Almost all banana trees thrive in tropical or subtropical areas. Musa doesn't just give sweet fruits in her homeland. In fact, it also surprises hobby gardeners in this country with small fruits.
How to care for a banana plant Musa?
The Musa banana plant is a monocotyledonous perennial that thrives in tropical and subtropical areas. It prefers a sunny location, regular watering, fertilizing once or twice a year and a water-permeable substrate. Some varieties produce edible fruits.
Description
The Musa are monocotyledonous perennials because they have a false stem. This reaches a height of up to 8 meters. Their leaves are not naturally pinnate. The wind has a hand in this. Bananas were originally called paradise figs. They thrive from Asia to Africa to Latin America. The local world market benefits from intensive banana exports. In Germany, the banana is at the top of the popularity scale. For this purpose, dessert bananas (Musa × paradisiaca) are primarily grown.
In contrast, others are used in the textile industry. These include, for example, the Japanese fiber banana (Musa bajoo). Due to its resilience, it is very popular in home gardens. Smaller specimens are suitable as decorative houseplants. They are available in different sizes.
Care:
- Location: sunny, no direct sunlight
- Watering: keep moist regularly, do not let it dry out
- Fertilize: 1 to 2 times a year (liquid fertilizer (€19.00 at Amazon))
- Substrate: water-permeable, soil with coconut fibers suitable
- Transplanting: every 1 – 2 years, remove offshoots and plant separately
- Propagation: also seeds (only for wild bananas)
- Overwintering: depending on the variety in the cellar, winter garden or garden
- Fruits: Some varieties produce edible bananas.
Similar plants
A total of around 100 Musa species have been documented to date. There are also other, similar-looking variants, which, however, do not belong to the Musaceae family. These come from other plant genera. These include Enseten (ornamental bananas) or Strelitzia (Strelitzias).
Tips & Tricks
The banana fruit can not only be enjoyed raw. It is also suitable for baking, cooking, drying or freezing.
