Banana plant Musa

This is a classic, tropical plant that immediately creates associations with warmer climes – but be aware that it takes some effort to grow one successfully. The banana plant looks robust, but it has relatively brittle leaves despite their size. The variant that is usually sold in plant shops, ‘Dwarf Cavendish’, reaches half the height of its larger cousins, at between 1.8m and 3m (6ft and 10ft). Banana plants love moisture and warmth. They can be left out during the warmer months as long as they’re in a sheltered position away from wind and draughts, as these can cause the leaves to tear. As the banana plant grows, the older leaves will develop brown tips that eventually turn yellow. This is entirely natural, and they can be removed, which will stimulate new growth.

Image LIGHT

This a light-loving plant that does well in bright, indirect light, though avoid prolonged, scorching sunlight, especially when the plant is young and the leaves are still fresh. The ideal position is in a warm room, near to an east- or west-facing window. Ideally it should get 12 hours of daylight, so consider using a plant grow light for a top-up during the colder months.

Image WATERING

It likes rather damp soil, but make sure that the top layer (a few centimetres/ about 1in) is allowed to dry out between waterings. Water a few times a week during spring and summer – less in the winter, to prevent root rot.

Image SOIL

Use ordinary potting compost, with a layer of leca balls in the bottom. You can also mix a few leca balls into the compost to ensure good drainage.

Image FEEDING

Banana plants are quite greedy and like to be fed with a liquid organic plant food throughout spring and summer, ideally every other week.

Image ORIGIN

The banana plant is native to South-east Asia, where it quickly grows to 2.5–5m (8–16ft).

Image MISCELLANEOUS

Banana plants need spacious pots in order to grow taller. Repot annually during the first few years. As the plant gets older, it will start producing side shoots. These can be carefully removed from the parent plant (with as many roots as possible) and planted directly into new, nutritious soil. Banana plants can grow extremely quickly. With ideal growing conditions, new leaves can grow about 10cm (4in) a day.

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