Growing Bananas During the Pandemic

Growing Bananas During the Pandemic

Tips and Tricks For Growing Bananas During The Pandemic. 

Frugal Farmers, you may be wondering why would I do an article on planting bananas during the pandemic. After all, bananas take an average 9-12 months to grow and the pandemic may well be over. Well, if you have kids i'm sure you buy bananas as kids love these. However, there are multiple uses for this plant. Having grow up in the country i'd never thought i'd see a day when they actually sold banana leaves. I recently saw this in Massy and i'd update this article next time I visit the supermarket for a picture. 

Banana leafs are traditionally used in making 'pamie' and the famous Christmas dish 'pastelle'. So it seems only appropriate to plant bananas now as you would surely save some money or time for Christmas as you wouldn't have to look for banana leafs.

Planting The Banana Tree

Bananas are one of the most consumed and cheapest fruits worldwide: they are the most traded fruit and the fifth most traded agricultural product.  

Believe it or not, plenty folks don;t know how bananas are grown. Bananas trees or 'suckers' as we call it locally is dug out and transplanted to where you'd like your tree to grow. Also, growing Banana trees in pots are as easy as peeling and eating one. If you wish to grow one at your home here is the guide. There are banana varieties that can withstand temperature drops and grows well in containers, popular especially among the fans of exotic tropical plants in the garden. There are banana varieties that can withstand temperature drops and grows well in containers, the favorite exotic tropical plants for the backyard.You may have a question in mind, will the plant bear fruit if grown in the pot ? And the answer is yes. It is possible, a banana tree bears fruits in pot prolifically.

Growing Banana Plants in Pots

Banana is a lush green, fast-growing plant that can give any place a tropical look and feel. Many varieties become excellent houseplants that don’t need much care and grow up very  quickly. Dwarf varieties of banana trees can grow anywhere between 2 to 4 meters. Compared to the ordinary banana trees that can reach up to 15 meters high.

Banana plants love full sun, heat and humidity. If you’re growing a banana tree, you should keep it in a spot that receives the sun most of the day but preferably sheltered from the wind.

Growing Banana tree requires well-draining soil, sandy soil that is rich in organic matters and compost. Buy a good quality potting mix for your banana tree. If you are making it at home, make sure to mix sand, perlite, and compost or manure.

Banana needs slightly acidic to a neutral soil to produce those potassium rich, nutritious bananas. The soil pH should be around 6 – 7. If your soil is alkaline mix sulfur to decrease the pH. Banana loves moisture. Water it regularly and deeply but care not to over water. In summer, water it every day. It may need water even two times a day in hot weather or when it is root bound. Soil for growing banana plants should be kept uniformly moist. 

Pests and diseases

Bananas are quite resistant to diseases, still, when you see the leaves turning brown and drying at the edges it means you’re over watering and if the leaves turn yellow, banana plant is having a lack of nutrients. Some pests that might attack banana plant are banana aphids, banana weevil, and coconut scale. These pests can easily be repelled using organic pesticides.

Some horticulturists believe that bananas were the first fruit on earth! Whats Your Thoughts??? Answer In Comments! 

Click the video below to see a surprising history of bananas. 

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