Banana Palm

Banana Palm Care

Musa tropicana

What is the plant

The Banana Palm, also called Banana or Plantain tree, is a fast-growing plant that produces bananas, as its name suggests.

The Banana plant is the largest flowering herbaceous plant on the planet. Known for its tasty fruit, the banana palm is also popular in outdoor and indoor settings for its showy, bright green leaves that reach up to six feet long by two feet wide. Native to rainforests in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Australia, Banana Palms bring a lush, tropical look to a garden. They can be grown indoors as a houseplant if given adequate light and water.

Flowers in spring are dramatic in shades of purple, white, and orange. The green or yellow fruit follows.

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Humidity

High

Lighting

Full Sun

Temperature

14°C - 19°C

Hardiness zone

10 - 11

Difficulty

Easy

How to Care for the Plant

Water
It only needs a moderate amount of water and likes well-drained soil.
Pruning
Before the banana tree fruits, prune it to one main stem. After growing for six to eight months, leave one small shoot at the base of the stem. After the fruit is taken, cut the main stem down to a few feet, and remove the remainder in a few weeks, leaving just the replacement sucker.
Fertilizer
These palms are heavy feeders. Use a time-release fertilizer specified for palm trees twice a year during the spring through the autumn growing season.

Disease diagnosis

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Sunlight
Fairly forgiving, these palms can take full sun to part shade.
Soil
It prefers fast-draining potting soil that is acidic.
Propagation
Banana palms are propagated by taking “pups,” offshoots that grow from the base of the banana plant.

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Temperature
Appropriate conditions are warm, rarely below 57.2° F (14° C) or above 93.2° F (34° C).
Container
Even in containers, the palm can grow eight to ten feet. Banana palms require large containers to hold a root system that supports a plant of that height and vigor, plus enough soil to nurture it.
Fun fact
Technically, the Banana Palm is not a palm tree. It is a perennial herb that grows from a rhizome.