Growing a banana tree tree in the UK demo a unequalled set of challenge due to the nation ’s cooler climate , which is less than ideal for a plant that boom in tropical condition .
However , with the correct care and circumstance , it is possible to grow banana flora even in the UK .
Here is a round-eyed footstep - by - measure guide to help you through the process :
How to Grow Your Own Banana Tree
1. Choose the Right Variety
2. Start Indoors
3. Provide Adequate Light and Warmth
4. Watering and Humidity
5. Fertilize Regularly
6. Transition to Outdoors
7. Choose a Sheltered, Sunny Spot
8. Planting Outdoors
9. Mulch and Protect
10. Winter Care
11. Pruning
Growing Banana Trees: A Quick Snapshot
require Temperature:15 - 30ºC
When to Sow : Mar - May
When to constitute : Feb - Apr
When to Harvest : Aug - Oct
fair take per Plant:25 - 40 kilo ( 200 - 240 banana )
Spacing:2 - 3 one thousand
Depth:40 cm
How to Grow a Banana Tree at Home
Although they may be refer to as trees , banana tree diagram are n’t actually trees at all – technically , they ’re a recurrent herbaceous plant . A member of the powdered ginger family , it takes approximately nine calendar month for a banana plant to produce edible fruit and it needs reasonably uniform condition during this sentence to do so .
Growing Conditions for a Banana Tree
Temperature and humidness are key when originate banana tree trees . If you want your banana industrial plant to produce fruit , then it will postulate to be keep on at a consistent temperature of between 15 - 30ºC. While the plants can handle extreme heating system , they normally stop spring up if temperatures drop below 14ºC. Needless to say , the foliage is n’t icing - stalwart , although the rhizome that lives underground can subsist cold winters and will bring about new growing come leaping if undamaged .
In terms of humidity , a uniform 50 % is ideal .
You ’ll also need a sunny and sheltered spot to uprise your flora in . Banana Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree do advantageously in full sun , but their leaves are susceptible to confidential information damage . Growing several plants in a block mime the plant ’s natural hobo camp environs and will start the plants to protect each other . This also provides a very effective shelterbelt for whichever part of the garden your plants are in .
Although this guide will wrap up all of the ways you may produce a banana tree , raise these plants in a heated greenhouse is the best option if you want them to yield yield in the UK .
How to Grow a Banana Tree From Seed
Commercially grown banana are seedless , meaning that they ca n’t be grown from seed . Even if you do find tiny seeds in a banana tree you ’re eating , these usually wo n’t come to anything when plant .
That sound out , wild banana tree varieties can be grown from seed . The fruits are sweet in tone but turn back a gravid phone number of hard seeds , resulting in a toilsome - to - plug grain that order many masses off .
However , if you do choose this route , you ’ll need to begin by soaking your seeds in water for 24 - 48 hours to split up their dormancy . Then , fill a ejaculate tray with a 50/50 intermixture of organic compost and backbone , and sow your ejaculate 6 mm deep . Water the soil to wash it and then verify that it stays this way – banana seeds do best in systematically moist conditions .
You ’ll need to keep your ejaculate tray in an sphere that receives a temperature of at least 15ºC. Warmer would be better , so extend to for yourheated propagatorif you have one . That say , some variety choose fluctuating temperatures – warm in the daytime and cooler at nighttime – so do some enquiry into the variety that you ’re growing .
Again , multifariousness determines sprouting speed . Some take just 2 - 3 hebdomad to sprout , while others can take a couple of months .
Keep in mind that develop a banana plant from seed means that you ’ll need to wait at least a couple of years before your first harvest . This is why many hoi polloi choose to buy a matured plant instead .
How to Plant a Banana Tree Outside
Once you ’ve opt a sunny yet sheltered position in your garden , apprehend a jam that ’s double the size of your works ’s root orchis . Make indisputable that there ’s plenty of drainage – although banana plants need a honorable amount of moisture , they ’ll moulder if redundant water is n’t able to decent drain by . Adding some perlite to your territory can help to ameliorate drain .
If you ’re planting more than one banana Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , check to see the size your variety raise to for limit space . 2 - 3 metres between each plant is usually recommend .
On the other hired man , if you ’re planting a single banana tree plant , seek to keep it at least 4 - 5 metres away from any other trees or shrubs growing in your garden . This will help to ensure that they do n’t compete with your bananas for moisture or nutrients .
Once you ’ve found your banana tree , firm the stain down around its base and water it in well .
How to Plant a Banana Tree in a Pot
Unless you live on somewhere that experiences nine months of affectionateness , then uprise a banana tree outside may not be an selection for you , especially if you ’re hoping for some yield at the end of your growing time of year .
One just alternative would be to imbed your banana treein a potinstead . This way , you’re able to keep it alfresco during the spring and summertime , but then move it somewhere warmer once out-of-door temperatures start to drop .
Your pot will need to be at least 70 litres in size of it and should havegood drainageholes . Use arich potting mixand water your plant well once you have rate it into its new home .
Keep in creative thinker that banana trees produce in wad will need extra care when it comes to tearing and feeding . You ’ll also need to repot your flora every 2 - 3 years .
How to Plant a Banana Tree in a Greenhouse
Another choice for people who live in cooler climate is to farm a banana tree treein a nursery . If you ’re concerned about sizing ( after all , nobody wants their banana tree tree to end up smashing through the glass ! ) , you could always pick a dwarf variety – these still fruit very well !
How to Care for a Banana Tree
Now for the challenging part – keeping your banana tree happy and hefty enough to bring forth fruit . Here ’s what you ’ll need to do :
Watering Your Banana Tree
Water direction is often the trickiest part of growing a banana tree – under - lachrymation will likely kill your plant , while over - watering can cause the theme to decompose .
Ideally , you require your grunge to be systematically damp . If the top 2 atomic number 96 of soil feels dry when you touch it , then this is a sign that your banana tree require some water . You ’ll likely require to water your works relatively frequently in warmer weather , but will be able to slow down in cooler temperatures .
If your banana tree flora does n’t yet have much foliage , then be even more measured when watering . Those leave avail the plant to evaporate away excess wet – a lack of leaf could induce the plant to drown faster than it would do otherwise .
Feeding Your Banana Tree
Banana plants are heavy bird feeder , so you ’ll demand to use a plant food once a month to keep them happy . A balanced 10 - 10 - 10 or 8 - 10 - 8 fertiliser is best , with the amount that you use increasing as the plant life rise . Once your industrial plant go dormant for the year , you could stop fertilising until new growth begin again .
Pruning Your Banana Tree
As your banana tree plant matures , it ’ll start up to produce several lollipop . These are small plants that grow from the same rhizome . If you want your plant to be as productive as possible , prune away the sucker that develop , leaving just the main stem . Keep in mind that the lollipop you ’re pruning off can be planted to produce a new banana tree diagram .
Once your works is about 6 months old , grant one soft touch to develop . After your primary stem has finish fruiting , it will die back and the chump will replace it to grow your next crop .
Staking/Supporting Your Banana Tree
While your works is growing , it ’s unlikely to call for staking , specially if you ’ve implant it in a sheltered blot . That sound out , if the current of air nonplus a problem , a twosome ofbamboo canestied to your plant should hold it in place .
Once your banana tree begin to produce fruit , it will become more top - heavy . As a result , it may bulge out to angle , and could even rupture if it ’s unable to confirm the weight of the fruit . If you acknowledge your plant starting to tip , prop up up the banana on a long piece of Sir Henry Wood to give the works some excess support .
Winter Care
The wintertime care required by your banana plants will bet on how stale your winters get . If your winters are quite modest and temperature do n’t drop below -5 ° snow , then your banana plant life can stay outside , or in your greenhouse . However , once the foliage has pass away back for the twelvemonth , it would still be worth covering the stem that ’s left with a blanket or some sheepskin .
If your winters are quite extreme , then your estimable stakes would be to dig your plant up , bulge out them into a pot , and keep them somewhere icing - gratis over the winter . you’re able to cut your plants back before you do so – they should turn back without any problems once replanted .
How to Harvest Bananas
If you ’ve given your banana Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree the good circumstance and concern , you should note the first purple flush appear about six month into the growing season . Do n’t be tempted to dispatch any of the leaves from around it , as these provide much - needed sun protection .
After a couple of months , the petal will bulge out to withdraw , revealing the bananas within . At this point , go ahead and remove any petal or flower bud – this will activate the plant to put all of its DOE into develop delicious yield .
Once your banana tree are well - rounded and have acquire ribs , you may set forth to think about harvesting them . At this stage , the bantam flower at the conclusion of each banana will have fully dried – you ’ll be able-bodied to just rub them off .
banana tree can be picked green – no matter their size , the mature cognitive operation will speed up as soon as they ’re blame . Of course , you could look for them to naturally mature too . There ’s no denying that this result in the most flavourful bananas , but it also means that you ’ll be glean a large number of fruits all in one go , rather than spacing your harvest out by piece some while they ’re still gullible . A exclusive banana plant can produce up to 240 bananas per year , so check that you have some storage / conservation options at the ready !
How to Store Bananas
Once you ’ve cull your bananas , keep them somewhere cool – temperatures of around 12 ° coke are ideal . Anything affectionate than this will encourage ripening .
As banana tree mature , they unblock ethylene gas . To prevent them from ripening too chop-chop , you ’ll need to keep this gas contained within the banana tree as much as possible . One way to do this is by carve up each individual banana tree from its crowd and then wrapping it , ensuring that the stem , in particular , is well covered . Be blue to fend off bruising the yield ( this can cause them to decompose ) and , if you could , put in them by hang them up .
Alternatively , banana tree can also be freeze . Peel them , slit them up ( or puree them ) , and then freeze out . When prepared in this style , they ’ll taste marvelous for about six month .
Common Banana Tree Problems
Banana flora are generally quite problem - liberal when grown at rest home in the right conditions . However , some issues that you could perhaps encounter include :
Popular Banana Tree Varieties to Grow at Home
While there may be over a thousand banana plant varieties to choose from , the most popular for growing at abode are :
Conclusion
While a banana tree diagram may require a short more effort and attention than some of the other plant life in your garden , it ’s well deserving it – especially if you ’re a fan of bananas ! Not only can a exclusive plant life make a heavy crop of fruit , but its large leafy foliage will also tote up a lush tropic vibe to your garden or greenhouse .
FAQ
Can you grow a banana tree from a banana?
This will calculate on the character of banana . While you ca n’t get a banana tree diagram from a steady computer storage - grease one’s palms banana , you could successfully use the seeds from a wild banana tree . This is because store - buy banana tree do n’t ordinarily take fertile seeds , whereas risky banana do .
How long do banana trees live for?
The life-time of a banana plant can vary quite a bit . Some only live for about six old age , while others have been acknowledge to live for 25 years . It all depends on the variety that you ’re growing , along with the growing conditions that you ’re allow .
Is it easy to grow a banana tree?
Although banana trees involve quite specific develop conditions , they ’re really quite an soft plant to grow . If you ’re able to meet all of its demand , then this tight - develop plant should be comparatively trouble - free .
Do banana trees only fruit once?
The primary root word of your banana tree plant is where the fruit will be acquire , and this stem turn die once it is done fruiting . However , the rhizome of a banana plant will station up a fresh chief radical , which , in turn , will farm its own crop of fruit . So , while each prow may only fruit once , the factual banana tree plant itself will crop for several seasons .
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