Bananas from seeds at home. Species grown in room culture. Banana species suitable for home cultivation

Varieties

Banana has long ceased to be just a food plant: it is grown for decorative purposes in greenhouses, winter gardens, and in regions with a warm climate - in gardens and parks. But you can also grow a banana at home. How? - you ask, - After all, the size of this plant is so impressive!

Banana breeding is carried out not only in the direction of changing the taste or appearance of the fruit, but also its size. Dozens have been created so far dwarf varieties banana with variegated leaves ornamental cultivation. One of the most beautiful among them is Banana Bloody (Musa Zebrina). Its green bright leaves are covered with red spots, and the underside is completely red. But its fruits are inedible and bear little resemblance to bananas. But at Purple banana, aka lavender or purple banana (Musa ornata, or Musa violacea), real red bananas are formed, however, they are completely tasteless.

Banana flowers are another line of work for breeders. Banana Pink Velvet (Musa Velutina) at a height of 1.2-1.3 m, it blooms and bears fruit a year after sowing, it can be grown at home on the windowsill and on the balcony. It has pink inflorescences and fruits, decorative and fragrant, but not edible - they consist mainly of seeds.

Another candidate for indoor growing is Banana Yellow (Musella Lasiocarpa). This slow growing plant, although not a dwarf, is quite suitable for growing in a large apartment, has showy yellow flowers and is characterized by long flowering.

At beautiful variety Scarlet Banana (Musa Coccinea) narrow green leaves and very showy scarlet flowers that open for two months.

Red-purple flowers Banana Manna (Musa Mannii), the height of the plant does not exceed 1.2 meters.

Decorative banana pygmy adorn large leaves and inflorescences with multiple fruits, which cannot be eaten. Its height can reach two meters, it is better to grow it in winter gardens and greenhouses.

And how not to grow a banana at home, which not only has decorative leaves and flowers, but also edible fruit? For example, sort "Kyiv dwarf"- the plant is quite cold-resistant, 1.5-1.7 m high, can bloom for up to a year, forms sweet bananas. Its related variety is the banana. Superdwarf, its height does not exceed a meter. Both varieties produce about 150 delicious hearths per year at home.

And this dwarf with edible fruits can be grown at home - Banana Cavendish Super Dwarf Cavendish- plant 1.2 m high decorative leaves and flowers, it enters fruiting more slowly than the previous two varieties.

A large selection of dwarf bananas does not mean their prevalence, and here's why. A banana 2 meters high can, indeed, be considered dwarf, because the usual height of a plant is about 10 meters. Create the same tropical conditions A 2-meter banana in an apartment is problematic. Therefore, when choosing a variety for indoor cultivation, you should pay attention to super-dwarfs, whose height does not exceed 1.2 m. Place bananas about 2 meters high in greenhouses and winter gardens. How to grow a banana at home, and what rules must be followed?

Growing conditions

At home, for good growth and well-being, a banana needs to create conditions close to natural.

Temperature

As representatives of the tropics, bananas grow at high temperatures from +20 to +30°. Temperature + 10-12 ° plants withstand without suffering at the same time, but stop growing. For a short time, the banana does not freeze at temperatures up to 0 degrees. Even if the aerial part freezes, it can be cut off and the plant saved.

Lighting

All species of the genus Banana, and there are over 60 of them, love good lighting with some direct sun rays. AT summer time a banana can be covered from the daytime sun, sometimes taken out to a balcony or garden. And in autumn, spring and, especially, in winter time The plant needs as much light as possible.

If a banana is grown in winter garden or a greenhouse (in a room with transparent walls and a roof), he can do without lighting in the autumn and winter season. When growing a banana in an apartment and even on a balcony, he will need additional lighting. This is easy to do with a phytolamp. It is not necessary to install a special lighting device, it is enough to screw the light bulb into an ordinary lamp or chandelier.

If you want to grow a banana in a winter garden, all plants will benefit from additional lighting. After all, as a rule, representatives of tropical latitudes live there, accustomed to a longer winter daylight hours.

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What to make a substrate from and how

You can grow a banana at home only in soil that is favorable for the plant. A well-aerated rich substrate with a slightly acidic pH (5.8-6.5) is required for a banana. To prepare such a soil mixture, perlite or coarse river sand (one part) must be added to the universal soil, as well as one part of the crushed bark coniferous trees(pine, spruce, fir). Instead of bark, you can use needles or small twigs.

Humidity and watering

Bananas love moist air and regular watering. The plant consumes a lot of water, and large leaves evaporate a lot of moisture. How to grow a banana at home in order to provide it with the appropriate air humidity and substrate?

You need to water the plant abundantly, but make sure that the water does not stagnate in the lower part of the pot, this leads to decay of the fleshy banana roots. To avoid this, expanded clay or broken shards are placed on the bottom. For irrigation use water with a temperature of + 25 °. Before watering, the soil is checked for dryness - the substrate should dry by 1-3 cm. In winter, watering is reduced, and if the plant is kept at a temperature of 10-15 °, then it is watered once or twice a week.

If the plant is grown at home in a hot and dry place in the autumn-winter period, then it must be watered as it dries, and air humidity should be provided by spraying with warm water or using a humidifier.

No need to put a banana next to batteries or heaters. Even with sufficient watering in such a situation, it is impossible to provide the necessary humidity. It is noteworthy that when growing a banana in a group with other houseplants, due to its large evaporation surface, it creates an aura of humidity, helping the neighbors.

fertilizers

Bananas need to be fed regularly to grow well. For this purpose, you can use root and leaf top dressing. Each method has its own advantages. Fertilizers applied to the leaves are less concentrated, and accordingly the banana will receive less of the mineral components necessary for growth.

Root top dressing can cause toxic burn of the plant, especially if the concentration is violated. This happens often, because novice flower growers think that growing a banana at home will be faster from increasing fertilizers. Sometimes they remain concentrated, but use the dissolved top dressing for daily watering as water. This harms the plant.

It is more correct when growing a banana at home to fertilize the plant during the period of intensive growth in spring and summer no more than twice a week. It does not matter what type of liquid fertilizer. Mineral top dressing must be alternated with organic. For example, insist humus in boiled water for a day in a ratio of 1/5 or dilute 4 tablespoons of ash in 1 liter of water. In autumn, a banana is fertilized no more than 2 times a month, and in winter they provide the plant with a dormant period, even if it is kept at temperatures above 20 degrees and watered intensively.

A favorable effect on the banana has a shallow loosening of the soil in a pot.

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Pests and diseases

In an apartment, a banana rarely suffers from diseases that can cause excessive waterlogging. In case of root rot, banana leaves turn brown and dry out. This means that the banana needs an urgent transplant, during which the underground affected parts of the plant are removed, and the sections are sprinkled with ash.

How to grow a banana at home from seeds

Although it is easier to grow a banana at home from shoots, it is much more interesting to get a plant grown from seeds. Seeds are sold by specialized stores, plant collectors, online stores, botanical gardens.

Before sowing, banana seeds are subjected to scarification , that is, they slightly damage the shell, after which they are kept for one or two days in warm water. Before sowing, the seeds are treated with phytosporin or pink potassium permanganate to prevent fungal infections. Sow in a moist nutrient well aerated substrate with the addition of sand, perlite or coconut fiber. The container is placed in a plastic bag and placed in a warm and bright place, for example, near a heating radiator, but so that the seeds do not burn from high temperature. For this reason, you can not put crops in the open sun. The container is ventilated daily and the humidity of the substrate is controlled. If necessary, spray with a spray bottle. Germination of seeds occurs at a temperature of about + 30 °, after about a month and a half. After that, the film is removed.

The grown seedlings are seated in small pots. Care for them consists in watering and fertilizing with a weak solution. full complex fertilizers. The plant is accustomed to direct sunlight gradually: first through a tulle curtain, then leaving it in the morning or evening for a short time without it. As the seedlings grow, they are transplanted by transshipment, gradually increasing the capacity of the pot.

The dwarf banana is a plant that is quite large sized bush, with wide wavy leaves. Due to the fact that the leaves, closely intertwined, form a dense, short stem, the dwarf banana is often associated with a palm tree. But the similarity is present only in appearance, the dwarf banana is a herbaceous plant.

At favorable conditions it can grow up to 1.5-3 m in height. The fruits of some types of dwarf bananas are edible, bright yellow with a pulp that is sweeter than that of "traditional" fruits. standard size.

Kinds

Several types of ornamental dwarf bananas suitable for growing in room conditions :

Home Care

How to grow a dwarf banana at home? Let's look at the main points.

Features of care after purchase

After acquiring one or another variety dwarf banana, necessary give him some time to adjust to change conditions. There is no need to immediately transplant and fertilize the plant, as well as provide abundant watering.

It is better to leave a dwarf banana in the pot in which it was purchased for about 1.5-2 weeks in a warm, dry room, protecting it from bright and direct sunlight.

Lighting

Due to the fact that the dwarf banana is not a small plant, and its most undersized species grow at least 50 cm in height and width, it is necessary to provide it with enough space to grow. Lighting should be sufficient, especially if a variety with wide and large leaves was chosen.

With a lack of lighting, the plant will wither, so, in addition to natural light, it is better to install several specially designed artificial light lamps.

Temperature

In winter time year, the temperature of the room in which the plant will be kept should not fall below 20-22 ° C. In principle, a dwarf banana can withstand a temperature of 15-16 ° C, but it is better not to subject it to such stress.

At low temperatures the growth of leaves and the formation of inflorescences slow down. Summer on the other hand, a banana needs a higher temperature regime, about 26-30 ° C.

Air humidity

In the native habitat of the dwarf banana humidity is high enough. In artificial conditions, for the most favorable existence, the humidity of the air should be at least 60%.

Bloom

Most often, plants begin to bear fruit at 3-5 years of age. In most varieties the flowers stay pretty for a long time : 2 to 8 months.

BUT after flowering the plant begins to bear fruit. If the plant, for some reason, does not bloom, then, most likely, the conditions of detention should be changed or the fertilizer should be changed.

Fertilizers (top dressing)

Feeding should be regular, but not very frequent. Usually use foliar and root dressing.

Leaf is applied to the leaves, with it you must be very careful so that the plant does not get burned. Root top dressing is the most effective, but it should not be abused.

Some growers add a weak fertilizer concentrate to the irrigation, thinking that this will improve the growth and condition of the plant. However, in reality, the plant receives an excess of complementary foods, which can lead to its death.

There are two ways to grow a dwarf banana: using seeds or shoots from an adult plant.

from seeds growing a banana is not easy, this method requires considerable experience. Before planting in a pot, the seeds are soaked in warm water (possible with the addition of potassium permanganate) for a day, while slightly breaking their upper shell.

After soaking, they are sown on moistened soil, identical in composition to that for an adult plant, covered with polyethylene and left in a warm wet room until the first shoots appear, then the shoots are planted in separate pots.

For sprouting young shoots are suitable, with at least four leaves and strong roots. They are carefully removed from the mother plant, and planted in a prepared pot. Caring for young plants is the same as for an adult plant.

Landing

If the goal is to grow a dwarf banana at home, then it is best to purchase a young plant for this. It should be planted in the ground from under hardwood trees, with the addition of humus and river sand.

pot bottom lined with pebbles or expanded clay. At first, transplant young plant will have to be done quite often, and watering should be carried out as the soil dries.

It should not be planted in very big pot, with a margin for future growth, since the presence of a large amount of moist soil can cause rotting of the root system.

Transfer

The plant should be transplanted as its roots grow. Usually, a dwarf banana is transplanted 2 times a year. Transplantation is carried out only when the roots have completely occupied the entire lower part pot or box.

Diseases and pests

At home, the dwarf banana is practically not attacked by pests. However, some diseases may well hit him.

Most often this happens due to improper care of the plant. The most common signs that the plant needs treatment:

• drying of the leaves and their loss of gloss (insufficient air humidity);
• yellowness on the foliage (insufficient watering);
• root rot (overwatering).

With drafts and dry air the plant may be attacked by aphids or spider mites.

Growing a dwarf banana the process is pretty fun..

In addition to the "revitalization" of the interior bright colors during the flowering period, plant can deliver not only aesthetic pleasure, but also pamper us with their useful and tasty fruits.

Features of care after purchase

After acquiring a germinated houseplant, it is kept at rest a few days in the exact place where the banana is to grow. Then the plant follows transplant into an appropriate size pot.

IMPORTANT! When buying a plant, find out if the variety you choose brings edible fruit. Unfortunately, not all homemade and garden bananas can be eaten.

pruning

Home and garden banana does not need in pruning. It is cut off only in case of rejuvenation of the plant or to cut off the damaged ground part.

Bloom

A well-developed banana that has released up to 18 large sheets, blooms. Rosettes appear in which red-violet flower buds bloom. They last from 3 months to 1 year, eventually starting to lean towards the ground.

How a banana blooms - photo:

Lighting

A tropical plant needs good diffused lighting - then it will develop and bear fruit safely. Therefore, it is better to place a homemade banana on the south, Eastern or southeast windowsill. Or next to the appropriate windows, if the plant has already reached a large size.

If this is not possible, and the only available option is north window , it is necessary to resort to an additional lighting.

However, even this photophilous plant like a banana, you need protect from direct sunlight so that they do not burn its leaves.

Therefore, home and garden (as well as balcony) bananas need shade from the direct rays of the sun with gauze.

Temperature

The room heat-loving southerner does not grow well if the temperature becomes below 16 degrees.

Therefore, in the summer it is necessary to surround it with warmth. at 24-26 degrees. It is also important to protect the banana from drafts.

Air humidity

Another necessary for successful cultivation factor - high humidity . In summer, indoor banana should be sprayed at least once a day.

It will also be relevant to place a container with wet expanded clay next to it. In winter, the issue of humidity becomes less important: spraying can be done only once every 7 days.

For a garden banana, you can shower with a hose once a week.

Watering

Banana needs much water, but the main rule of watering remains unchanged: moisture should not stagnate in the soil. Therefore, you need to water the plant when the 2-centimeter upper soil layer dries out (this is easily checked by touch).

In winter, even more is required. rare watering. tap water it is quite suitable for irrigation, however, it should be settled for at least a day and the temperature should be close to room temperature (or even slightly exceed it by a couple of degrees).

IMPORTANT! For a better supply of water and air to the roots, the earth must be periodically carefully loosened. In the case of a room representative, a stick with a blunt end can be used for these purposes.

The soil

Banana prefers neutral or slightly acidic soil. For a home copy, it is prepared from the following components:

• 1 bucket of linden soil walnut tree or acacias;
• 0.5 liters of ash;
• 1 liter of humus;
• 2 liters of coarse sand.

The resulting mixture must be poured with boiling water to get rid of possible pests.

Concerning garden banana, then, in case of unsuitable soil on the site, should be added to landing pit a couple of buckets of rotted manure, a handful of complex fertilizer and half a bucket of sand.

fertilizers

Banana boasts good growth and a corresponding good appetite. He needs top dressing once a week in summer and once a month in winter.

How to feed him at home? For this purpose alternate:

1. Humus(only cow): dilute 200 g of manure with 1 liter of boiling water and insist for a day.
2. Ash: 1 tablespoon diluted with 1 liter of water.
3. Green manure fertilizers: Pour 1 tablespoon of chopped herbs with 1 liter of boiling water and leave for a day.

IMPORTANT! Chemical fertilizers are contraindicated for a banana - they can damage its root system.

Fertilizers for bananas are applied immediately after watering.

plant growth

banana grows extremely fast. Every two weeks the plant releases new leaf. In less than a year, it can overcome the height two meters(if it is provided for by this species and variety). Therefore, in the early stages of caring for a plant, more frequent transplant.

winter care

Before the onset of a cold snap, you need to warm the banana for the winter: the roots of the garden banana should be sprinkled dry sawdust, and cover the ground part carton box, wrap the film on the outside and secure the shelter well so that it not blown away by the wind.

The main thing that roots are not frozen: everything else relating to the ground part of the plant is fixable and recoverable.

If the winter is warm, it can continue its growth - in this case, young tender shoots should also be sheltered from the cold.

Homemade banana in winter time does not need in no special conditions. The only difference from summer care- Significantly reduced watering. Protect the plant from the cold.

Transfer

For low specimens homemade banana(from 10 to 20 cm) a pot with a capacity of 1 or 2 liters, respectively, will do. big plants 60-70 cm high are planted in a container with a volume of 10-15 liters.

These recommendations are better do not neglect because the pot is too big for small plant is an excess of excess soil and water stagnant in them, which will lead to acidification of the earth and, consequently, root rot.

At the bottom of any pot, a drainage 7-centimeter layer of expanded clay or fragments of red brick is laid out, which must be sprinkled with sand. Put the pot on a stand so that through the drainage holes to the root system more air.

IMPORTANT! The banana is transferred to a new container without destroying the old soil lump. They plant a couple of centimeters deeper than in the old pot.

If made for a banana optimal conditions, it will grow very, quickly and will have to be replanted every year. As a rule, transplantation is carried out in the spring, if there is no urgent reason to do it earlier.

Planting and growing from seed

At home, only the wild type of banana with inedible fruits is subject to germination from seeds. It bears little resemblance to the fruit familiar to us and is generously filled with seeds, from which a houseplant is grown, which has only a decorative function.

Seeds - photo:

For better germination, the hard shell of seeds can be slightly to harm with a nail file. Banana seeds are kept in warm water for a couple of days to germinate, and only after that they are sown in the soil. Its composition may include 4 parts river sand mixed with 1 part peat. You also need a good drainage layer.

Seeds are sown on the surface of the earth, slightly pressing them, but not sprinkling on top. Then the container must be covered with glass or transparent film. Keep the container with seeds in a well-lit place, but they must be protected from direct sun.

Periodically "greenhouse" should be ventilated, as the soil dries up - moisten the soil with a spray bottle. Do not overdo it: moisture should not stagnate. If traces of decay appear, the damaged area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe soil is removed, and the surface of the remaining one is treated with a manganese solution. Seedlings should be expected after 3 or 4 months.

If you are wondering where the banana seeds are, then take a look at the following photo:


How to grow indoor banana from seeds, you can find out by watching an interesting video:

Maturation

The banana bunch starts to ripen from the top. Do not be surprised that the taste of your bananas will be different from store-bought ones: your fruits will ripen on the plant, and for stores, bananas are still unripe and “reach” after transportation - in gas chambers.

How are bananas processed for ripening? A mixture of nitrogen and ethylene.

At home also possible kind "gassing" bananas, which for some reason did not have time to ripen in the garden or houseplant. Such bananas are placed in a plastic bag together with ripe apples. It is these fruits that will start the process of fruit ripening. The success of this procedure not guaranteed but quite real.

Diseases

Bananas rarely get sick and are attacked by insects.

Due to the dryness of the air on the leaves may appear spider mite, for the same reason, leaf plates can dry out at the edges. But all this is easily fixable.

Dry areas are carefully cut off, the yellowing leaf is cut off completely.

reproduction

They reproduce by basal offspring (they are also called "kids"). They are separated in the spring, when they grow 10-15 centimeters in height, and they have fairly strong roots.

cut off offspring with a piece of rhizome, the cut is sprinkled with ash, and "baby" immediately planted in the ground. Its composition is the same as for adult plants. pot with young plant put in a bright and warm place and take care of him as an adult specimen.

Benefit

The fruits are rich

• potassium;
• fiber;
• serotonin and tryptophan;
• vitamins and other useful substances.

Also by the fact that they provide the body with a boost of energy, contribute to effective mental and physical work. They are especially relevant for diabetes, atherosclerosis, diseases of the kidneys, liver, hypertension.

Conclusion

Create a corner tropical exotic in your home or garden not difficult: It is enough to purchase a banana plant. The cultivated view will also please you not only with impressive appearance but also edible and tasty fruits.

Watch a video on how bananas are grown in a greenhouse:

Amateur flower growers are always attracted by the opportunity to grow some kind of flower at home. exotic plant, uncharacteristic of the area. Surely every person had a dream to have fragrant citrus fruits or ripe bananas on hand. Today you will learn how to grow a banana at home from the seeds of a purchased fleshy fruit.

Description of banana plant for home growing

If you doubt whether it is possible to grow a banana at home, then the answer is yes, but be prepared for the fact that this is a rather troublesome business. To grow a banana at home, you need to familiarize yourself with the features of this plant:

• Tropical varieties grow up to 10-12 meters, and homemade banana tree differs in dwarfism, and its height does not exceed 2 meters.
• The length of the foliage is about 1.5 m, and the width is 30 cm.
• The bases of the leaves fit so tightly together that a pseudostem (plant stem) is thus formed.
• And the stem itself (rhizome) is hidden underground. It has the shape of a ball, and in parallel performs the functions of the roots of a tree.
• The main inflorescence grows from the middle of the pseudostem, which dries out after the end of the fruiting process.

Important! Remember that a banana is not really a tree. Theoretically, it is a perennial herbaceous plant.

• The life span of a banana is about 40 years. New pseudo-stems grow in place of the drying ones. If growth occurs on an industrial scale, then reproduction takes place by dividing the rhizome, in other words, basal processes are planted. When the process is planted from the rhizome, it retains all varietal features plants. But specimens grown from seeds are used for decorative purposes.

Varieties of banana for home

Modern flower growers with equal success grow both decorative "trees" in order to decorate the room, and plants with delicious, juicy fruits. On average, such specimens grow from 2 to 2.5, and mini bananas reach only 1-1.5 meters.

To fruit varieties, popular for growing at home, include the following bananas:

• pointed;
• Cavendish superdwarf;
• dwarf Kyiv;
• superdwarf Kyiv.

To decorative varieties exotic plants include:

• lavender;
• velvety;
• Chinese dwarf;
• bright red.

These varieties bloom brightly and beautifully, but the fruits of the banana tree in these varieties are inedible, small.

Germinating seeds from a purchased banana

If you are interested in how to grow a banana from seeds, then first you need to buy wild fruits in the store. They are extremely rare, but the common fruits are not suitable as they are harvested for export while their seeds are in their embryonic state. Wild fruits are distinguished by their small size and the presence of dark seeds in the pulp.

If you managed to find the right fruit, make sure that there are no damages on the skin. To extract seeds from a purchased banana with your own hands, you need to perform the following steps:

• Fetus yellow color put in a plastic bag, after which they wait until the peel is completely darkened.
• After that, the fruit is taken out, the pulp is peeled, and a cut is made along the middle. With a sharp object, the seeds are removed from the inside and laid out one by one on a paper napkin.

Important! You should carefully sort out the seeds, since only rounded grains are suitable for planting, and flat specimens should be selected and discarded.

• After the seeds are separated from the pulp, they are thoroughly washed.
• Pour the resulting seeds with warm water, then leave them alone for 3 days.
• At the end of the three-day period, rinse and dry the seeds.
• After completion of the preparation process, an inert substrate will be required. For these purposes, suitable coconut or sphagnum, which are easily bought in stores for flower growers. The substrate is sterilized with steam before use, then it is waited for to cool, mixed with perlite and watered with a solution of potassium permanganate.

If you do not have the opportunity to purchase coconut or sphagnum, you can use a combination of peat and coarse sand in proportions of 1: 3. To do this, cover the bottom of the container drainage material(gravel, broken brick, polystyrene), on top of which place a layer of substrate 5-6 cm thick. Press the seeds well into the bedding mixture, then water the plant.

The shell of banana seeds is very dense, therefore, before immersing them in the soil, its integrity should be mechanically violated. This can be done by rubbing the surface sandpaper, scratching or surface filing with a nail file. It is important not to overdo it and not damage the core.

The process of the appearance of the first sprouts takes from 2 to 3 months.

Important! Extracting seeds is a labor-intensive process, so we recommend that you purchase ready-made seeds from a gardening store.

Transplanting a germinated plant

Before you grow a banana tree, you need to take care of transplanting it from a germinated seed. The scheme of actions is as follows:

• Take the most upper layer soil (5-7 cm) from under a hazel, linden, birch or acacia.
• Add sand, humus and ash to the collected substance in proportions of 10:2:1:0.5. Mix the resulting composition, and send it to the oven for calcination for 5-10 minutes.

• Cover the bottom with drainage material, and pour moistened sand on top of it. After the sand, place the prepared warm ground, calcined in the oven.

Interesting! To prevent the pot from adjoining closely to the pallet, put a grate or a few pebbles between them. Thus, air can penetrate to the roots without obstruction.

• The germinated seed is deepened into the soil to a depth of about 2 cm, lightly sprinkled and watered.
• The houseplant should grow up, and the roots will “take over” the entire area of ​​the pot over time. In this case, the banana must be transplanted into a larger container.

Rules for caring for an indoor banana tree

Caring for an exotic plant is quite simple:

• Loosen the soil regularly.
• Watering spend plentifully, but infrequently. Drying of the top layer of soil in a pot 1-2 cm deep will serve as an indicator.
• Spraying in summer period done daily, and in winter it should be done once a week.
• It is necessary to strictly enforce temperature regime to keep the tree from drying out. Optimum temperature for growth +25+30. It can be less, but already at +15, the development and growth of the plant slows down significantly.

• At proper care banana grows and develops at an accelerated pace, and after the appearance of 11-15 leaves, the tree blooms.
• Lighting for house tree really necessary. Place the pot on the south and east side of the home, and in the winter, provide additional lighting.
• Top dressing should be applied systematically. It occurs once a week in summer with the help of humus and wood ash. Take 200 grams of humus, dilute it in a liter of water and leave for a day so that the solution is infused. Introduce into the soil at the time of watering.

• Once every six months, water the tree with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
• Inorganic fertilizers are best avoided.
• AT natural conditions the tree can be affected by root nematodes: black weevil, roundworms, fungus. At home, pests practically do not disturb the tree; sometimes a spider mite appears as a problem, appearing at low humidity.

You can skip the seed preparation and rooting period and just buy a banana tree from a grower's shop, but growing exotics with your own hands is exciting, and the result is much more appreciated. After the efforts made, it will be possible to enjoy the result and surprise guests with an exotic plant that can become the main decoration of your home.

Video: How to germinate a banana from a seed

A room banana is a natural vacuum cleaner, it draws everything out of the air. harmful substances and dust. At good care dwarf banana bears fruit for 2-3 years. The flower is large and long, somewhat similar to an elephant's trunk. Several dozen fruits can be tied on it, which ripen up to 9 months.

The plant will feel best on the south window. An adult banana, of course, will no longer fit on the windowsill. Important! A room banana does not have a powerful root system. Do not plant it in huge tubs. The maximum volume of the pot is 20 liters. The dwarf banana is very light and thermophilic plant, he constantly reaches for the sun and leans towards the window.

Periodically, you need to turn the pot, especially in the cold season, when daylight hours are short. Therefore, the tub must be on wheels or on moving platform to make it easier to turn mature plant. And you will have to turn a room banana 3-4 times during the winter.

Indoor banana varieties

• Technical grades from which ropes are made.
• Feed- the fruits are large and long.
• Edible- a fruit measuring 10-12 cm with a pineapple flavor.

By the way, our stores sell mainly fodder varieties, and edible ones are given out as an elite variety, the so-called baby banana. And it costs many times more. For growing in an apartment or a winter garden, only dwarf edible varieties bananas:

• Kyiv dwarf
• Super dwarf.

Dwarf bananas are preferred because maximum height an adult plant is only 1.5 m, and the length of the leaves is about a meter. In flower shops, you can often find Dutch plants of an unknown variety. Most often this technical varieties that will not bear fruit. The seeds also grow inedible bananas.. Therefore, purchase indoor banana seedlings only from garden centers or greenhouses that specialize in dwarf edible varieties.

Planting a banana

Suitable soil for flowering plants or deciduous forest soil mixed with humus and sand in a ratio of 3:1:1. You still need to add ash. Before planting a room banana, the soil is disinfected with boiling water. With each transplant, the root neck of the plant is deepened by 3-4 cm. Therefore, choose a deep container for a dwarf banana.

Every 3 months, a room banana is transplanted into a pot with a volume of one liter more. There must be a layer of large drainage at the bottom.

Important: you can transplant sproutsonly in summerat least in September. If you do this in the cold season, the indoor banana will get sick and will not take root. Mandatory spraying of leaves in summer daily, and in winter 2 times a week.

The main rule of watering

The dwarf banana is quite unpretentious and can withstand a whole month without watering. But this does not mean that it does not need to be looked after at all. Watered banana in the apartment plentifully warm water so that the entire soil is saturated with moisture.

Important: a banana is better not to water at all than to water a little. Avoid the other extreme - too frequent watering.The roots of the dwarf banana do not like stagnant water.

What to feed

This is an exotic plant. loves organic in any form: humus, biohumus, humisol, etc. Responds well to iron chelate. In summer, a banana in the apartment is fed every week, and in winter you can feed it twice a month. Very dwarf banana loves spraying.

Pests and diseases

Pests almost never affect dwarf bananas. If all the other plants on the windowsill are massively ill, for prevention, you can treat the indoor banana with a pest repellent for indoor flowers.

• The lower leaves of an indoor banana gradually turn yellow and dry out. This is not a disease, but a natural process. They just need to be carefully trimmed.
• Sometimes on the edges of the leaves of a dwarf banana appear brown spots . The reason may be in the decay of the root system or in the lack nutrients. In the first case, you need to reduce the frequency of watering. In the second - to feed the plant.

On wide spreading dust settles on the leaves of a dwarf banana, so it is useful to wipe the leaves with a damp cloth once a month and sometimes spray.

reproduction

It breeds easily offspring. Three years before the onset of flowering, a dozen, or even two, grow. When the children grow up to 20 cm in height, they can be carefully separated with a knife from the mother plant and put in water with a root growth stimulator, such as Kornevin, for a couple of hours. Mix soil for the shoot with humus or biohumus in a ratio of 1:1.

How to make it bloom

• Banana flowering in the apartment is facilitated by feeding with potassium and phosphorus, compliance with all agricultural practices.
• We do not recommend separating the baby if she is alone. This significantly delays flowering, sometimes for a year or two.
• To save the view next to an adult plant, a young banana should grow, which will replace the “parent”, because after fruiting, the ground part of the banana dies off completely.

The "young generation" of the dwarf banana will grow to a meter in six months and the cycle will repeat again.