Growing bananas - How we grow our banana plants in Central Florida

In this episode, Dani takes you through the basics of banana plants and how we have incorporated different varieties into our urban food forest. She also shares some tips on how you can be successful in growing your own banana plants.
If you are interested in growing a food forest, gardening for wildlife with native plants, or vegan gardening, come along on the journey with us!
Visit our website at www.thepeacefulbird.com
Video chapters:
00:00 - Pre-intro
00:14 - Intro
00:52 - What are banana plants?
01:51 - Stages of growth
03:23 - How long until fruit is ripe?
03:39 - Banana flower and fruit
03:59 - Removing the male flowers
04:56 - How long until banana plant produces a flower
05:06 - Banana babies
05:14 - Mother plant dies
05:58 - When we harvest our bananas
06:56 - Better tasting than store bought
07:05 - Varieties that we grow
07:33 - Growing banana plants in cold weather
07:55 - Banana circles
08:51 - Light requirements
09:18 - Why we have a dwarf section
10:18 - Why we have a tall banana section
11:33 - Cultural conditions
11:59 - Growing banana plants in a lawn situation
12:48 - Outro
Bananas mentioned in this video:
Dwarf namwah
Dwarf cavendish
Dwarf Brazilian
Double Mahoy
Lady finger
Where to buy banana plants in and near Central Florida:
sowexotic.com
www.tampatropicalasiantree.com
www.tropicalfruit.com/
Banana with seeds image courtesy of Wikimedia commons.

[@bigjeffsb]

So cool !!!🌱🌿🍌

[@randywilson1134]

Thank you, enjoy , have 3 ya ones, southern Virginia, zone 7

[@kimberlyengel7771]

Yay🤗Bananas! Thank you for sharing !

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

You're welcome! Thank you for watching! 😊

[@farrahsgardendiary]

Well there goes my plan of putting it in direct sun…lol…I am in North Florida and we get cold as well. I saw them at Lowes a few days ago, I am going to grab them and the papayas if they are still there.😊

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

Hello there in North Florida! I know folks who have success with direct sun. The plants get a little leaf scald during intense summers, but they still produce. I say put it in the ground and see what happens! The Dwarf Cavendish are easier to protect when cold. Thank you so much for watching and happy planting! 😊🍌

[@obg7]

Thank you for the info. I am doing a miniture banana plant on my patio. Hopefully it does produce

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

Thanks for watching and I hope so too! ☺

[@mypetsmygarden]

Growing bananas in Central Florida is fascinating! 🌴🍌 Your insights into banana plant care in that region are valuable for anyone interested in tropical gardening. Thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge with us

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

Thank you so much for watching and for your lovely support! 😊💜🌴

[@mypetsmygarden]

@@peacefulbirdgardens you are welcome

[@FDDLERSGREEN]

Wonderful. Subscribed

[@zouheir2651]

Thank you for the information

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

You are very welcome my friend! Thank you for watching.

[@user-pf9km8sk1x]

I love your post! I’m in Spring Hill, zone 9a/b border and have dwarf cavendish bananas and waiting for my first flower. I am looking for other dwarf varieties. Where did you purchase your dwarf Brazilian and dwarf namwah?

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

Hello and thank you for watching from Springhill! We bought those babies from Wellspring Gardens in Lakeland. Wellspringgardens.com I'm not sure what they're current selection is like, but they're family owned and carry several Dwarf banana varieties.

[@user-pf9km8sk1x]

Oh thank you so much! I will check there. I love supporting our local businesses 😊

[@jocerod123]

Hello I’m in South Fl I noticed my banana plant was thriving and then we noticed something was eating the leaves… like caterpillar bites.. so tonight we go outrage and there’s tons of beetles on it. I made mixture on Dawn and water and sprayed all over. Hope this stops them 😩 what is a good fertilizer?

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

That sounds like Japanese beetles are eating your plants my friend. Pretty common in Florida from my understanding. We use compost, compost tea, and chop and drop to feed our banana plants. Good luck and thank you so much for watching! 😀

[@anncarr7645]

I’m in 9A. The leaves on my banana tree are turning yellow. What mineral am I missing?

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

Hi there, and thank you for watching! 😊 Are the yellowing leaves new or old growth? If the yellowing is happening to the entirety of the leaf and they are newer the banana could need nitrogen. If the leaf veins are green but the rest is yellow, your plant could need iron. If the yellowing is blotchy or mottled, the plant needs zinc or manganese. Keep in mind, over watering can also trigger yellowing, though unless you have a lot of clay content that's unlikely. I hope that's helpful my friend. 💜🍌

[@antoniohorta5656]

Small, that's how

[@Lally52]

Greetings!!! I bought a banana tree at a store, when should I replant in the ground/soil?

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

Hello there! That's wonderful. Depending on which zone you are in, now is a good time to plant. Spring is underway here for us in Central Florida, so now is a wonderful time to plant. You want to make sure that the plant won't be subjected to frost or freeze. Bananas don't like that. Lol Water your banana plant really well everyday for the first couple weeks and then you can slowly cut the watering back. This helps your plant establish its root system. I hope it goes well for you! Thank you for watching. 😊

[@kyliecashion3740]

I live in Central FL (Winter Park area) and I'm looking into banana tree. I want organic and I want a continuous supply of bananas. My family LOVES bananas. What's the best to grow and how do I get started??? I want the suckers so I have have lots of trees around the property. Thank you for this video!

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

Hello my friend and thank you for watching from Winter Park! I would suggest dwarf cavendish banana plants to begin. They only get 8 feet for us here in our garden and they produce 2-3 pups per plant. Bananas are not cold hardy, though ours have performed just fine in temperatures as low as 38 degrees, but they will die in a freeze. When they are babies, you can cover them if you get low temperatures in your area. I usually find dwarf cavendish pretty easily at big box stores like Lowes and Home Depot or there may be local nurseries in you area that carry them. Good luck and I hope you grow LOTS of bananas! 😃

[@saritaflorita3197]

Have you been to A Natural Farm in Howey in the Hills? They have a good selection of a variety of bananas and are super helpful!

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

@@saritaflorita3197 I've had trees shipped from them, but I haven't been there in person yet. It is on the list of nurseries to visit. Thank you so much for the suggestion. They also have a good selection of avocado trees!

[@Terminatedsplants-cg4uf]

How do I grow a banana tree from a seed or a banana how do I start one

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

Hello and thanks for watching! Most of the bananas that you find in the markets in the U.S. are grown vegetatively through suckers or pups (clones) that are removed from the original mother plant. You cannot take a Cavendish banana from the grocery store and grow another banana tree. You will need fresh seeds from a wild type banana as these have the greatest viability for germination. More specifically Musa balbisiana, Musa brachycarpa, Musa ornata, and Musa velutina species all grow from seed. Banana seeds are large and have a tough seed coat, so I would soak the seeds in warm water for a couple days to allow the seed to imbibe. After the seed coat has softened, sow seeds in seed starting mix to a depth of around 2 cm. Banana seeds can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 months to sprout. I hope that was helpful! 😊

[@Rachel5280]

What do you mean by "chop and drop"?

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

Hello and thank you for watching! We grow support plants, like pigeon peas, that we prune or chop regularly. We then drop that plant material around our other plants, like our bananas. The pigeon peas produce nitrogen for other plants to use and as the chopped material breaks down that also feeds the soil. I give a bit of a visual demonstration in this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/opakiqGrmNJrb7ssi=trusI6n2Ib38Rf6h I hope that's helpful my friend! 😊💜🌱

[@billsview]

I live near you. Any chance you might have an extra namwah banana baby?

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

Hello there and thank you for watching! We lost a lot of bananas in the freeze last December, so we're still building up our crop, but I will have babies in Spring. Send me an email at [e-mail]. 😊💜🌱

[@billsview]

Hello. So it is spring. I didn't forget to message you. I also have a variety of bananas that I can bring you too. Mine has some sort of Chiquita genetics. I would call mine a dwarf variety.