Varieties
The banana has long ceased to be just a food plant: it is grown in decorative purposes in greenhouses, winter gardens, and in regions with warm climates - in gardens and parks. But you can also grow bananas at home. How? - you ask, - After all, the size of this plant is so impressive!
Banana selection is carried out not only to change the taste or appearance of the fruit, but also its size. Currently, dozens have been created dwarf varieties banana with variegated leaves For ornamental cultivation. One of the most beautiful among them is Bloody Banana (Musa Zebrina). Its bright green leaves are covered with red spots and are completely red underneath. But its fruits are inedible and bear little resemblance to bananas. But at Purple banana, also known as lavender or lilac banana (Musa ornata, or Musa violacea), real red bananas are formed, although completely tasteless.
Banana flowers are another area of work for breeders. Banana Pink Velvet (Musa Velutina) at a height of 1.2-1.3 m, it blooms and bears fruit already a year after sowing; it can be grown at home on the windowsill and on the balcony. It has pink inflorescences and fruits, decorative and fragrant, but not edible - they consist mainly of seeds.
Another candidate for indoor growing - Banana Yellow (Musella Lasiocarpa). This slow growing plant, although not dwarf, is quite suitable for growing in a large apartment, has spectacular yellow flowers and is characterized by long flowering.
U beautiful variety Scarlet Banana (Musa Coccinea) narrow green leaves and very showy scarlet flowers that open for two months.
Red-purple flowers Banana Manna (Musa Mannii), plant height does not exceed 1.2 meters.
Decorative banana Pygmy decorate large leaves and inflorescences with multiple fruits that cannot be eaten. Its height can reach two meters; it is best grown in winter gardens and greenhouses.
How can you not grow a banana at home, which not only has decorative leaves and flowers, but also edible fruits? For example, variety "Kyiv dwarf"- the plant is quite cold-resistant, 1.5-1.7 m high, can bloom for up to a year, and forms sweet bananas. Its related variety is banana. Superdwarf, its height does not exceed a meter. Both varieties produce about 150 tasty hearths per year at home.
And this dwarf with edible fruits can be grown at home - Super Dwarf Cavendish Banana- plant 1.2 m high decorative leaves and flowers, it begins to bear fruit more slowly than the previous two varieties.
A large selection of dwarf bananas does not mean they are common, and here's why. A banana with a height of 2 meters can indeed be considered dwarf, because the usual height of a plant is about 10 meters. Create tropical conditions A 2-meter banana in an apartment is problematic. Therefore, when choosing a variety for indoor cultivation, you should pay attention to super-dwarfs, whose height does not exceed 1.2 m. In greenhouses and winter gardens, place bananas about 2 meters high. How to grow a banana at home, and what rules need to be followed?
Growing conditions
Homes for good growth and the banana’s well-being needs to be created in conditions that are close to natural.
Temperature
As representatives of the tropics, bananas grow at high temperatures from +20 to +30°. Plants can withstand temperatures of +10-12° without suffering, but they stop growing. A banana does not freeze for a short time at temperatures down to 0 degrees. Even aboveground part freezes, you can cut it off and save the plant.
Lighting
All species of the Banana genus, and there are over 60 of them, love good lighting with a certain amount of direct light. sun rays. IN summer time The banana can be covered from the daytime sun, sometimes taken out onto the balcony or into the garden. And in autumn, spring and, especially, in winter time The plant needs as much light as possible.
If a banana is grown in a winter garden or greenhouse (in a room with transparent walls and a roof), it can do without lighting in the autumn and winter seasons. When growing a banana in an apartment and even on a balcony, it will need additional lighting. This can be easily done using a phytolamp. It is not necessary to install a special lighting device; just screw the light bulb into a regular lamp or chandelier.
If you want to grow bananas in a conservatory, additional lighting will benefit all plants. After all, as a rule, representatives of tropical latitudes live there, accustomed to longer winter daylight hours.
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Hypoestes
What to make the substrate from and how
You can grow a banana at home only in soil that is favorable for the plant. Banana requires a well-aerated, rich substrate with a slightly acidic pH (5.8-6.5). To prepare this soil mixture V universal primer need to add perlite or coarse river sand(one part), as well as one part of crushed bark coniferous trees(pine, spruce, fir). Instead of bark, you can use pine needles or small twigs.
Humidity and watering
Bananas love moist air and regular watering. The plant consumes a lot of water, and large leaves evaporate a lot of moisture. How to grow a banana at home to provide it with the appropriate air and substrate humidity?
You need to water the plant abundantly, but make sure that the water does not stagnate in the lower part of the pot, this leads to rotting of the fleshy roots of the banana. To avoid this, expanded clay or broken shards are placed on the bottom. For irrigation use water with a temperature of +25°. Before watering, check the soil for dryness - the substrate should dry by 1-3 cm. In winter, watering is reduced, and if the plant is kept at a temperature of 10-15 °, then water once or twice a week.
If the plant is in the autumn winter period grown at home in a hot and dry place, then it needs to be watered as it dries, and provide air humidity by spraying warm water or using a humidifier.
There is no need to place a banana near radiators or heating devices. Even with sufficient watering in such a situation it is impossible to provide the necessary air humidity. It is noteworthy that when growing a banana in a group with other indoor plants, thanks to its large evaporation surface, it creates an aura of humidity, helping its neighbors.
Fertilizers
For good growth, bananas need to be fed regularly. For this purpose, you can use root and leaf feeding. Each method has its own advantages. Fertilizers applied to the leaves are less concentrated, and therefore the banana will receive less of the mineral components necessary for growth.
Root feeding can cause a toxic burn to the plant, especially if the concentration is disturbed. This happens often, because novice gardeners think that increasing the amount of fertilizer will make it faster to grow a banana at home. Sometimes they remain concentrated, but use the dissolved fertilizer for daily watering as water. This harms the plant.
When growing bananas at home, it is more correct to fertilize the plant during the period of intensive growth in spring and summer no more than twice a week. It does not matter what type liquid fertilizers. Mineral fertilizing need to alternate with organic. For example, leave humus in boiled water for 24 hours in a ratio of 1/5 or dilute 4 tablespoons of ash in 1 liter of water. In autumn, bananas are fertilized no more than 2 times a month, and in winter they provide the plant with a period of rest, even if it is kept at temperatures above 20 degrees and watered intensively.
Shallow loosening of the soil in the pot has a beneficial effect on bananas.
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Pests and diseases
In apartment conditions, bananas rarely suffer from diseases that can cause excessive waterlogging. If the roots rot, the banana leaves turn brown and dry out. This means that the banana requires an urgent transplant, during which the underground affected parts of the plant are removed and the cuts are sprinkled with ash.
How to grow a banana at home from seeds
Although it is easier to grow a banana at home from shoots, it is much more interesting to get a plant grown from seeds. Seeds are sold by specialty stores, plant collectors, online stores, and botanical gardens.
Before sowing, banana seeds are subjected to scarification , that is, they slightly damage the shell, after which they are kept for one or two days in warm water. Before sowing, the seeds are treated with phytosporin or pink potassium permanganate to prevent fungal infections. Sow in a moist, nutritious, well-aerated substrate with the addition of sand, perlite or coconut fiber. The container is placed in a plastic bag and placed in a warm and bright place, for example near a heating radiator, but so that the seeds do not burn from the high temperature. For this reason, crops should not be placed in open sun. The container is ventilated daily and the humidity of the substrate is controlled. If necessary, spray with a spray bottle. Seed germination occurs at a temperature of about +30°, after about a month and a half. After this, the film is removed.
Grown seedlings are planted in small pots. Caring for them consists of watering and fertilizing with a weak solution of a full range of fertilizers. The plant is gradually accustomed to direct sunlight: first through a tulle curtain, then left without it in the morning or evening for a short time. As the seedlings grow, they are replanted by transshipment, gradually increasing the capacity of the pot.
We are talking about the same banana, the fruits of which both children and adults love to eat. It turns out that you can grow it at home. At the same time, it will delight its owners not only with the taste of the fruit, but also with its appearance.
Banana (Musa) - very tall (up to 10 m) powerful perennial family of the same name. Despite its impressive size, bananas are classified as herbs, and their fruits are nothing more than berries.
Bananas grow in the tropics and subtropics. Its homeland is southeast Asia and Hindustan. The taste of the fruits of this plant was liked by travelers and sailors, who contributed to its spread.
The underground part of the banana is represented by a powerful, spherical rhizome with well-branched adventitious roots and a central growing point. The shoot is shortened, underground. What we are used to seeing above the surface of the earth is not a shoot, it is leaves.
The leaves are long-petiolate, wrapping around each other's bases. They form something like a trunk. The leaf blades have impressive sizes: 2, sometimes even 3 m in length and up to half a meter in width. Ellipsoidal, juicy, green, sometimes with burgundy or dark green spots. After fruiting, the leaves of the plant gradually die off and are replaced by new ones.
Flower: The banana will bloom for the first time in about a year. By this time, it develops from 15 to 18 leaves. The peduncle emerges from the flower bud and does a great job, “breaking through” the base of the leaves, growing through the long vaginal tube and stretching out almost to the height of the leaves. There it “ends” with a huge, up to one and a half meters, inflorescence, consisting of a large number of small single flowers, painted in pale yellow and greenish tones. Among them there are both bisexual and heterosexual flowers. Banana blossoms are a magnificent spectacle, lasting two or even three months.
The fruits are set after pollination of the largest, female flowers and are located in their place, forming a kind of brush called bancha. The ripened single fruit has an elongated bean-shaped shape and reaches a length of 3 to 40 cm.
Location and lighting
Banana loves bright rooms, is not afraid of direct rays of the sun, and also needs long daylight hours. In winter it needs lighting.
Temperature
Banana is a heat-loving plant. The optimal air temperature for the full development of bananas is considered to be between 24-30 degrees. It is important that the temperature does not fall below 16 degrees.
Air humidity
Banana does not tolerate dry air, reacting to it by losing its shine and drying out the leaves. For additional moisture, the plant is sprayed daily, and the banana pot is placed in a tray filled with wet expanded clay. It is important that the bottom of the pot does not touch the water. For the purpose of hydration and hygiene, the leaves of the plant are wiped with a damp soft cloth or give the flower a warm shower.
Watering
Bananas need not only moist air, but also abundant watering, this is especially true in spring and summer. In the fall, watering is reduced, and by winter it is completely reduced to a minimum. Only settled water is suitable for irrigation room temperature or slightly higher.
The soil
The optimal soil composition for growing bananas is a mixture of turf, humus, leaf soil and sand in a ratio of 2:2:2:1.
Feeding and fertilizers
Like most plants, bananas are fed using liquid mineral fertilizers, intended for indoor plants. Feeding is carried out twice a month, starting in April and ending at the end of September.
Transfer
Bananas grow rapidly, so they need to be replanted periodically. Doing so better in spring, choosing a more spacious pot. A layer of drainage must be poured onto the bottom of the container.
When replanting a banana, it is always buried deeper than the previous time. This is done in order to stimulate the emergence of new roots.
Bananas are usually propagated by suckers, division of rhizomes, and some species by seeds.
Reproduction using seeds is quite labor-intensive. The hard shell, reminiscent of a nut shell, is a serious and sometimes insurmountable obstacle to a delicate sprout. Therefore, 2-3 days before sowing, the seeds are placed in warm water and then scarified (sawed). Sowing is carried out in a moist substrate composed of equal quantities of leaf soil, peat, sand and charcoal. The depth of planting seeds should be equal to their size.
Greenhouse conditions are created for seedlings by covering the container with glass or transparent film and placing it in a warm place with a temperature of 24-26 degrees. The crops are ventilated and sprayed daily. You will have to wait at least a month for germination, sometimes even two. Picking is carried out after the seedlings get stronger and produce 2-3 leaves. Young plants grow rapidly.
Vegetative propagation is carried out by root suckers. It is very convenient to propagate a banana in this way during transplantation, separating cuttings from an adult plant, making a cut on the rhizome. The cut areas are sprinkled with coal. The root shoot is placed in a separate container filled with a mixture of equal quantities of leaf, peat soil and sand.
Diseases and pests
Overwatering can lead to root rot and leaf spots. At home, it is possible to damage a banana spider mite, thrips, scale insects, mealybugs.
Compared to wild plants, they are more modest in size, beautiful flowers and leaves, for which they are grown.
Velvet banana- rises one and a half meters above the ground and has spectacular bright yellow flowers with scarlet wrappers or bracts. The bracts gradually bend outward, curling into a tube. This species has velvety fruits, which gives it its name.
Banana lavender valued for its beautiful lavender, pink or orange inflorescences.
Banana bright red does not exceed a meter in height, and has bright flower with a scarlet wrapper, effectively set off by green foliage.
Banana - care and mistakes when growing (video)
Perhaps, people who are completely indifferent to ornamental plants and do not strive to decorate their home with flowers in pots and tubs are rare. Indeed, green pets decorate the house and clean the air, and do not require much time for care. As for preferences, they are, of course, different for everyone. Some are content with the most common and unpretentious home ornamental plants, while others like the exotic, and then you can set yourself a more complex and interesting task. For example, how to grow bananas at home? It's not that easy, but it's quite possible. In tropical countries, bananas are cultivated on an industrial scale, but in the northern regions their decorative qualities are valued.
Banana: is it really a herb?
Not so long ago, banana fruits were absolutely exotic for our country. Now, of course, they won’t surprise anyone, but what the plant itself is is still not known to everyone. If you have any thoughts about how to grow a banana at home, it’s a good idea to know that it’s not a palm tree at all, although it closely resembles one. Banana - perennial herbaceous plant. He has a powerful root system, but there is no trunk at all. There is a stem, but it almost does not protrude above the surface of the earth. What is usually mistaken for a trunk is actually a tube of banana leaf petioles arranged in a spiral and tightly inserted into each other.
It is also difficult to believe in the herbaceous nature of the banana because this plant in natural conditions is capable of reaching an average height of 2 to 9 m. Some species grow even higher, making banana, along with bamboo, the tallest herbs in the world. Do not be afraid of such a height if you doubt whether it is possible to grow a banana at home: its decorative varieties rarely grow above 1.5 m.
Banana as an ornamental plant. banana leaves
Flower growers who are interested in the question of how to grow a banana at home are not attracted to this plant by its fruits, which, by the way, decorative varieties are rarely edible. Some species have exceptionally showy leaves, while others are valued for their original flowers. Cultivated banana varieties are a hybrid species that does not occur in nature.
Banana leaves are large, oblong, with parallel veins, along which they easily tear under strong wind or rain, thereby reducing shock load per plant. Depending on the variety, they may be completely green or covered with purple spots. Sometimes the leaves have green color only from above, and from inside– red-violet. The plant grows very quickly: in just a week at optimal conditions capable of fully growing one leaf.
How does a banana bloom?
Bananas begin to bloom on average in the third year of life. A bud of red, purple, lavender or yellow (rarely) appears at the top of the plant and, as it blooms, most often falls down. The inflorescence contains female flowers, from which the fruits, bisexual and male, develop. It is interesting that development in the inflorescence is continuous: while the upper flowers are pollinated, the fruits below are already ripening. How to grow a banana at home so that you can admire the fascinating process of its flowering, which can last almost whole year, will be described below.
Banana propagation
Although the banana fruit is, from a botanical point of view, a polyspermous berry, it cultural forms it is most often devoid of seeds. Reproduction of such plants occurs vegetatively: after bearing fruit, it dies and is replaced by a new root shoot. U wild plants The fruit pulp can contain up to 200 hard, pointed seeds. Their length can vary and range from 3 to 16 mm.
The easiest way, when thinking about how to grow a banana at home, is to purchase flower salon ready shoot. They can offer it there different types ornamental plant: from one that can be kept in a pot on a table, to quite tall for a spacious room, winter garden or greenhouses.
How to grow a banana at home from seeds: preparatory stage
Experienced flower growers may be very interested in such a painstaking task as growing a banana from a seed at home. First, you need to soak the seeds for at least a day in warm water, replacing it several times. When the hard shell has softened slightly, it should be lightly scratched with a nail file or sandpaper, or pricked with a large needle, being careful not to damage the core. This process is called mechanical scarification and facilitates the germination of those seeds that, like the banana, are protected by a very strong shell.
Planting seeds
Next, we grow a banana from a seed at home as follows: you need to plant the prepared seeds in a mixture of sand and peat to a depth not exceeding their size, and find a bright and warm place for the container, heated at about 30º C (possibly on a radiator), covering it with glass and making sure that the soil in it is always slightly moist. It is possible that seedlings will appear in such mini-greenhouses in 2-3 weeks, but it is possible that you will have to be patient and wait a little longer, sometimes up to 10 weeks. However, once the sprouts appear, they grow very quickly.
After the seedlings have 2-3 leaves, they can be planted in separate containers. In the first year of life, the banana will have to be replanted several times, each time choosing a larger pot and planting the plant a little deeper than the previous time - this promotes the formation of additional roots. Be sure to arrange it at the bottom of the pot good drainage and use neutral soil for planting.
Plants grown from seeds are more viable than those propagated vegetatively, but, as a rule, they almost always have inedible fruits.
Optimal conditions for banana
In an effort to collect as much information as possible on how to grow a banana at home, you must remember that this plant comes from the tropics of Southeast Asia. Therefore, in order for it to feel good, it is necessary to recreate for it the conditions of its homeland. And this implies a temperature regime within 22-26 ºС, without sharp fluctuations, high humidity and a lot of light. In winter, it is worth providing the banana with additional lighting, so that daylight hours last at least 14 hours a day. In this case, it is better to provide diffused light and slightly shade the plant at noon. Drafts and sudden changes in temperature will destroy the banana.
In summer, bananas are watered abundantly, but not allowing water to stagnate in the pan. In winter, if the air temperature is at 18-20 ºС, watering must be reduced and the plant must have a rest period. The plant loves regular spraying (in summer this procedure can be carried out daily) and wiping the leaves with a damp sponge.
Because of active growth Feeding the plant is carried out weekly in the summer, but in winter it can be done once a month, preferably using organic fertilizers.
Popular varieties of decorative banana
Now, having the basic information on how to grow a banana at home from seeds (see the photo of the plant in the review), you can think about which variety of this tropical beauty is better to give preference to.
The golden lotus is so named due to its large yellow flowers. Grows in the highlands of China. Able to withstand low air temperatures, flesh down to zero.
Lavender banana has showy bright yellow flowers with purple bracts and grows well in room conditions.
The blood banana, with wine-red spots on the leaves, is attractive even outside the flowering period; the fruits are inedible. Pink Velvet Banana features vibrant green leaves and pink flowers, which are replaced by small fleecy edible fruits of the same shade with many seeds inside.
The scarlet banana owes its name to its bright red-orange bracts. This is not a very tall variety, reaching a maximum of 1 m.
The dwarf banana grows up to 1.5 m, the fruits are sweet and quite large. The Japanese banana is the most cold-resistant species, for this reason it can be cultivated in open ground southern regions of Russia. The fruits of this variety are inedible.
The dwarf banana is a plant that is quite large bush, with wide wavy leaves. Due to the fact that the leaves are closely intertwined to form a dense, short stem, the dwarf banana is often associated with a palm tree. But the similarity is only present in appearance, dwarf banana is a herbaceous plant.
At favorable conditions it can grow up to 1.5-3 m in height. The fruits of some types of dwarf bananas are edible, bright yellow with flesh that is sweeter than that of “traditional” fruits. standard size.
Kinds
Several types of decorative dwarf bananas suitable for growing indoors:
Home care
How to grow dwarf banana at home? Let's look at the main points.
Features of care after purchase
After purchasing a particular variety of dwarf banana, you must give him some time to adapt to a change in conditions of detention. There is no need to immediately replant and fertilize the plant, or provide abundant watering.
It is better to leave the dwarf banana in the pot in which it was purchased for about 1.5-2 weeks in a warm, dry room, protecting it from bright and direct sunlight.
Lighting
Due to the fact that the dwarf banana is not a small plant, and its shortest species grow at least 50 cm in height and width, you need to provide it with enough space to grow. There should be enough lighting, especially if a variety with wide and large leaves was chosen.
If there is insufficient lighting, the plant will wither, so, in addition to natural light, it is better to install several specially designed artificial light lamps.
Temperature
In winter time year, the temperature of the room in which the plant will be kept should not fall below 20-22°C. In principle, a dwarf banana can withstand temperatures of 15-16°C, but it is better not to subject it to such stress.
At low temperatures leaf growth and inflorescence formation slow down. In summer However, a banana needs a higher temperature regime, about 26-30°C.
Air humidity
In the native habitat of the dwarf banana humidity is quite high. In artificial conditions, for the most favorable existence, air humidity should be at least 60%.
Bloom
Most often, plants begin to bear fruit at 3-5 years of age. In most varieties flowers remain for quite for a long time : from 2 to 8 months.
A after flowering the plant begins to actively bear fruit. If the plant, for some reason, does not bloom, then most likely it is necessary to change the conditions of maintenance or change the fertilizer.
Fertilizers (feeding)
Feeding should be regular, but not very frequent. Usually used leaf and root feeding.
The leaf is applied to the leaves; you must be very careful with it so that the plant does not get burned. Root feeding is most effective, but should not be overused.
Some plant growers add a weak fertilizer concentrate to watering, thinking that this will improve the growth and condition of the plant. However, in reality, the plant receives an excess of complementary foods, which can lead to its death.
There are two ways to grow a dwarf banana: using seeds or shoots from an adult plant.
From seeds Growing a banana is not easy; this method requires a lot of experience. Before planting in a pot, the seeds are soaked in warm water (possibly with the addition of potassium permanganate) for a day, slightly breaking their outer shell.
After soaking, they are sown on moistened soil, the composition of which is identical to that for an adult plant, covered with polyethylene and left in a warm, damp room until the first shoots appear, then the shoots are planted in separate pots.
For propagation by shoots young shoots with at least four leaves and strong roots are suitable. They are carefully removed from the mother plant and planted in a prepared pot. It is worth caring for young plants in the same way as for an adult plant.
Landing
If the goal is to grow a dwarf banana at home, then it is best to purchase a young plant. It should be planted in the ground from under hardwood trees, with the addition of humus and river sand.
Bottom of the pot lined with pebbles or expanded clay. First, replant young plant will have to be done quite often, and watering should be carried out as the soil dries out.
It should not be planted in very big pot, with a reserve for future growth, since the presence of a large amount of moist soil can cause rotting of the root system.
Transfer
The plant should be replanted as its roots grow. Typically, a dwarf banana is replanted 2 times a year. Transplantation is carried out only when the roots have completely occupied the entire lower part of the pot or box.
Diseases and pests
At home, the dwarf banana is practically not exposed to pests. However, some diseases may well affect him.
Most often this happens due to improper care behind the plant. The most common signs that the plant needs treatment:
- drying of leaves and loss of gloss (insufficient air humidity);
- yellowness on the foliage (insufficient watering);
- Root rotting (overwatering).
In drafts and dry air the plant may be attacked by aphids or spider mites.
Growing dwarf banana - the process is quite exciting.
In addition to “revitalizing” the interior bright colors during the flowering period, this the plant can deliver not only an aesthetic pleasure, but also to pamper us with its healthy and tasty fruits.
The idea that bananas grow on palm trees and can only be observed in their natural habitat is an opinion that is as widespread as it is erroneous. Firstly, banana is a herbaceous crop, and secondly, it can be successfully cultivated at home.
Depending on what kind of banana is planned for cultivation, the method of its propagation is chosen. A fruit-bearing crop can be grown from cuttings or root shoots of a cultivated varietal banana, bred through artificial crossing. From the seeds you can get a wild subspecies of the crop with absolutely inedible fruits, filled with a large number of seeds, while they are absent inside the fruits of a cultivated banana. However, a banana grown from seeds has more vitality and disease resistance than its counterpart, and thanks to large glossy leaves and delicate fragrant flowers Great for growing as an ornamental houseplant.
A homemade banana looks extremely exotic and is also very easy to care for, but for its comfortable well-being you will need well-created living conditions that are as close to natural as possible.
Seed preparation
Planting material for growing indoor banana can be purchased at flower shops or specialized botanical nurseries. Before sowing, the seeds must be scarified - gently rub each seed sandpaper, a fine file or a nail file in order to break the dense seed coat and speed up the germination process.
Specifics of sowing and conditions for keeping seedlings
- A drainage layer 2–3 cm thick is placed in the planting container.
- The pot is filled with the prepared soil mixture.
- Immediately before sowing, the soil must be moderately moistened.
- Banana seeds should be spread over the surface of the soil and pressed lightly without sprinkling.
- To create a greenhouse climate, the container with crops must be covered with polyethylene or glass and placed in a very warm place. Optimal temperature for germination – from +28° C to 32° C.
Once every 2-3 days, the crops are opened for ventilation, while removing drops of condensation from the glass or film. When the soil dries out, moisten it with a spray bottle. If mold develops, it must be removed with a small lump of earth, and the entire surface must be watered with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
Banana seeds take a very long time to germinate: the first shoots appear only 2–3 months after sowing, but the seedlings grow very rapidly, and their further well-being depends on how well their care is organized.
In order for young bananas to develop correctly and fully, you should turn Special attention on factors such as:
- Watering– the banana must be watered regularly and abundantly, avoiding the accumulation of excess moisture in the lower layers of the soil, which can cause rotting of the thick, fleshy banana roots. Before watering, it is recommended to check the degree of dryness of the soil - the procedure is indicated if the thickness of the dried layer is at least 1-3 cm. During cold wintering, watering is reduced to 1-2 times a week. If the banana endures the winter in a warm room, watering continues as before.
- Spraying- because the large leaves bananas, which look like fans, evaporate a large number of moisture, its supply should be replenished with regular water treatments. In this case, it is necessary to moisturize not only the leaf plates, but also the air around the entire plant.
- Lighting- one of the most important indicators for such a typical inhabitant of the tropics as a banana. In summer, it is recommended to place the plant in the garden or on the balcony, identifying a sunny place for it. In this case, the foliage of young bananas should first be accustomed to sunlight. To do this, the plant is covered with light transparent material(tulle, gauze), which is periodically removed for several minutes, gradually increasing the time. In winter, additional lighting will help provide bananas with long daylight hours.
- Temperature– the optimal thermometer readings for this crop range from +20° C to + 30° C. Without harm to health, bananas can tolerate temperature drops to +12–17° C, but at the same time they stop growing. At 0° C, the above-ground part of the plant dies, but with timely pruning and transfer to heat, the banana remains viable.
- Location– first of all, a banana should not be placed near heating devices, since even if the irrigation regime is observed, it will be impossible to achieve the desired level of humidity in this case. However, under favorable conditions, the banana is an excellent neighbor for other plants. In an atmosphere of humidity and freshness around a tropical pet, other crops can more easily endure the autumn-winter period.
- Top dressing– it is recommended to fertilize bananas in early spring before the start of the growing season and throughout summer period, maintaining an interval between feedings of 2–3 weeks. To feed the crop, complex mineral fertilizers and an infusion of rotted organic matter should be used. In this case, it is undesirable to use fresh organic fertilizers: this can lead to a toxic burn of the root system.
- Transfer– you don’t need to adhere to any special schedule for replanting a banana; it is carried out as the plant grows, choosing a larger pot each time. The signal for replanting is stopping the growth of the leaf mass due to the pot being too small. As with many indoor crops, for banana best time transplants - early spring or late autumn, but due to rapid development, sometimes it requires 3-4 transplants per year. It is recommended to carry out the procedure using the transshipment method, without disturbing the earthen coma.
Choosing a banana variety for home cultivation
Since in nature the banana is a plant of quite impressive size (the height of some specimens exceeds 10–12 m), for decorative home grown It is recommended to choose seeds of selected dwarf varieties. Today, there are several dozen varieties of decorative banana, the maximum height of which rarely exceeds 1.5 m. All artificially bred varieties are well adapted to home conditions and are resistant to diseases. In addition, indoor bananas look extremely impressive thanks to unusual coloring leaves and flowers. Such a pet will become worthy decoration interior, turning an ordinary room into a tropical paradise.