The tropical greenery can thrive in your home if you follow the right steps.
By Olivia Heath, House Beautiful
Originating from East Asia, the banana is one of the oldest cultivated
crops, and there's more than 400 species worldwide of this exotic plant —
characterized by large, smooth-edged leaves and a slightly wavy edge —
from the Musaceae family.
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If you want a banana tree (or two) in your home, follow these tips:
1. When
buying a banana tree, look at the pot size, the height of the plant and
the number of plants per pot. Its leaves are fragile so must be sleeved
in order to prevent leaf damage and cold damage.
2. Also
look out for diseases and pests: you'll find aphids and scale insects
are the most common. Meanwhile, sticky clear honeydew is a sign that
there are "beasties" living on the plant. And if conditions are too dry,
the plant could have red spider mite, too.
3.
Banana trees like warm conditions — they cannot cope well with
temperatures below 53-56°F. And give them plenty of daylight but avoid
placing in direct sunlight.
4. Because it has a large leaf area, the plant evaporates quite a lot of moisture and will therefore need some extra water.
5.
However, be careful when watering not to get the soil too wet because
this can cause the root to rot, which ultimately disrupts the plant's
growth.
6. The
banana tree has a limited range but Musa "Dwarf Cavendish" and Musa
"Tropicana" are the most common varieties. The size of dwarf banana
trees makes them suitable for living rooms.
7. Houseplant food once a fortnight will keep the banana tree strong and beautiful.
8. If it's thriving and getting too big, remove some of the lower stems so that it produces fresh side shoots.
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9.
As a houseplant, the banana tree rarely bears fruit. The Cavendish is
the most important species for edible bananas, but be warned, it often
takes more than three years for the first flowers to appear on the plant
which is needed for the fruit. To get a banana tree to flower, keep it
growing with plenty of light and high temperatures, such as a
conservatory. The plant may then flower and produce fruit after three to
four years.
10.
The banana tree can be placed in the garden in a sunny, sheltered spot
as a container plant from mid-April to mid-October. Allow it to
overwinter indoors, and allow it to gradually acclimatize to bright
sunlight in the spring to prevent scorching.
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