You can get delicious bananas in the supermarket all year round. But where do the fruits come from and how do they actually grow? Do the perennials also thrive in your own garden or in the greenhouse and can you harvest fruit here? We answer these and other exciting questions in the following article.
Where and how do bananas grow?
Bananas grow on perennials in sunny regions, mainly in countries such as Costa Rica, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru. The fruits develop from yellow or white female flowers and are called fingers. Small, hardy bananas can also be cultivated in the home garden.
Sun-hungry plantation fruits
Bananas grow predominantly in the sunny regions around the equator. The main fruit growing areas are the following countries:
- Costa Rica,
- Ecuador,
- Colombia,
- Peru.
They don't grow on trees, but on perennials. The pseudo-trunks (stems) of banana plants do not become woody. They consist of numerous leaves rolled around each other.
The banana flowers appear around the fifth year. In addition to a large, mostly red, male flower, there are many yellow or white female flowers. These develop into fruits called fingers.
The botanical bananas that grow into berries initially grow very straight, surrounded by leaves. Only when these have fallen off do the fingers stretch upwards towards the light. The characteristic shape of the bananas is created.
Since banana plants only produce fruit once in their life, the perennials are cut down for harvest. At this point, a strong shoot has already formed at the root, which secures the next generation.
Bananas from your own garden
Actually, bananas only thrive in the tropics. Small and hardy specimens can also be cultivated in the garden in our latitudes, where they spread a tropical flair. Alternatively, you can put the perennial in a pot and overwinter indoors.
- Bananas require nutrient-rich, medium-heavy substrate.
- Water abundantly because the plants need a lot of water.
- Because the leaves develop so quickly, you should fertilize the plant every two weeks in summer.
- Bananas grow into powerful perennials. Therefore, choose a sufficiently large planter and repot regularly.
Tip
Despite the best conditions, a successful harvest of fruits grown in the garden or in a warm place in the home is not guaranteed. If flowers appear, you should continue care as usual.
