Bananas

(Musa acuminata)

Everybody knows bananas. The two main varieties you’ll see in the supermarket are Cavendish and Ladyfinger (also sometimes called sugar bananas), but there are heaps of other varieties (the species varies…) - Red Dacca, Blue Java, Pisang, Ducasse …. even cooking plantains!

All bananas like to be well fed and well watered. It is also a good idea to limit the growth of your banana grove to three pseudostems (banana tree trunks are actually just made up of tightly rolled leaves) - a main stem, and two follow ups. This allows them to put energy into flowering and fruiting, and not becoming an unwieldy forest.

Dwarf varieties get to 2-3 m high, but full size bananas grow to at least 5 m (maybe more). Despite their height, they are reasonably shallow rooted, so protect your bananas from strong winds which can blow them over, especially if they are carrying a heavy bunch of bananas. Bananas that get a lot of wind also tend to look quite scrappy as their leaves are easily shredded.

Generally cultivated bananas don’t have seed so can only be propagated vegetatively. In Queensland, our biosecurity regulations require you to purchase your bananas from approved sources and have strict rules around transporting them. This may seem restrictive but bananas are our largest horticultural industry and outbreaks of banana diseases would be detrimental. Regardless of where you live though, it is a good idea to recognise the serious banana diseases to help prevent their spread.

I grew Ladyfingers because they’re my favourite. Unfortunately they don’t come in a dwarf variety and they got a wee bit big for me to manage where I planted them, so I am currently bananaless! Stay tuned, because I’m sure I’ll pop more in soon. You can read about my ladyfingers here, and watch an entertaining video of how NOT to harvest bananas (starring yours truly) here.

full sun, well watered and well fed, 2-5+ m tall