If you really like bananas, you can grow your own tree at home. Although people who live in areas with subtropical climates mostly grow banana trees in their gardens, bananas can actually thrive in pots or other containers, which are placed indoors. If you have the right materials and plants, and take good care of the tree, you can grow your own banana tree at home. Within 1 year, you can harvest bananas from these plants.
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Part 1 of 3: Getting the Right Materials
Step 1. Choose a dwarf banana tree
An ordinary banana tree can grow to more than 15 meters and is too large for a standard pot. When buying a banana tree, choose a dwarf type. This type of banana only grows to about 1.5 meters, can be grown indoors, and cannot grow beyond the pot you used to grow it. Look for dwarf banana seeds from online sellers on the internet.
Some types of dwarf bananas include Ambon mini banana, barlin, milk banana, and morosebo
Step 2. Purchase banana tubers or saplings online or from a seed seller
Bulbs are the base of a banana tree that has roots. If you don't want to grow bananas from tubers and can't wait for the trees to grow, buy a small banana tree or banana shoots. This can save time because you don't need to grow shoots from bulbs, and make it easier for you to plant them.
You can also buy small banana trees or their tubers at the nursery
Step 3. Prepare soil that drains well, and is slightly acidic
Banana trees will thrive in soil that can drain water well. A good growing medium for bananas is a mixture of peat (peat), perlite, and vermiculite. Planting media commonly used for cacti or palms are also suitable for banana trees. You can buy ready-made planting media at a farm store or plant seed seller.
- Some types of soil are not good for banana tree growth, for example heavy ordinary planting media or soil obtained from the yard.
- Banana trees thrive in soils with a pH between 5.5 and 6.5.
Step 4. Use a pot that is deep and has good drainage holes
Start planting bananas in pots that are 15 cm or 20 cm long, with drainage holes in the bottom. Avoid planting bananas in pots that do not have good drainage. Use a deep pot so the tree roots have room to grow. When choosing a potting material, determine the price of the pot you want to buy and buy a ceramic, metal, plastic, or wood pot.
- When the tree has grown so large that the first pot cannot accommodate it, move the banana tree to a larger pot.
- If the tree is large enough for a 30 cm pot, increase the pot size by 10 to 15 cm every 2-3 years.
Part 2 of 3: Planting Banana Trees
Step 1. Wash the banana tubers thoroughly using warm water
It is very important to wash the banana tubers before planting to get rid of any pests that may be stuck there. This action also helps eliminate the growth of mold and bacteria.
Step 2. Make a small hole to place the bulbs
Fill the pot with the planting medium you bought at the farm store. Make a small hole about 8 cm deep in the center of the pot using a shovel. You may have to drill a deep hole to accommodate the banana tubers. Leave enough space around the bulbs so you can plant them deeper. To test it, place the bulb into the hole and make sure 20% of the top of the bulb is sticking out of the hole. This part of the tree should not be covered with soil until the banana leaves appear. After the bulbs are planted, put the soil in the gaps around the bulbs.
Step 3. Insert the tubers into the soil and cover the roots
Take and place the banana tubers into the holes you made, with the roots down. When planting bulbs, make sure you leave about 8 cm from the sides of the pot around them to provide room for roots to grow. About 20% of the top of the tuber should not be covered with soil until the leaves begin to grow.
If buds or tillers appear on the banana tubers, you can cover the exposed tubers with compost
Step 4. Water the banana tree
Water the plant thoroughly the first time you plant it, until all the soil around the bulb is wet. Do this outdoors and let the water run through the drainage holes. After your initial watering, you can use a mulch to keep the soil moist, but not drenched.
Do not place the pot on a pot mat because standing water can carry bacteria and cause rot
Part 3 of 3: Caring for Banana Trees
Step 1. Fertilize banana trees once a month
To encourage growth, use a fertilizer that is rich in magnesium, potassium, and nitrogen. Use water to mix a soluble fertilizer, or sprinkle fertilizer in granules over the soil. In addition to providing the right nutrients and minerals, regular fertilization will also encourage plant growth.
- In the dry season, you can fertilize the plant once a week.
- If there is no soluble fertilizer specifically designed for tropical plants, try using a balanced 20-20-20 fertilizer (this is a ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium).
- Well-known fertilizer producers include Petrokimia Gresik, Pupuk Kaltim, Pupuk Iskandar Muda (Aceh), Pupuk Kujang, and Pupuk Sriwijaya (Palembang).
Step 2. Water the plant regularly
Make sure the planting medium remains moist every day. You can test it by sticking your finger into the soil to see how dry the soil is underneath. Soil 1.5 cm below the surface should be kept moist. Water the banana plant daily to keep the soil and tree roots hydrated.
If the soil surface is damp and muddy, then you have overwatered the plant
Step 3. Make sure the plant gets bright indirect sunlight
Banana trees will thrive if exposed to indirect sunlight, and tend to like shady areas. If you live in a country with 4 seasons, you can place the tree outdoors in the summer when the weather is warm. Place the tree near foliage that can block direct sunlight. Rotate the banana tree pot regularly so that all sides of the plant get sunlight. If the tree is indoors, place the pot near a large window to get enough sunlight.
- The ideal temperature for banana growth is 25-30 °C.
- If the temperature is less than 15 °C, most banana plants will stop growing.
Step 4. Do the trimming
After growing healthily for 6-8 weeks, the banana tree should be pruned. As the tree grows, several saplings or shoots will appear at the bottom of the plant. You must remove all tillers, except for one stem. Choose the healthiest and largest saplings, and cut other tillers using pruning shears. When the tree begins to bear fruit, you should prune it again. After the fruit has been harvested, cut the banana tree to leave about 0.5 meters of stem from the ground, without damaging the main tiller. Trees will produce more fruit after pruning.
- Saplings look like shoots that grow from tubers and have leaves.
- Excess saplings can be planted to make new banana trees, but you must include some of the roots from the banana tubers.
Step 5. Put the banana tree inside the house if the temperature reaches less than 15 °C
Cold and strong winds are not good for bananas and can stunt fruit growth. If a cold wind blows in the yard, incorporate the plant into the house, or place it in the middle of a few trees. If the seasons change, it's a good idea to get your plants indoors before the weather gets colder.
Banana trees will die when the temperature reaches 10 °C
Step 6. Remove the tree if it has grown beyond the pot
Move the plant to a larger pot before the roots bind together. The tree should be moved to a larger container if the plant stops growing vertically. Lay down the tree and pull it out of the pot. Put the planting medium into a new, larger pot, and place a banana tree into the pot, then fill the remaining space in the pot with soil. Be careful not to damage the roots when you move the tree.
