How to grow a banana tree at home. Seed preparation. Home care

Each of us knows what a banana is. These tasty, edible fruits are sold in most grocery stores and make up a significant part of our diet. Children and adults are very fond of bananas and willingly buy them, and enthusiastic flower growers grow bananas on their own windowsill. Yes, yes, you heard right, you can grow your own homemade banana , and the process will not deliver special trouble... Want more details? Read the article and you will find out all the secrets of growing indoor banana.

Perhaps it is worth starting with the botanical classification of a banana, because it depends on this how to care for the plant. So, banana (lat. Musa) is the name of perennial plants of the same genus of the Banana family (lat. Musaceae).

Despite its size (in conditions of natural cultivation, bananas reach a height of 10 meters), a banana is not a palm tree or a tree at all, but a grass, while the banana fruit, oddly enough, is a berry. The banana has a fairly strong root system, a short stem hidden underground, and oval-elongated large leaves, the number of which varies from 6 to 18 per plant.

[!] What looks like the trunk of a banana is actually its leaves, Bottom part which are tightly wrapped around each other.

[!] In nature, there are also real trees, called banana - plants from the genus Asimina. Their fruit tastes very much like banana and papaya.

The exact origin of the Latin name is unknown - according to one of the theories, the plant is named after the court physician of the Roman emperor Anthony Muza, according to the other - the word has Arabic roots. The common name of the fruit is borrowed from West African languages.

The homeland of bananas is the islands of Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Over time, the plant, the fruits of which were very popular with seafarers who visited those places, spread throughout the world. Bananas are now grown in many countries with tropical climates and are one of the main export products. For example, the main exporters of bananas to Russia are Ecuador, Costa Rica, the Philippines, and Mexico.

For you and me, a banana is just a delicious fruit, but in southern countries the plant is used for a variety of purposes. In addition to being eaten, banana is used in folk medicine, as a base for fishing tackle and rafts, for making ropes, and so on. We can say that people have learned how to process every part of this wonderful plant, getting many necessary products. And of course, one cannot fail to note the culinary value of the fruits - bananas are eaten raw, fried, boiled, dried, baked. They are the basis of the diet of a number of countries and, in terms of importance, as agricultural crops, they can be compared with potatoes in the northern regions.

But back to the main issue of the publication - how to grow a banana at home? Perhaps you should start by choosing the right variety.

Banana varieties suitable for home growing

Homemade banana can still be classified as a plant in indoor culture. And yet, from year to year, the popularity of fruit exotics is growing. This happens, among other things, thanks to the work of breeders, breeding undersized species and varieties adapted to indoor conditions. Today, all types of homemade bananas can be divided into two groups:

decorative deciduous,
beautifully flowering,
fruit.

Indeed, some growers grow bananas just because of beautiful leaves or flowers. The fruits of such plants, even if they are formed, do not have the delicate, sweet taste we are used to and contain too many hard seeds. Decorative types include:

Bloody banana(lat.Musa sumatrana Zebrina) - wide leaves are covered with a beautiful green-burgundy pattern. Fruits are small, red, inedible;

Chinese dwarf banana(lat.Musella lasiocarpa). Other names are rough-fruited mussella, golden lotus. It has bright green large leaves and a beautiful bright yellow inflorescence. Maximum height plants - about one meter;

Banana bright red(lat. Musa coccinea Andrews) - like the previous species, it is beautifully flowering. Attention is drawn to the rich scarlet bract, favorably shaded by green foliage;

B. bloody, B. Chinese dwarf, B. bright red

Velvet banana(Latin Musa velutina) is also known as purple, dwarf pink or velvet pink banana. It is distinguished by oval light green leaves, often decorated with red edging and bright pink large flowers. The skin of the fruit also has an unusual raspberry hue. The variety is grown as flowering, but, if desired, the fruits can be eaten;

Banana lavender or pink(lat.Musa ornata Roxb), as well as Musa velutina, is valued for its beautiful flowers and soft pink fruits.

B. velvet, B. pink

Fruit species and varieties of home exotics are not so diverse. Almost all of them, as well as their brothers. growing on outdoors, bred on the basis of two types - pointed banana (lat.Musa acuminata) and balbis (lat.Musa balbisiana). Most often, the following representatives of the edible indoor banana can be found on sale:

Banana Cavendish dwarf(lat.Mosa acuminata Dwarf Cavendish)

Banana Cavendish Super Dwarf(lat.Mosa acuminata super Dwarf Cavendish)

Both varieties are distinguished by their short stature, which allows them to be grown indoors, and abundant fruiting. The leaves of plants are large, dense, bright green, oval in shape. Peduncle - bright burgundy in the shape of a candle.

B. Cavendish dwarf, B. Cavendish super dwarf

Homemade banana care

The first thing that flower growers should pay attention to when they decide to get a homemade banana is the size of the plant. Even dwarf varieties have an impressive height (up to one and a half meters) and large spreading leaves. Therefore, it is best to grow bananas in large rooms with tall and wide windows.

Secondly, when caring for a banana, you need to remember that its homeland is the hot tropics. This means that the ideal indoor conditions for a plant are warm, good lighting, and high humidity. Let's consider each parameter in more detail.

Temperature and lighting

Unlike many others indoor plants this southern visitor is very, very thermophilic, and the comfortable temperature range for him is 25-30 ° С. A banana does not have a rest period and such a high air temperature is practically necessary all year round... Only in winter it can be slightly cooler - about 20 ° C.

The countries of Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa, in which the banana grows naturally, are distinguished by a large average annual number of sunny days. In our climate, the sun is much less, so the banana must be placed on the most lighted windowsills - south, southeast or southwest. On a too hot sunny day, so that burns do not appear on the leaves, the location of the plant can be shaded a little.

[!] The health and appearance of indoor banana directly depends on the amount of sun. In the shade, the home exotic will cease to grow, bloom and, of course, set fruits.

Watering and humidity

Banana can not be attributed to either a very moisture-loving flora, or those who prefer drought. Rather, a banana gives preference to abundant, but rather rare watering - on average, once or twice a week. That being said, it's helpful to simulate a warm tropical rainstorm with a shower in the bathroom. After such a procedure, it is necessary to leave the plant for about half an hour in order to drain excess water.

One of critical parameters homemade banana - high humidity. The air in our apartments, especially during the heating season, is too dry. This negatively affects the well-being of most indoor plants. In order for the southern flower not to suffer from dry air, it is recommended:

put a bowl with a plant on a pallet filled with wet pebbles,
place a banana next to the aquarium,
at least once a day spray the leaves with water from a fine spray bottle,
use a household humidifier.

Additional moisture for a banana is vital, therefore, in no case should you forget about humidifying the air.

[!] In the warm season, to replenish moisture, a banana can and should be taken out into the open air.

Soil, transplanting and feeding

As for the soil, here the indoor exotic demonstrates unpretentiousness. Any universal primer from a specialized store that has sufficient looseness, which means water and air permeability, and neutral acidity will do.

One of the most common plant problems is root decay. To prevent this disease, a high, at least a third of the total volume of the pot, drainage layer is required. Expanded clay, broken brick or clay shards can act in this capacity.

You can prepare the substrate yourself by mixing leafy soil, turf land, peat and sand in a ratio of 2: 1: 1: 1. Small amounts of coconut fiber and vermiculite added to the soil will help reduce the risk of root rot.

As a rule, a home banana develops quite quickly, so an adult plant needs to be transplanted annually. In some cases, when the banana is growing very actively, the indoor exotic should be relocated twice a year. The transplant container should be only a few centimeters larger than the previous one.

[!] Too large dishes "for growth" can provoke acidification of the soil and, as a result, decay of the roots. In a too small bowl, the banana will stop growing and blooming.

During the period of active growth and development (spring, summer), the banana must be actively fed. For additional food plants can be used with universal mineral and organic fertilizing, alternating with each other. In general, the frequency of feeding during the growing season is once a week. With the onset of autumn and during the winter, fertilizers should be excluded.

Reproduction

Propagating a banana at home is not an easy task. There are only three ways to get a new young plant:

with the help of seeds,
with the help of appendages,
by dividing the mother plant,

each of which has its own subtleties and secrets. Let's consider them in more detail.

Propagation of indoor banana by seeds

First of all, it should be said that banana seeds are quite unusual - they look like small nuts covered with a hard shell. It is because of the shell that the seeds germinate rather poorly - not every sprout is capable of breaking through a strong shell. In order to facilitate the germination process, nuts can be scarified.

[!] Scarification is a mechanical or chemical violation of the integrity of the hard shell of seeds.

This is done as follows:

The seeds are soaked in warm water for two days.
The swollen shell is carefully grinded, trying not to break through sandpaper with a nail file.

Experienced gardeners who grow indoor bananas often express the opinion that there is no need to scarify the seeds of a tropical plant, just keep them in water for a little longer, about a week, for better swelling. As an experiment, some of the seeds can be scarified, and some can be planted without scarification.

After the above manipulations, banana seeds are planted directly into the ground:

For germination, it is recommended to use a peat-sand mixture (1: 1), coconut fiber, sphagnum moss.
You can take food as a container Plastic container with a lid, which is quite suitable for the role of a mini-greenhouse or buy a ready-made greenhouse from a specialized store.
For better germination, banana seeds are placed with a notch on their side and slightly buried in the substrate.
The greenhouse is moved to a bright and warm (25-30 ° C) place and shoots are awaited, which should appear in about 1-3 months.

During the entire time of germination, the soil with seeds should be slightly moistened, but without excessive stagnation of water, and the greenhouse should be ventilated about once a day.

Germinating banana seeds is a long process. Growers looking for faster results can try planting young shoots of the plant.

Banana propagation by shoots and division

As a rule, indoor banana gives a rather thick root growth, with the help of which the banana reproduces in vivo. At home cultivation these root shoots can also be used to produce a new plant.

For planting, a well-formed shoot with several leaves is selected, carefully removed from the ground and cut off from the mother plant along with the rhizome from which it grows.

[!] Rhizome is a part of a branched rhizome without a central stem.

To avoid decay, the cut sites are sprinkled with crushed coal, after which the shoot is planted in a new container with the same soil as for an adult plant. Usually, young banana shoots take root well and do not require special care.

Banana propagation by division is done during plant transplantation. Adult plant cut into two or three parts, each of which should have a healthy formed process and rhizome, after which the resulting specimens are seated in a separate bowl. In general, reproduction by division is a procedure similar to planting processes.

Fruiting homemade banana

Before waiting for fruits from indoor exotic, it is worth finding out the timing of its fruiting. On average, a banana grown from seed will only bear fruit in the third to fourth year. A plant obtained from a shoot will bear fruit earlier - within one to two years.

To receive you need to delicious fruits, necessary:

place a banana in the sunniest place of the apartment, highlight it additionally in winter,
maintain high air humidity all year round,
feed your homemade banana regularly.

Pests and growing problems

When it comes to disease, the root of all plant health problems is improper care. The main diseases of banana and their symptoms:

The banana doesn't grow. Most likely, the pot is too tight. If there is not enough soil, the home banana will stop growing. In addition, the reason for this phenomenon may be a lack of sunlight.

Black-brown spots appear on the banana leaves, the leaf plate loses its turgor. The reason is the bay and waterlogging of the soil. This is a danger sign indicating the possible occurrence of root rot. It is necessary to get the plant out of the ground, carefully examine it, cut off the decayed areas, sprinkle the cut sites with crushed coal and plant in new soil. In the future, you should reduce the frequency and intensity of watering.

The banana leaves dry around the edges. Such symptoms indicate too low air humidity. Especially often, a room banana suffers from a lack of moisture during the heating season.

If dries and subsequently dies off as the basis of a homemade banana sprout, but at the same time young growth is developing well, do not worry - this is not a disease, but a completely normal phenomenon. The growth, development and reproduction of a banana in natural conditions occurs in the same way. As a rule, the largest sprout dies off immediately after fruiting.

Dark spots on the leaves of young seedlings. This feature is found in some varieties of indoor exotic. The spots have a characteristic reddish-brown color and are located along the lateral veins of the leaf plate. Usually, as the plant matures, the spots disappear and the leaf turns into a uniform rich green color.

Did you know that, according to an ancient Indian legend, an insidious tempting snake seduced Eve not with an apple, but with a banana? This means that a banana can be considered a paradise fruit that you and I can grow at home.

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28.10.2014

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 cultivation. sugar cane and rice culture. 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 banana tree has taken root well in Africa and has become an important food product for such an arid region.

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

In Europe (the beginning of the 20th century), the banana won the hearts of the townspeople with 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. In fact, a banana is a herb that can grow, depending on the species, from 1.5 (home banana) to 7.5 m (in wildlife). The massive stem consists of dried leaf stalks. Abundant, colorful bloom. Fruiting is rich. After the plant gives a harvest, it naturally dies. 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 exotic plants. The purchased young plant is capable of blooming already 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 long and up to 60 cm wide. In their color, they maneuver from rich green, sometimes with burgundy inclusions, to green in the upper and reddish in the lower part 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 fruit of a banana is 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.

Banana seed

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 the 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.

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

At the end of the period, the seeds must be cleaned of the remnants of pulp, mucus;

Landing in 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 during transplantation will be minimal.

A home-made banana may be smaller than the plants on display in flower shops and will not bloom soon. But grown in the microclimate of your particular 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 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, sometimes the harsh weather of other countries is alien to it.

Watering

Banana is not one of those plants that will forgive you an overflow 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, excess water it is advisable to immediately pour it out of the pallet, 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 food for 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 simply loves the daily spraying from the 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 a banana plant is unpretentious, an important part of its successful maintenance is the right choice pot. For young plants no more than 20 cm in height, a pot with a volume of 2-3 liters 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. Maximum size a pot of 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 garden 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(2L) and wood ash (0.5L).

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, which accelerate 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 only with liquid fertilizers during watering; other methods of feeding 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 growers water the soil every six months. weak solution manganese-sour potassium. 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, in which the bud falls 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 have fallen in love with 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 rooms. Try and experiment! Good luck!

How to grow bananas at home? Video.

There are many plants in which, at first glance, you can unmistakably identify a guest from the hot tropics. Banana definitely belongs to such plants.

Many of us have seen bananas that grow in open ground: some - on TV, and some - in the southern resorts. It is a perennial herb sometimes referred to as a banana plant, which is wrong. Banana has nothing to do with the palm family, but forms its own family - Banana.

Representatives of the family can grow up to 12 meters and have a stem (or rather, a pseudostem) tens of centimeters in diameter. The real stem of a banana is hidden underground, it is a kind of rhizome, or rhizome.

Dwarf banana varieties

It's hard enough to imagine this big plant and houses. However, among the representatives of the family there are also dwarf varieties of bananas. They grow no taller than 1.5 meters and are quite suitable for home use.

Some dwarf varieties - Musa velutina(Banana velvet), Musa violacea(Banana purple), Musa coccinea(Banana is bright red) Musa ornata(Banana lavender) and others - can only do. Even if they bloom, they will produce inedible fruits with more seeds than pulp. But there are varieties like Musa cavendish dwarf(up to 2.4 m in height) and Musa super cavendish dwarf(up to 1.3 m in height), which produce edible, tasty fruits. One of the distinctive features of fruit bananas is the large maroon spots that appear on the leaves of young plants.

In 2000, I was lucky to buy in one of the flower shops in Moscow Musa super cavendish dwarf... For the first time, it bloomed in my apartment for 7 years, a dozen and a half of first-class fruits ripened on it. But his root offspring (or baby) has bloomed for 5 years already.

In the literature, there is information that it is possible to achieve flowering of a banana even at two or three years of age. But this rather applies to plants kept in conservatories and greenhouses. In apartment conditions, it is difficult to achieve flowering from a banana of this age.

Planting material

Decorative dwarf bananas: Musa velutina(velvet banana), Musa violacea(banana purple), Musa coccinea(banana bright red), Musa ornata(lavender banana) are propagated by seeds that are sold in flower shops, including Russian and foreign online stores. True, according to reviews of exotic lovers, seed germination is not very high, but good luck is becoming more common. With fruit dwarf varieties bananas such as Musa Cavendish Dwarf and Musa super cavendish dwarf, the matter is more complicated. They reproduce by basal offspring. Therefore, these bananas can only be purchased from amateurs. exotic plants on flower forums or in specialized flower shops. Musa cavendish dwarf in some flower shops it is sold under the name Kiev dwarf... Sometimes you can find Dutch bananas in stores called Tropicana... I think this is some kind of Musa cavendish dwarf.

Some exotic lovers bring banana sprouts from tropical countries, such as Thailand, Vietnam, etc. When buying, you must definitely stipulate that you need a dwarf banana. You can ask to form a phyto-certificate. If they get a phyto-certificate, that's good. If not, that's okay. Several times I have brought plants from Thailand without such certificates. Thais do not pay attention to this, and to cross our border, it must be remembered that only the transportation of soil is prohibited. Therefore, just before flying home, you need to shake off the roots of the plant from the soil (you can do it without much fanaticism, since no one will make claims for a small amount), wrap the roots in a damp cloth (or toilet paper) and put them in a plastic bag or cut in half plastic bottle... Immediately upon arrival home, plant it in the ground.

Growing a banana: care rules

Banana - unpretentious plant, so caring for it is not difficult. For growing bananas, you can use any purchased one, without special preferences. Although experts often recommend a well-drained formula made up of leaf land, a and sand (2: 2: 1). Expanded clay or charcoal is poured onto the bottom of the pot in a layer 2-3 cm thick. When planting, you can deepen the plant a little. It won't harm a banana.

Preferably the banana is kept in the brightest possible place:. In dimly lit areas, the banana will grow worse and may not bloom.

Try to carry out top dressing every 10-14 days. Preferred. However, a banana is responsive to any feeding.

The plant loves abundant watering, because its leaves are large and evaporate a significant amount of moisture. Watering time can be determined as follows: the top layer of the soil should dry out to a depth of 2 cm. Water until water appears in the pan, from which water does not need to be drained. However, pouring and drying a banana is quite difficult. Therefore, you do not need to worry if, in your absence, or watered too actively.

From time to time it is necessary to loosen the surface layer of the soil (to a depth of 2 cm), this will provide air access to the roots. I usually do this once a month.

If from drain holes white roots appeared, the plant requires transplantation (or rather transshipment) into another pot, with a diameter of about 5 cm larger than the previous one. Sometimes young white roots appear on the surface. In this case, it is also necessary to add some soil from above.

It is believed that in order to enter fruiting, a banana must master a pot with a volume of 30-50 liters and have a large leaf mass. My bananas bloomed and bore fruit in 35 liter pots. After flowering and fruiting, the pseudostem, from which the peduncle grew, dies off. And from the rhizome, a new offspring (baby) actively begins to grow, which in a few years should give out the same peduncle. Usually, rhizome lives for about 40 years and constantly produces basal offspring, which replace each other after fruiting.

Banana propagation

Bananas are propagated by the branch of offspring, because there are no seeds in the fruits of these bananas.

Usually I separate the offspring when they reach a height of 10-15 cm. I do it as follows:

With a sharp knife, I cut off a piece of rhizome together with the offspring, 5-8 cm wide. Usually, this part of the rhizome already has several roots and the offspring suffers less painful separation from the mother plant.
I sprinkle the places of the incision on the rhizome with ash.
After that, I plant the offspring with a part of the rhizome in a new pot, which is 2-4 cm wider than the cut rhizome.
I put the pot with the offspring in a bright, warm place (temperature +20 ... 30 ° C), shading it from direct sunlight.

Banana for a short time (over several days) can withstand temperatures down to 0 ° C. I conducted such experiments. But preferable for him is a warm wintering with temperatures not lower than +10 ... 15 ° С, the most favorable temperature all year round is +20 ... + 30 ° С.

What problems might arise?

Of the pests at home, only spider mites usually live on a banana. But he is not the biggest problem.

Much more banana in the apartment suffers from dry air. Because of this, the edges of the leaves begin to dry out prematurely, for this reason the plant looks untidy. Drying edges can be easily trimmed without touching living tissue. And when the leaf begins to turn yellow, cut it off completely. An actively growing banana usually drives out on a leaf in 1-2 weeks, and they form a pseudostem. The dying off of leaves also occurs quite quickly - you do not need to be afraid of this, just remove dried and yellowing leaves as necessary.

It is quite obvious that it is impossible to provide humidity in the apartment, which is maintained in greenhouses (above 70-80%) and is most suitable for people from the humid jungle. To increase the likelihood of blooming, you can use a humidifier or spray regularly. In such conditions, a banana will look more attractive, delight you for more than one year with its exotic look and delicious fruits.

Many people dream of growing a banana at home. The idea seems rather unusual, as this tropical plant mainly grows and bears fruit in hot climates and high humidity. But if you wish, nothing is impossible, especially since the adaptation of this culture to various climatic conditions has been going on for many millennia.

Growing environment

Despite the fact that the banana is a large plant (some specimens grow above 10 m in tropical climates), it is not a tree. And although it has a very characteristic crown, it does not apply to palm trees either. All types of bananas, and there are more than 70 of them, are herbaceous plants. What is called the trunk is actually tightly woven leaf stalks. And the real stem, short and thick, is practically all located in the ground. Lateral shoots are formed on it, which develop alternately, replacing each other. Sheet plates that form a rosette at the top of the false trunk in an amount of 6 to 20 pcs., In different types differ in size and color. But they are always large (from 0.7 m to 2.5 m) and elongated-oval in shape. The root system in vivo is very powerful for a herbaceous plant. It can go up to 1.5 meters deep, and the lateral shoots extend up to 5 m. In size, this grass is second only to bamboo, which also belongs to herbaceous plants.

The development of green shoots in a tropical climate lasts about 10 months. Then comes the flowering period. A powerful peduncle appears from the center of the false trunk, at the end of which a complex inflorescence is formed. Initially, the inflorescence is covered with a common shell and resembles a huge pistachio of purple or green color in shape. Then the shell opens and a multi-tiered inflorescence appears. At the base of the inflorescence are located womens flowers that only have a pistil. In the middle part of the inflorescence there are bisexual flowers with both stamens and pistils. They are smaller than the female ones.

At the end of the inflorescence there are small male flowers. All flowers are tubular, consist of 3 petals, 3 sepals. Blooming wild bananas begins at night. At this time of day they are pollinated. the bats... In the daytime, blooming bananas attract insects and birds, which also pollinate them.

Fruits develop only from female flowers, as the rest are sterile. Bananas are a densely shelled, multi-seeded berry. Fruits of different types and varieties are very different in size, color and shape. The length of a banana can vary from 5 to 35 cm. The shape can be cylindrical or triangular. Most varieties and species have fruits of different shades of yellow, but there are also green (ripe), reddish and whitish bananas. From 1 inflorescence, up to 300 fruits can ripen, but usually there are no more than 50 of them. After the fruits ripen, the ground part of the plant dies off, and a new shoot appears from the stem.

In wild plants, fruits contain a large number of seeds, which also vary in shape and size. Banana seeds are very hard and dense, their number in 1 fruit can reach 200 pieces. The fruits that are sold in stores and on the market are derived from an artificially bred variety called the Paradise Banana. Seedless banana varieties are only suitable for vegetative propagation.

How to grow a banana at home?

Banana is a very demanding crop to care for. As a tropical plant, it needs high temperature, bright light and high humidity. In the absence of these conditions, the plant will grow poorly, will not bloom and bear fruit, it may dry out and die.

Growing a banana in a pot

Growing a banana at home is troublesome even for experienced flower growers. It reproduces by seeds and vegetatively. It is very difficult to grow a full-fledged plant from seeds at home, and it is not very easy to find them. But you can try. An important feature: bananas propagating in this way with inedible fruits.

Both decorative varieties and fruit varieties can be grown in pots. Decorative varieties are distinguished by greater unpretentiousness, compact size and attractive leaf colors. These varieties also bear fruit, but they are not suitable for food. As home plant they grow a bright red banana (its height does not even reach 1 m), lavender and velvety, which can grow up to 1.5 m.

Fruit varieties look less attractive, but it is quite possible to get edible fruits from them small size... Under indoor conditions, a Kiev dwarf (1.5 m in height) and a superdwarf (up to 1 m) are grown. In greenhouse conditions or in a high-ceilinged area, varieties such as Velvet Pointed and Cavendish Dwarf can be grown. These plants grow up to 2.5 m.

When bananas are grown from seeds, plants are more viable, since their adaptation begins from the moment the seeds germinate. How to plant a banana? Since the peel of the seeds is very dense, for faster pecking of the sprouts, it is sanded with a nail file or sandpaper. Through the artificially thinned shell, moisture will reach the embryo of the seed faster, and it will move into growth. Polished seeds are soaked in warm (35 ° C) water for a day. During the day, the water is changed every 6 hours, maintaining the required temperature. After the sprouts appear, the seeds are placed on a sandy-peat substrate, consisting of 1 part of sand and 4 parts of peat, slightly deepening into it. The containers with the planted seeds are covered with transparent film and glass, and placed in a warm, bright place.

Germination of seeds is long and takes 2-3 months. During this time, it is necessary to carefully monitor the moisture content of the soil and from time to time spray it from a spray bottle. It is necessary to ventilate crops daily. The room temperature should be around 30 ° C during the day and at least 25 ° C at night. The emerging seedlings grow very quickly, so several transplants will be needed in the first year. This is usually done as soon as the roots of the plant are visible from the drainage holes.

Vegetative breeding method

It is much easier and faster for these plants to propagate by cuttings. This method is started at the moment when fruiting is over, and the aerial part of the plant has died out, and the new one has not yet grown. To do this, the underground stem is dug out of the ground and the part with the bud that has started to grow is carefully separated. This part of the stem is planted in a separate prepared pot. As it grows, the capacity of the pot is increased during transplantation. Do not plant a small plant immediately in big pot... The root system of a young plant is not able to absorb a large amount of moisture, which will lead to acidification of the soil and decay of the roots. As a result, the plant may die.

When transplanting, a young plant is removed from the pot along with a lump of earth. This will prevent damage to the fragile root system. A more voluminous pot is selected, the diameter of which is 2-3 cm higher than the previous one. At the bottom of the pot, a drainage layer must be laid, consisting of expanded clay or small pebbles, then a layer of sand and only after that a layer of fresh soil. The basis of the soil for growing a banana should be leafy earth, to which humus is added, wood ash and coarse sand. An adult dwarf plant needs a 50-liter container for fruiting, a 35-liter pot is enough for a super-dwarf banana. Despite its dwarfism, this is far from a small plant and needs a spacious flowerpot. At suitable conditions for 3 years of life, completely edible fruits can be obtained from the plant.

A ready-to-grow plant can be purchased from flower shops or greenhouses. You should not buy a large banana, since after greenhouse conditions it will be difficult for it to adapt to the climate of the apartment. Better to take a young, recently germinated plant.

Conditions for successful banana cultivation

For homemade bananas, you need to choose the brightest place in the room. This plant can feel normal only in bright light. In the autumn-winter period, a banana will need additional lighting in any case. But the burning summer sun can harm the delicate young leaves, so during this period the plant should be slightly darkened.

Optimum temperature, at which bananas grow as quickly as possible, is 30-35 ° C. V winter time this plant can withstand 16 ° C, but its growth will stop completely.

Despite the fact that bananas are very moisture-loving, they tolerate light overdrying of the soil much easier than waterlogging. Therefore, you should be careful with watering. Water the bananas generously, but not very often. The criterion is the drying of the topsoil by 2 cm. Only warm (about 30 ° C) settled water can be used for irrigation. In the warm season, this plant should be sprayed as often as possible. Better yet, put the pot on a grate with a container of water under it, or place a humidifier next to the flowerpot.

Obtaining fruits from dessert varieties is very problematic without the use of dressings. This culture accepts organic fertilizers well in the form of manure infusions or fish broth. You can also use ready-made fertilizers for fruit trees or vermicompost. It is recommended to water bananas and infusions of ordinary weeds. You can also add chopped banana pulp and peel to the soil. In the warm season, the plant is fed once a week, and in winter - once a month. Growing a banana at home, and even trying its fruits, is not an easy task, but it is quite real and interesting.

It's about the same banana, the fruits of which both children and adults love to feast on. It turns out that it can be grown at home. At the same time, he will delight his owners not only with the taste of the fruit, but also with the appearance.

Banana (Musa) is a very tall (up to 10 m) powerful perennial plant of the family of the same name. Despite its impressive size, bananas are classified as herbs, and their fruits are nothing more than a berry.

Bananas grow in the tropics and subtropics. His 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 growth point. Shortened escape, underground. What we are used to seeing above the surface of the earth is not a shoot, it is leaves.

Leaves are long-petiolate, enveloping each other's bases. They form a kind of trunk. The leaf blades are impressive in size: 2, sometimes even 3 m in length and up to half a meter in width. Ellipsoidal, juicy, green, sometimes with a burgundy or dark green spot. After fruiting, the leaves of the plant gradually die off, they are replaced by new ones.

Flower: The first banana bloom will come 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. The banana bloom is a magnificent sight, lasting two or even three months.

The fruits are tied after pollination of the largest, female, flowers and are located in their place, forming a kind of brush, called bunch. A ripe single fruit has an elongated bean-like 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 a long day of light. In winter, he needs a backlight.

Temperature

Banana - heat-loving plant... Optimum for the full development of a banana is considered to be an air temperature in the range of 24-30 degrees. It is important that the temperature does not drop below 16 degrees.

Air humidity

Banana does not tolerate dry air, reacting to it with a loss of gloss and drying of 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 moisturizing and hygiene, wipe the leaves of the plant with a damp soft cloth or arrange a warm shower for the flower.

Watering

Banana needs not only humid air, but also abundant watering, especially in spring and summer. In autumn, watering is reduced, and by winter it is completely reduced to a minimum. For irrigation, only settled water at room temperature or slightly higher is suitable.

The soil

The optimal soil composition for growing a banana: a mixture of turf, humus, leafy earth and sand in a ratio of 2: 2: 2: 1.

Top dressing and fertilizers

Like most plants, bananas are fed using liquid mineral fertilizers intended for indoor plants. Top dressing is carried out twice a month, starting in April and ending at the end of September.

Transfer

Banana grows rapidly, so it needs to be repotted periodically. Doing so better in spring picking up a more roomy pot. A drainage layer must be poured onto the bottom of the container.

When replanting a banana, it is always deepened more deeply than the previous time. This is done in order to stimulate the emergence of new roots.

Bananas are usually propagated by offspring, by dividing rhizomes, and some species by seeds.

Reproduction using seeds is quite laborious. 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 with warm water, and then scarified (filed). Sowing is carried out in a moist substrate made up of equal amounts of leafy earth, peat, sand and charcoal... The planting depth of the 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 for seedlings at least a month, sometimes even two. A pick is carried out after the seedlings get stronger and give 2-3 leaves. Young plants are fast growing.

Vegetative propagation is carried out by root suckers. It is very convenient to propagate a banana in this way during transplantation, separating layers from an adult plant, making a cut on the rhizome. The cut points are sprinkled with coal. The root offspring is placed in a separate container filled with a mixture of equal amounts of leaf, peat soil and sand.

Diseases and pests

Over-watering can lead to root rot and leaf spot. At home, a banana can be damaged by a spider mite, thrips, a scabbard, a mealybug.

They are more modest in comparison with wild plants, sizes, beautiful flowers and the leaves for which they are grown.

Velvet banana- rises above the ground by one and a half meters and has spectacular bright yellow flowers with scarlet wrappers or bracts. The bracts are gradually bent outward, curling up the tube. This species has velvety fruits, which owes its name.

Banana lavender appreciated for its beautiful, lavender, pink or orange inflorescences.

Banana bright red does not exceed in height and meter, and has bright flower with a scarlet wrapper, effectively set off by green foliage.