Treat yourself - and your garden – this summer, by planting your own banana tree! By Libby Cameron
When I think of banana plants, I recall watching an elephant at the zoo snacking on a whole plant as if it were a stick of celery! This image helps explain that banana plants are actually soft-wooded, evergreen perennials. They grow from an underground rhizome and the trunk is made up of the leaf bases, which are all wound up together. When mature, banana plants produce a single, pendulous spike of flowers that hang down like a full-bodied 'bell', followed by the delicious fruit. After fruiting, the tree dies, leaving a new generation of 'suckers'. The gorgeous, bright-green, paddle–like leaves make banana plants an attractive option for any home gardener.
Position
Bananas grow best when planted in full sunlight, in a protected position. In windy conditions, the leaves can quickly become shredded and they lose their appeal as an ornamental plant. A north or easterly aspect is ideal.
Soil
Choose a well-drained, deep soil, with plenty of organic matter and consistent moisture. Banana plants do not like to be waterlogged.
Planting guide
You can grow bananas from suckers, which are the offshoots of the parent plant, or from a piece of the rhizome with a mature bud or 'eye'. Choose healthy suckers that are about 40-60cm tall, with strong stems and narrow leaves. Plant the sucker into a hole about 300mm square x 250mm deep. Place some organic fertiliser in the hole, cover with soil and then plant the sucker with the base of the stem about 15cm below the soil. Space plants 5m apart. Water sparingly until they begin to grow.
In districts where bananas are grown commercially, you will need to apply to the Department of Primary Industries for a 'planting permit'.
Cultivation
The most popular varieties of banana are Cavendish and Lady Finger. For all varieties, you'll need to apply a citrus food as soon as the sucker begins to grow. Apply more fertiliser every six weeks from September to April. Mulch bananas well, keeping the mulch 50cm from the base of each plant. As the plant grows it will produce several suckers around the base. Remove all but one of these suckers, two if the plant is vigorous, by cutting them off at ground level with a sharp knife.
Banana plants will produce fruit in 15 to 18 months. Commercial growers cover bananas with a plastic bag to shorten the time to maturity and help keep the bunch clean. You can also do this, or cut the bananas down and ripen them in a cool, well-ventilated place. To avoid a glut, remove individual bunches and ripen them separately. A bunch is ready to be harvested when the dry remains of the flowers can be rubbed off easily from the ends, and the fruit has become fairly rounded without angular ribs. Cut the stalk well above the top bunch of bananas.
Pests and diseases
If you grow bananas from disease-free suckers, you will not encounter the serious diseases that can affect them, such as Panama disease and Bunchy Top Virus. Aphids are the most common pest, and can easily be controlled with Confidor, Pest Oil or Eco Oil. Lady Finger bananas are resistant to aphid attack.
Tips & Tricks
* Use banana leaves to wrap food with when cooking Asian dishes. They are especially good for wrapping fish parcels.
* Banana leaves add a tropical look when presenting food on a platter. Cut a fresh leaf and trim it for use it as an underlay for the food
* Ripening bananas release ethanol, and this can be used to help ripen other fruit. Simply place the banana in a plastic bag with the other green fruit.
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