Before buying a banana tree, consider the following ideal growing conditions.
The ideal location for a banana is a spot that will get direct sunlight, such as a room with a sunny window or in the backyard away from shade. A banana tree can still survive under partial sun, but that may slow the growth of an otherwise easy-to-grow plant.
Banana trees like well-drained loamy soil, which is a mixture of sand, silt, and little clay. They prefer a pH between 5.5 and 6.5, which is on the acidic side.
Maintain the soil quality by fertilizing every two months with a 6-2-12 fertilizer. This type of fertilizer contains 6% nitrogen, 2% phosphorus, and 12% potassium. The higher concentration of nitrogen and potassium allows for a greener plant and a quality fruit yield. Apply the fertilizer immediately before watering so that the nutrients reach the banana root system.
Water the tree often to keep the soil continuously damp but not waterlogged or muddy. The watering frequency will depend on if you planted the tree in the ground or in a pot—house plants in pots will dry out quicker than ones in the ground. Expect to water the plant every two to three days. If your tree is potted, ensure the pot has drainage holes to allow excess water to escape.
When you buy a banana tree, you are given a rhizome, which is a mass of roots that are woven together. The rhizome likely has a sprout growing out of the top called a sucker. Here’s how you would plant the rhizome in the ground or in a pot:
From the rhizome, a pseudostem will sprout. A pseduostem looks like a stem, but it’s just a bunch of folded banana leaves. The true stem will grow out of the center of the pseudostem followed by leaves, blossoms, and bananas.
It will take nine to 15 months before the tree starts flowering and an additional two to six months before the bananas are ready to be picked.
Banana plants are heat-tolerant and are native to warmer parts of the world, like Southeast Asia and Central and South America. While bananas are susceptible to many diseases in their native habitats, the only major one that affects ones in the United States is root rot, which is where the rhizome rots and the plant decays from cold and wet soil.