LOOKING FOR OTHER RARE AND UNUSUAL BANANA SPECIES SEEDS? THEN CHECK OUT THE OTHER ITEMS IN OUR EBAY STORE

Commonly known as the Snow banana, Ensete glaucum is cultivated as an ornamental plant, for its unique swollen bulbous base and impressively large leaves which can be up to 2 m long and 60 cm wide. Native to China, Nepal, India, Myanmar (Burma), and Thailand, the young shoots and one of the flowering parts are eaten as a vegetable.

Soak the seeds for 24 hours in warm water before planting. 

Using either a seed tray of modular tray, fill with a good quality seed compost such as John Innes ‘Seed and Potting’. Then using a dibber sow the hardy banana seed ¼in deep. Backfill the hole with a little more compost then water thoroughly. Allow the excess water to drain then seal the tray inside a polythene bag in order to keep the compost moist. Now place the tray in a warm area while the seeds germinate. Be aware that germination is slow and erratic and even at a temperature of around 28 degrees Celsius banana seeds can take 1-6 months to germinate.

It is worth mentioning here that most banana seed will respond well to fluctuations in temperature. If you have both the time and the facilities, consider give your seeds alternating temperatures of 19 hours cool and 5 hours warm. You will find that some species will respond well to larger fluctuations of temperature – between 35 degrees Celsius and 15 degrees Celsius, while others are better with less severe fluctuations 25 Celsius – 15 Celsius or even 20 Celsius -15 Celsius. However, do not go much below 12 degrees Celsius as this can place your hardy banana seed back into dormancy. Perhaps the easiest way to produce your fluctuating temperatures is keep your seeded trays in a heated propagator. Switch it on during the day and turn it off at night. If your night temperatures are too cold then have the propagator on a night and turned off during the day.