana as the soil dries

1. Regular loosening of the soil.
2. Watering. It should be done infrequently, but abundantly. The indicator is the drying of the upper (1-2 cm) layer of soil in the pot.
3. Spraying. In winter, this is done once a week, and in summer, every day.
4. Maintaining the temperature regime. The acceptable temperature for a banana is +25 .. + 30 ° C. At + 15 ° C, plant growth and development are greatly slowed down.
5. Lighting. Banana is only suitable for the south and east sides in dwellings. In winter, you need to provide additional lighting.
6. Feeding. Fertilizer should be applied regularly. Vermicompost, herbal infusion will do.

Growing a banana from seeds is troublesome. But after all the efforts, you can enjoy yourself and surprise your friends with a beautiful exotic plant, which may become the main decoration of your home.

Growing a banana at home: video

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How to grow at home?

Features of care after purchase

After acquiring a sprouted houseplant, they keep it at rest for several days exactly in the place where the banana is to grow. Then the plant follows transplant into a pot appropriate for its size.

IMPORTANT! When buying a plant, find out if the variety you choose brings edible fruit... Unfortunately, not all home and garden bananas can be eaten.

Pruning

Home and garden banana does not need in pruning. It is cut off only in case of plant rejuvenation or to cut off the damaged ground part.

Bloom

A well-developed banana that has released up to 18 large sheets, blooms. Rosettes appear, in which red-violet flower buds bloom. They last from 3 months to 1 year, over time, they begin to lean to the ground.

How a banana blooms - photo:

Lighting

A tropical plant needs good diffused lighting - then it will thrive and bear fruit. Therefore, it is better to place a homemade banana in the south, eastern or southeast windowsill. Or next to the appropriate windows if the plant has already grown to a large size.

If this is not possible, and the only available option is north window, it is necessary to resort to an additional lighting.

However, even a light-loving plant like a banana needs protect from direct sunlight so that they do not burn its leaves.

Therefore, a home and garden (as well as a balcony) banana is needed shade from direct rays of the sun using gauze.

Temperature

Indoor heat-loving southerner grows poorly if the temperature becomes below 16 degrees Celsius.

Therefore, in the summer it must be surrounded by warmth. at 24-26 degrees... It is also important to protect the banana from drafts.

Air humidity

Another factor necessary for successful cultivation is high humidity... In summer, indoor banana should be sprayed at least once a day.

It will also be relevant to place a container with wet expanded clay next to it. In winter, the issue of humidity becomes less important: spraying can be done only once every 7 days.

For a garden banana, you can shower with a hose once a week.

Watering

Banana needs plenty of water, but the main rule of watering remains unchanged: moisture should not stagnate in the soil. Therefore, it is necessary to water the plant when the 2-centimeter top soil layer dries out (this can be easily checked by touch).

In winter, even more rare watering is required. Tap water is quite suitable for irrigation, but it must be allowed to settle for at least a day and the temperature should be close to room temperature (or even slightly exceed it by a couple of degrees).

IMPORTANT! For a better flow of water and air to the roots, the soil must be periodically carefully loosened. In the case of a room representative, a blunt stick can be used for this purpose.

The soil

Banana prefers neutral or slightly acidic soil. For a home copy, it is prepared from the following components:

• 1 bucket of linden, walnut or acacia soil
• 0.5 liters of ash;
• 1 liter of humus;
• 2 liters of coarse sand.

The resulting mixture must be spilled with boiling water to get rid of possible pests.

Concerning garden banana, then, in the case of unsuitable soil on the site, a couple of buckets of rotted manure, a handful of complex fertilizer and half a bucket of sand should be added to the planting pit.

Fertilizers

Banana boasts good growth and a corresponding good appetite. He needs top dressing once a week in the summer and once a month in the winter.

How to feed him at home? For this purpose, alternate:

1. Humus (only cow): dilute 200 g of manure with 1 liter of boiling water and leave for 24 hours.
2. Ash: 1 tablespoon diluted with 1 liter of water.
3. Green manures: Pour 1 tablespoon of chopped herbs with 1 liter of boiling water and leave for 24 hours.

IMPORTANT! Chemical fertilizers are contraindicated for a banana - they can damage its root system.

Fertilizers for bananas are applied immediately after watering.

Plant growth

Banana grows extremely fast... The plant releases a new leaf every two weeks. In less than a year, it can overcome the height two meters (if provided for by this species and variety). Therefore, in the early stages of plant care, you may need more frequent transplant.

Winter care

Before the onset of a cold snap, you need to warm the banana for the winter: sprinkle the roots of the garden banana dry sawdust, and cover the ground part with a cardboard box, wrap it with foil from the outside and secure the shelter well so that it not blown away by the wind.

The main thing that roots are not frozen: everything else concerning the ground part of the plant is fixable and recoverable.

If the winter is warm, it can continue its growth - in this case, young tender shoots should also be sheltered from the cold.

Homemade banana in winter does not need under no special conditions.The only difference from summer care is significantly reduced watering. Protect the plant from the cold.

Transfer

For low specimens homemade banana (10 to 20 cm), a pot with a capacity of 1 or 2 liters, respectively, is suitable. Large plants with a height of 60-70 cm are planted in a container with a volume of 10-15 liters.

These recommendations are better do not neglect, since too large a pot for a small plant is an excess of excess soil and water stagnant in them, which will lead to acidification of the earth and, as a result, root rot.

At the bottom of any pot, a 7-cm drainage layer is laid out of expanded clay or fragments of red brick, which must be sprinkled with sand. Put the pot on on a standso that through the drainage holes to the root system comes more air.

IMPORTANT! The banana is transferred into a new container without destroying the old soil lump. They are planted a couple of centimeters deeper than in an old pot.

If optimal conditions are created for the banana, it will grow very, quickly and will have to be transplanted every year. As a rule, the transplant is carried out in the spring, if there is no urgent reason to do it earlier.

Planting and growing from seeds

At home, only a wild type of banana with inedible fruits is subject to germination from seeds. It bears little resemblance to the fruit we are accustomed to and is generously filled with seeds, from which a houseplant is grown, which has only a decorative function.

Seeds - photo:

For better germination, the hard seed coat can be slightly to harm using a nail file. Banana seeds are kept in warm water for a couple of days to germinate, and only after that they are sown in the soil. Its composition may include 4 parts river sandmixed with 1 part peat... A good one is also needed drainage layer.

Seeds are sown on the surface of the ground, slightly pressing them, but not sprinkling on top. Then the container must be covered with glass or transparent film. You need to keep a container with seeds in a well-lit place, but they must be protected from direct sun.

Periodically "Greenhouse" should be ventilated, as the soil dries up - moisten the soil from a spray bottle. Do not overdo it: moisture should not stagnate. If traces of decay appear, the damaged area of ​​the soil is removed, and the surface of the remaining one is treated with a manganese solution. Seedlings should be expected after 3 or 4 months.

If you are wondering where the banana seeds are, then take a look at the following photo:

You can find out how to grow a indoor banana from seeds by watching an interesting video:

Maturation

The banana bunch begins to ripen from above. Do not be surprised that the taste of your bananas will differ from the store ones: your fruits will ripen on the plant, and for the shops the bananas are plucked unripe and they “reach” after transportation - in the gas chambers.

How are bananas processed for ripening? A mixture of nitrogen and ethylene.

At home a peculiar "Gassing" bananas that, for some reason, did not have time to ripen on a garden or indoor plant. These bananas are placed in a plastic bag together. with ripe apples... It is these fruits that will launch the fruit ripening process. Success of this procedure not guaranteedbut quite real.

Diseases

Bananas rarely get sick and are prone to insect infestations.

Due to the dryness of the air, a spider mite may appear on the leaves, for the same reason, the leaf plates may dry out at the edges. But all this is easily fixable.

Dry areas are carefully cut off, the yellowing leaf is cut off completely.

Reproduction

They reproduce by basal offspring (they are also called "babies"). They are separated in the spring, when they grow 10-15 centimeters in height, and they have rather strong roots.

Cut off offspring with a piece of rhizome, sprinkle the cut with ash, and "Baby" immediately planted in the ground.Its composition is the same as for adult plants. Pot with a young plant put in a bright and warm place and take care of him like an adult specimen.

Benefit

The fruits are rich:

• potassium;
• fiber;
• serotonin and tryptophan;
• vitamins and other useful substances.

Bananas are also useful in that they provide the body with a charge of energy, promote effective mental and physical work. They are especially relevant for diabetes, atherosclerosis, kidney disease, liver, hypertension.

Conclusion

Create a tropical exotic corner in your home or garden not difficult: it is enough to purchase a banana plant. The cultivated look will also delight you not only with an impressive appearance, but also with edible and tasty fruits.

Watch a video of how bananas are grown in a greenhouse:

A bit of history

Scientists all over the world seriously believe that the banana belongs to the plants that interested the first people in distant prehistoric times. The banana culture is about 10,000 years old, however, this age is inaccurate. It is known that the banana came to Southeast Asia as a valuable food plant; it began to be cultivated long before the cultivation of sugar cane and rice crops. The folk epic of the Hindus tells about the first birth of a banana on the island of Ceylon (Sri Lanka).

About how and where the cultivation of bananas took place, we are told by multiple written sources. For example, the first mentions of the wonderful "Indian fruits" can be found in the manuscripts of the ancient Greeks, Arabs and Romans. Banana drawings have been found on frescoes in ancient Assyria and Egypt.

Around the 16th century, the banana tree took root in Africa and became an important food for such an arid region.

Over the next hundreds of years, the banana settled in the Canary Islands and South America (before the expeditions of Christopher Columbus).

In Europe (the beginning of the 20th century), the banana won the hearts of the townspeople for its unusual appearance, thanks to which it became one of the important exhibits in any Victorian greenhouse and home winter gardens.

Description, cultivation and care at home

The banana is often incorrectly referred to as a banana tree, however this plant does not have all the traits of woody crops. Basically, a banana is a herb that can grow, depending on the species, from 1.5 m (home banana) to 7.5 m (in the wild). The massive stem consists of dried leaf stalks. Abundant, colorful bloom. Fruiting is rich. After the plant gives a crop, its natural death occurs. Instead of a dying old banana, young offspring appear around the base in the ground, capable of repeating the entire life cycle again.

Growing at home usually does not cause serious problems for lovers of plant exotics. The purchased young plant is capable of blooming in the third year of growth. Banana grows green mass rather quickly; under favorable conditions during the growing season, it has at least one leaf per week.

Depending on age, banana leaves can be up to 2.5 m in length and up to 60 cm in width. By their color, they maneuver from rich green, sometimes with burgundy inclusions, to green at the top and reddish at the bottom of the leaf.

With the right content, a banana can bloom and produce quite edible fruits (depending on the species). Flowers are usually yellow and red, grouped in compact apical inflorescences. The banana fruit is usually called a berry. The color of the fruit at the beginning of its ripening is green, gradually changing to yellow or red. The taste is pronounced, usually sweet, less often with sourness, somewhat reminiscent of an apple.

Seed banana

Growing a banana at home is an unusually painstaking exercise, but no less interesting. Many will be surprised that a banana has seeds. Remember at least purchased bunches of bananas: no matter how much we eat them, unfortunately, we cannot find seeds in them.Those who like to plant something from the seed of a freshly eaten fruit have probably seen in the fruit of a banana the rudiments of seeds that are not capable of germinating when planting. What is sold in our supermarkets and markets was produced commercially.

Wild species are characterized by an abundant presence of seeds - sometimes it happens that it is difficult to see the pulp, but no one would buy such fruits. That is why the banana is gradually artificially modified, getting more sweet pulp and a minimum of seeds. The inability of mature individuals to produce seeds is completely covered by vegetative propagation of well-proven crops.

For those who are not looking for easy ways and want to grow a banana on their own, you can advise using purchased seeds. Often on sale you can see the seeds of an indoor banana, which rarely grows above one and a half meters, which is especially important for residents of small houses.

Basic guidelines for planting banana seeds:

• before planting, it is recommended to soak banana seeds in warm water for a couple of days. It is desirable that the temperature is maintained within the range of + 35 ° C - + 40 ° C;

• water can be changed, but no more than 2-3 times the entire period;

• after the expiration of the term, the seeds must be cleaned of the remnants of pulp, mucus;

• then the seeds are disinfected in diluted 10% bleach. After processing, the seeds are thoroughly washed in clean running water;

• planting into the ground is carried out at a distance of 8-10 cm from each other. However, it will be better if the seeds are planted in separate pots, then the risk of root damage will be minimal during transplantation.

A home-made banana may be less than the size of the plants displayed in flower shops and will not bloom soon. But grown in the microclimate of your home, it will be less likely to get sick and, most likely, will give the richest harvest.

Lighting

Homemade bananas need bright sunlight during the growing season. During the midday sun, many flower growers recommend shading a banana from strong heat. In winter, to ensure the normal growth of the banana, it is necessary to install additional lighting.

In the case of growing on a windowsill, you need to ensure that the leaves do not touch the glass (they can burn) and there is no draft. Sharp temperature changes do not affect the plant in the most favorable way, since it is still a tropical culture, the sometimes harsh weather of other countries is alien to it.

Preferably it is the southern window and further in descending order. The northern location is the most unfortunate, regardless of the time of year, the plant will require daily additional lighting.

Watering

Banana is not one of those plants that will forgive you overflowing or drought of an earthy coma. Watering the banana is necessary only after the topsoil dries out. Water the plant abundantly, until the first drops in the pan. By the way, it is advisable to immediately pour out excess water from the pan, since excessive waterlogging will lead to acidification of the earth and rot of the root system.

Overdrying the soil will lead to the death of the roots, and even if watering is resumed again, the surviving roots will not be able to fully provide nutrition to the vegetative part and it is quite possible that some of the foliage will die off naturally.

In summer, a banana is watered with abundantly settled water closer to room temperature. When the temperature drops to + 16 ° C, watering is significantly reduced. In the summer months, the banana loves to be sprayed daily with a spray bottle.

This should be done in the morning or evening, to prevent the sun's rays from getting on wet leaves. In winter, spraying is either stopped altogether or carried out no more than 1 time per week.

Pot selection

Despite the fact that the banana plant is unpretentious, an important part of its successful maintenance is the right choice of the pot. For young plants no more than 20 cm in height, a 2-3 liter pot is enough.

A plant that has exceeded the half-meter line can be safely transplanted into a container with a volume of up to 20 liters. The maximum pot size is 50 liters. However, it is important to remember that you should not immediately transplant the plant into a pot that is too large, as the roots may rot, which will make the plant unwell. There is no time for flowering.

Soil selection

Banana potting soil is easy to buy at any gardening store, but you can make your own potting potting mix. To do this, we need an ordinary universal soil based on vermicompost (1 l), to which it is recommended to add river sand (2 l) and wood ash (0.5 l).

It is advisable to lay out the bottom of the pot with a layer of expanded clay for good soil drainage. The seedling is always planted a little deeper than it grew before. Thus, many adventitious roots are formed on its trunk, accelerating its growth and development. It is recommended not to clog the drainage holes, with their help oxygen will flow into the pot directly to the roots of the plant.

Top dressing

Indoor banana is fed during the growing season 1 time per week, during the dormant period no more than 1 time per month. Fertilizers based on vermicompost are perfect for feeding. Fertilize should only be done with liquid fertilizers during watering; by other methods of feeding, you can accidentally burn young developing roots.

Possible difficulties

Banana is practically pest free. Examine the leaves of the plant daily for pests or diseases, especially if you have a recently purchased specimen that has not yet passed quarantine. As a preventive measure, you can loosen the top layer of the soil and sprinkle it with tobacco dust at least once a month. Also, some gardeners water the soil every six months with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. And avoid drafts!

Growing a banana at home is fairly easy compared to whimsical plants like azalea or orchid. The main thing is to monitor the degree and frequency of watering. A banana can be called ripe when 13–17 well-developed leaves are formed on it. Usually during this period, a huge bud is shown at the top of the plant in color closer to a red-purple hue. The flowering itself is often delayed for a year, during which the bud drops down and continues to form small rudiments of fruits, while other fruits are fully ripe.

To replace the already bored floral exoticism, the banana is increasingly becoming the subject of desire of many seasoned flower growers. Newbies who love this plant should also not be afraid to have a banana at home, since it is quite unpretentious and easily interferes with the size of the rooms. Try and experiment! Good luck!

How to grow bananas at home? Video.