Indoor Banana Plant: How To Grow And Care For The Tasty Fruit Inside Your Home

This page listed under Indoor Plants :

Indoor Banana Plant

Depending on the climate and other conditions, cultivating indoor banana plant is possible. Banana plants are a tropical perennial.

They need special care to have the best growth. Banana plants for indoor are the Dwarf variants including the Cavendish, Super Dwarf Cavendish, Dwarf Red, and Chinese Yellow banana.

Dwarf Bananas grow to a maximum of 6 feet tall. But there are Super Dwarf varieties that grow up to 3 feet tall only.

Banana houseplants require heavy watering. But, in between watering, the plant should be allowed some time to drain excess water out of the pot.

The saucer on which the pot is mounted should be empty as well. One sign that the plant is not given sufficient water is its leaves—either they turn brown or fold.

• Also, inserting a finger deep into the soil to feel its moisture is a good way to determine if the indoor banana plant needs water.

• If it is moist, the plant does not need additional water. Rainwater should be avoided as its acidity can affect the quality of banana fruits.

• The best soil for banana plant is a type that can hold moisture and has good drainage. If the soil is too heavy, adding peat moss or sand on it can do the trick.

However, it is important to understand that banana plants cannot survive salty soils.

Once the plant outgrows the pot, it should be transferred into a larger container. The container must have drainage holes to prevent root rot.

These plants thrive well in warm conditions and moderate humidity. To increase the humidity of the plant, small pebbles can be placed in water underneath the plant.

Its room temperature requirement is between 65 and 75 degrees. Temperature below these can stunt growth. Inversely, freezing temperatures can kill the plant.

One problem that banana plants encounter is pests. Spider mites and scales are very common. To rid the pests, it is best to spray the leaves and its stem with soapy water.

The plant can also be misted with lukewarm water to reduce spider mites and scales. Chronic spider mites are visible in webbing and underneath the leaves of the plant.

It is important that spider mites should be deterred at first sight, otherwise, it can suck the sap from the leaves. Worse, the pests can damage the leaves or ruin the whole plant. If needed, insecticide must be applied.

An indoor banana plant needs food. A water-soluble fertilizer with high nitrogen content works fine. Fertilizers should be applied from late spring until early fall.

A banana plant with a 20-20-20 balance provides the plant with sufficient nitrogen, potassium and nitrogen.

Top Of Indoor Banana Plant Page: