Although the banana looks and looks like a tree, in fact it belongs to the grassy. Moreover, the size of this grass is the second after bamboo. And to grow a banana is easy at home. How? Everything is described below in the article.
Culture Description
The banana is characterized by powerful 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 banana and can be green, spotty or two-tone. The flowering phase lasts 8-10 months. Subsequently, the peduncle appears dark purple. Around it are already formed flowers of banana fruits.
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.
For your information! Attempts to grow fruit from the seeds of a purchased banana are doomed to failure. What stores sell are hybrids obtained artificially, and they do not have the ability to reproduce.
But do not despair, there are varieties that can be grown at home. First of all, you need to decide what exactly needs an exotic plant. So, for aesthetic purposes, varieties of velvety, lavender and bright red are used. They are easy to care for and in height they reach a maximum of 1.5 m. But, if you want to get a crop, you should take varieties such as dwarf Cavendish and Kiev super dwarf. You need to be patient, properly look after them, and after a couple of years you can grow bananas that taste like store ones.
Landing methods
You can grow a banana at home in almost only one way - to buy 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 harder way is to acquire plant seeds. In Russia, this can be done by purchasing them in an online store. For this method, it is necessary to purchase a medium-sized pot and a sand-peat mixture, most similar to the soil in which a banana grows in its natural environment.
It is also possible breeding by rhizome division, 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 few, since you need a lot of experience in such matters.
Seedlings
Care
But it’s not enough just to sprout a banana. So that he does not die ahead of time, he needs special care. Key Features:
Temperature mode
The homeland of bananas is the tropics, so the temperature should be observed accordingly. Cold is contraindicated for this resident of warm countries. In summer, the optimum temperature will be 26-30 ° C, in winter - 18-21 ° C.
Note! There are varieties that can survive the winter period, even when grown in open ground. It is enough to trim the plant so that about 10 cm remains on the surface, and fill it with sawdust. But this is only suitable for regions with a warm climate.
Spraying and watering
In the apartment it is difficult to achieve the conditions in which the guest is accustomed to grow from the tropics. It is required to provide humidity up to 65%, which is difficult to do, especially during the heating period. Therefore, it is recommended to spray the banana at least four times a day, in winter you can two times and wipe the leaves with a damp cloth.
Important! If possible, then you can put a humidifier nearby.
For a home banana, you need to keep the soil moist all the time. It is recommended in the summer to water it 2-3 times a day, in the winter it will be enough once a week. Additionally, you can remind the plant of its homeland with constant tropical showers and shower it.
If you do not comply with these requirements, then the leaves begin to turn yellow, crumble and revive the tree will be very difficult.
Lighting
Homemade banana loves bright sunlight. Ultraviolet has a direct effect on its growth and development. Therefore, for proper care, it is better to place the plant on the windows facing the sunny side of the house, but put it in the shade in especially strong heat. If the tree is constantly in the shade, then it will stop its growth, flowering, and you can no longer expect fruits from it.
Banana lighting
Priming
It is best to choose a breathable nutrient medium with neutral acidity. Soil with such properties is available in most flower shops. If such mixtures are not nearby, then you can do it yourself by mixing peat, sand, turf and leafy soil. Additionally, additives can be used to increase soil looseness.
Fertilizers
During the period of active growth of banana at home, additional fertilizer is needed. For this, organic additives in diluted form are used. Apply them once a week immediately after watering. The plant after this procedure should be left in the shade for a day.
One of the interesting features of a banana tree is the absence of such a dormant period, which is characteristic of some plants. However, the winter season is conventionally considered such a period. With the onset of cold weather, the tree is given the opportunity to relax: contain at a temperature of about 20 ° C, less often watered and fertilized.
Banana pruning
At the end of the rest, the flowering phase begins. But you should not expect a harvest in the first year. With proper care, the fruits of a banana grown from seedlings will appear after two years, from seeds - after four.
If, first of all, you need not fruits, but a beautiful tree, then you can use the pruning method. As a rule, this is not recommended at home, but if initially a banana does not please the eye with lush greens, then pruning under the root will allow new sprouts to appear.
Breeding
After the homemade banana has grown and strengthened, you can do its further reproduction. There are several ways to do this: by dividing, in which the part with the formed process from the main rhizome is cut off and planted in the prepared soil (the cut is sprinkled with coal); reproduction by processes is a method similar to the previous version, but the cut 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 the seeds of a store fruit. If it is possible to get the fruit of a wild-growing banana, then for reproduction you need to be patient. Seeds obtained in this way have a thick shell, and you first need to help them get out. To do this, they are soaked in warm water and slightly drained.
Note! After all the preparatory work, the seed needs to be slightly pressed into the soil and to obtain conditions similar to natural, spray with water and wrap in a plastic film. It will take at least 60 days to wait for the appearance of sprouts. After that, they are best planted in a large container.
Transfer
Given that the banana is growing 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 chance of root damage, then this method can be replaced by simply updating the topsoil.
Growing problems
Problems with growing a banana at home can only occur with improper care. They appear in the following:
- banana stops growing - insufficient lighting and too small a pot;
- the leaves begin to dry - dry air, high temperature in the room;
- black-brown spots on the leaves - excessive humidity or frequent watering;
- mucous 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 observe from your own experience how easy it is to plant and grow a banana at home.
