Growing Bananas
If you love bananas as much as I do, then you will probably love to grow your own bananas!
When growing bananas there are a couple of things you need to take care of, but if you live in an area where bananas grow naturally, then it is very easy to grow bananas.
Bananas Don’t Grow On Trees
People often think that bananas grow on trees – but that is not really the case. Even though it looks like they grow on trees, they are actually not trees – they are perennial herbs with a long, thick “pseudostem”. However, that is a technicality, and not something you really need to consider when growing bananas. So people who talk about growing banana trees are making a small mistake, since you actually can’t grow banana trees 
I first thought of titling this post “How To Grow Banana Trees”, because this is the exact wording of a question I received per email, but then I thought better name things right. So let’s just call it banana plant, instead of banana tree.
Where To Put Banana Plants?
The number one rule for banana plants is that they need a lot of sunlight. If possible, give them 12 hours of full sunlight every single day. Bananas like it warm and sunny, and they don’t like cold climate (and in this regard are very much like me myself).
So it is important that you find the right planting site for your banana plant. Also keep in mind that bananas grow very quickly, so make sure that there is enough space around the small banana plant that you put in the ground.
Also, banana plants like to have a warm soil. That is why it is important to not plant several banana plants next to each other, because once they grow up, their leaves will put the soil in the shadow and make the soil cooler. If the soil is cool, the banana plant will grow slower.
It is best to put a minimum distance of about 1,5m (about 5′) between two banana trees.
Before you plant a banana plant, clear out any weeds that grow around the spot, and dig a whole that is about 30cm deep. Don’t dig to deep – banana trees grow best if you plant them not to deep, just so that they won’t fold when a strong wind hits them. You can add a bit of mulch around the whole, so that weeds won’t grow back easily around the banana tree.
If you want, you can put a bit of fertilizer under the banana tree, but don’t overdo it – too much fertilizer can “burn” the roots of the plant. A bit of steer manure at the bottom of the whole where you put your banana plant is also a good idea.
Which Soil Is Best For Growing Banana Plants?
It depends on the kind of banana you want to grow. If you want to grow the large bananas that you can buy in the stores, then you ought to know that these banana plants like light soil that drains well and contains lots of organic matter. The roots of banana plants are not very strong, and if the soil isn’t light enough, the banana tree will probably not grow very high. A bit rocky and sandy soil is fine – if you know cactus soil, then this is a good reference point.
If you like the smaller banana species, they can also deal well with a soil that is a bit stronger – for example, we have an almost clay-like soil, but the small bananas grow well here.
Bananas grow in hands
Bananas grow in hands
Watering Banana Plants
Banana plants like water, but not too much. As a simple rule of thumb – if the soil is wet, there’s no need to water it again, but if it is dry, water it. However, don’t water it so much that there is standing water. Too much water can lead to root rot. If the roots are continually moist, then rotten roots can easily appear.
More on growing banana plants:
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