Woman's hands frame a clump of dozens of tiny yellow-green bananas, each a little larger than her thumb

How To Grow Banana Plants

Updated on Feb 29, 2024
By Baillie Blankenship

The name "banana" quite likely comes from the West African language Wolof word banaana which was adopted into Spanish and/or Portuguese and from there into English. Bananas are native to the tropical regions of Australia and Indomalaya. It is believed domestication and cultivation began in New Guinea and then spread westward. Archaeologists have discovered many banana phytoliths that date back 6,500 to 10,000 years! In frost-prone  regions, the banana grows best in a greenhouse or in pots to be brought indoors during cold weather.

HISTORY

Botanically, the banana is classified as a berry, and the larger, starchier varieties, often called "plantains," are used in savory dishes, while the softer and sweeter variants are sometimes referred to as "dessert  bananas" and are usually eaten raw or in baked goods. Large-scale commercial cultivation of single cultivars has led to decreasing genetic diversity among bananas, and disease can easily wipe out whole plantations of genetically identical plants, as happened with Panama disease and the popular Gros Michel banana in the 1950s. The bright yellow color of grocery-store bananas is due to the use of ethylene gas (which is also released naturally by the bananas themselves in smaller quantities) to ripen them after shipping.

USES

  • Dessert bananas can be eaten fresh or added to baked goods and smoothies.
  • Plantains are delicious fried or cooked in savory dishes.
two tiny banana plant seedlings in small green glass pots with a small vintage ruler standing vertically between them indicating that their height is about 5.5 inchestwo tiny banana plant seedlings in small green glass pots with a small vintage ruler standing vertically between them indicating that their height is about 5.5 inches

 

  • If you live in the frost-free south, choose a location in full sun with well-drained soil.
  • If you live in an area where you experience frost, you will want to plant in a large pot with well-drained potting soil.
  • Wait until all danger of frost has passed before moving the container outside. 
one small broad leafed banana plant in a green glass pot with a small stack of coins to the left of the potone small broad leafed banana plant in a green glass pot with a small stack of coins to the left of the pot

 

  • Keep plants well watered.
  • Fertilize with a 5-5-5 or 10-10-10 once a month.
  • Water less frequently while dormant.
  • Transplant into larger pots as necessary.
  • Do not remove dead or dying leaves.
  • In cold climates, bring plants inside when the weather begins to cool.
  • Plants typically produce fruit in 15-18 months.
  • Harvest fruit 4-6 weeks after it has stopped growing, while still green. 
one small banana plant seedling in a clump of soil with a small stack of coins to the right of the base of the dirtone small banana plant seedling in a clump of soil with a small stack of coins to the right of the base of the dirt

 

  • The best way to propagate bananas is through pups.
  • Dig up the plant and find a pup that has at least 5 leaves.
  • With a sterile knife, cut the pup from the mother and disentangle any roots.
  • Dip the cut in rooting hormone, let it dry, and plant in potting soil.
  • Keep in a bright location.
  • Keep soil moist, but not wet until the cutting is well rooted.
Three dragon fruits sliced to show interior: one is yellow with pale interior and dark seeds; one is vivid magenta all the way through, including the skin, with tiny black seeds; one is white-fleshed with yellow skin and tiny black seedsThree dragon fruits sliced to show interior: one is yellow with pale interior and dark seeds; one is vivid magenta all the way through, including the skin, with tiny black seeds; one is white-fleshed with yellow skin and tiny black seeds