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\n<\/p><\/div>"}. This means the time between planting a banana plant and the harvest of the banana bunch is from 9 to 12 months, depending on the variety grown and growing conditions. Warm weather with temperatures during the night and day between 70 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit produce the fastest-growing banana plants. Finally, after several months of growth, bananas will start to form in late summer in large clusters known as hands. How do you take care of a fruiting banana tree? 2023 Gardening Know How, Future US LLC, Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036. The soil needs to be moist but not soggy. Whatever your reasoning for having a banana tree, you will need to maintain the leaves. Banana plants (Musa spp.) Cut down the mother. Banana trees, actually perennial herbs, are comprised of a succulent, juicy pseudostem that is actually a cylinder of leaf sheaths which can grow up to 20-25 feet (6 to 7.5 m.) in height. This is when suckers, or infant banana plants, begin to grow from around the base of the parent plant. They rise up from a rhizome or corm. Dwarf Cavendish banana trees self-pollinate, meaning that they dont need another tree nearby to help the flowers produce fruit. Check your banana tree frequently for signs of dehydration and frost or insect damage, which can happen any time of year. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Because even a few hours of freezing temperatures kill the plant to the ground, cutting the leaves to 6 to 8 inches, digging it up, wrapping the base and storing it in a cool, dry place for the winter may let you keep the plant longer, but doing this every winter will usually stunt the growth of the banana plant. It grows 5 to 8 feet tall and produces 4-inch fruits after three to five years. The familiar yellow Cavendish banana (Musa acuminata), hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 through 11, requires long, warm growing seasons to produce fruit. Cut Down Your Banana Tree After Harvest. The removal of the banana flower causes the banana bunch to absorb more nutrients from the banana tree thus strengthening its growth. % of people told us that this article helped them. What do I do with my banana plant in the winter? 2023 Gardening Know How, Future US LLC, Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036. The main stalk is often referred to as the maiden or mother plant. Banana stalks only produce fruit once, so its important to cut them back for new fruit to grow. As it opens, clusters of white flowers are revealed. Container grown banana plants may sprout suckers as a sign of stress from being pot bound, under watered or unhappy for some other reason. Healthy new leaves will grow out of the top of the trunk. What happens to a banana tree after fruiting? These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. If they are brown and wilted, you should remove them if the weather allows. If you have ever seen or grown banana plants, then you may have noticed banana trees dying after bearing fruit. Banana trees are quick to establish and produce heaps of fruit. A banana tree damaged by frost will have leaves that first look withered before they eventually turn brown. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Do banana trees come back after a freeze? All you need to do is to trim off the damaged, unattractive foliage. You can also have faster growth if you sever and dig up any suckers that appear at the ground beyond the main pseudostem, a juvenile sucker and a baby sucker. The simple answer is yes. A midrange pH condition is ideal for bananas. Each individual tree will only flower and bear fruit once. 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