Dwarf Banana Tree

Yummy and full of nutrition, the banana grows on the largest herbaceous flowering plant, the banana tree or plant. It belongs to the genus Musa. The plant like the fruit is very popular and needs no introduction. Native to tropical Southeast Asia, they are presently cultivated world over in suitable environmental conditions. The fruit this plant bears is classified as dessert bananas; yellow and ripe, ready to eat, and as green cooking bananas. Bananas are also known as plantains in certain regions. Most bananas carry seeds, but with new cultivars introduced, one can also get seedless varieties. Bananas comes in varying sizes; big and small and in colors of yellow, red and green.

Traditionally, bananas have never been used as an ornamental tree, but with the introduction of dwarf banana plants, one can successfully grow them in large sized pots and containers, and enjoy the fruits as well. A dwarf banana plant only grows up to three to four feet tall from a corm, and grows erect like a pseudostem. Each pseudostem bears one bunch of bananas. The leaves are spirally arranged, smooth textured and a bright green. Some dwarf varieties have a splash of purple or red across the banana leaf. The mature banana plant bears flowers in late spring, early summer, mid summer, late summer or early fall eventually bearing very small sweet fruit.

How to Grow Dwarf Banana Trees

Technically, a dwarf or the other banana varieties, is not tree, it is a plant. Banana plants like full sun, even the potted ones need 4-5 hours of good light, partial or diffused is also just fine. They aren't fussy with their soil requirement, but a light, well-drained moisture retaining with a pH balance between 6.1 to 7.5 does well for their fruiting capacity. While planting a dwarf banana, avoid the wind path, as the leaves are very thin they tear easily. Although they tear even in light wind, they can almost get uprooted by strong winds.

Dwarf Banana Tree Care

Banana propagation is done using rhizomes called suckers or pups. Almost every banana plant you see will have plenty of suckers shooting through around them. Separate suckers from the mother plant when at least two of its oblong leaves open out completely. Push the spade deep inside and dig out the whole plant carefully, without cutting into the rhizome. One can easily get a ready growing tree from the nursery too.

Dig a hole deep enough for the entire root ball. Add lots of organic compost before planting. Make a berm around the banana plant and water it well. For the ones growing in pots, leave an inch space while filling the soil top the brim. Water from the outer side of the pot. They enjoy being watered regularly, so never let them dry out. Dwarf banana likes to be fed well, feed with banana specific liquid fertilizer each month. While adding fertilizer, apply from the outside, never directly or too close to the main stem.

Winter care is essential, especially if you live in zones that get very cold. Being a dwarf it is easy to provide overall frost protection. Dwarf bananas don't require much pruning, except for removing extra suckers. If you are keen for a good fruit yield, remove all but one sucker. One sucker is needed to replace the plant at later stages.

Dwarf banana tree is quite pest resistant, root rot and spider mites hiding in its leaves are the only problem one may face. But that is quite easy to handle. So go on, and get this dwarf plant, enjoy its fruit and ornamental value, together.