Plant care & info

Tropical bananas need to spend Portland winters indoors in order to survive and there are several ways to make it work.

Planted In The Ground
When planted in the ground, bananas grow really fast and by autumn they have an amazing presence in the yard. Watch the weather, and before the first frost dig it up. Next cut back roots, wrap them in insulating fabric and remove most leaves. Store in a cool dry place that won’t freeze during winter.

Growing In Containers

There are several options:

Treat the banana as a houseplant – if the plant is small, bring it indoors and put it in a sunny window. Spray it off with water or insecticidal soap first to make sure there are no unwanted insects hitch-hiking indoors. Scale back watering and fertilizing during winter and place back outside when danger of frost has passed. While living as houseplants, bananas are prone to sucking insects like aphids, so keep an eye out for them and treat them if necessary.
If the container is light enough to move, cut the top down and bring the container into a cool dry spot like a basement. Cut watering waaayyyy back, but make sure it doesn’t dry out completely. When danger of frost has passed, restore the banana outdoors.
If the container is too big to move, follow directions for a banana planted in the ground.

All bananas are tropical in origin, but some are hardy enough to grow in the ground where summers are hot, and winters don’t dip below zero. We refer to these as Hardy Bananas. Bananas that are more tender to cold are referred to as “tropical”. Both can be grown successfully in Portland, they just require different care during the winter. Both types of bananas grow fast and produce big leaves, and if summers are long and hot enough, we may see flowers as well. Sadly none of the bananas can produce edible fruit in Portland; our hot season is just not long enough.

Hardy Bananas

Musa Basjoo: Japanese Fiber Banana

Musa basjoo is a key element in the hardy tropical garden with its lush green leaves and palm-like structure. Cool yellow flowers appear in summer and small seedy fruits may develop if conditions are right. It grows from the ground to 10 feet tall in one season, and if trunks are sustained during winter they can reach 15 feet.

Maintenance

To maintain trunks during winter, cut them down to 2-3 feet in late fall and lay the leaves around the base of the trunk. Add straw or another mulch that doesn’t hold excessive moisture to prevent trunk rot. Wrap the trunk with breathable insulating fabric like frost blanket or burlap (no plastic). In spring when new leaves appear in the center of the trunk, remove protective fabric. Pips (new baby bananas) appear at the base of the main trunk in spring and in no time your single plant can easily become a grove.

Big leaves can be tattered when whipped around in the wind, so site Musa basjoo in a spot that’s wind protected.

Origin – Ryuku Islands, Japan

Soil – rich and moist

Water – once a week during warm months

Fertilizer – Bananas are heavy feeders, so fertilizing will help the plant to stay healthy, particularly when grown in a container. Choose a fertilizer that is slightly higher in nitrogen than the other components in the NPK ratio, and use a water-soluble fertilizer if the plant is growing in a container. There are many fertilizers that will do a good job – just follow the directions on the package closely.

Light – full sun to part shade

Hardiness – roots are hardy to -10f

Musella Lasiocarpa: Golden Lotus Banana

Musella lasiocarpa comes from mountainous regions of Yunnan China. It’s a shrubby banana with large blue-green leaves and unique gold flowers that often bloom after the second year.

When garden space is limited but bananas are still wanted, Musella is a good choice, as it grows 4-5 feet. Trunks can be protected in the same way as Musa basjoo, or allowed to freeze to the ground and come back from the roots each year.

Because it is naturally multi-stemmed, it will be hard to train Musella with a single trunk.

Origin – Ryukyu Islands, Japan.

Soil – moist, rich and well-drained.

Water – once a week during warm months

Fertilizer – Bananas are heavy feeders, so fertilizing regularly will help the plant to stay healthy, particularly when grown in a container.

Choose a fertilizer that is slightly higher in nitrogen than the other components in the NPK ratio, and use a water-soluble fertilizer if the plant is growing in a container. There are many fertilizers that will do the job, just follow the directions on the package closely.

Light – full sun to part shade.Hardiness – Zone 7, 0-10f.

Tropical Bananas

Ensete Ventricosum ‘Maurelli’: Abyssinian or Red-leaf Banana

Nothing says unique like the Red-leaf Banana. Huge long leaves are lush green with vibrant red reverse, midrib and accents. Growth is very fast! If conditions are right, it can grow up to 20 feet! Big leaves can be tattered in high winds, so wind protection is important.

Origin – Tropical forests of Africa

Soil – moist, rich and well-drained

Water – once a week during warm months if planted in the ground. In containers, water until you can see water draining from the bottom of the pot, then do it again. Frequency depends on temperatures and how much root mass has developed. Keep roots moist but not soaked.

Fertilizer – Bananas are heavy feeders, so fertilizing regularly will help the plant to stay healthy, particularly when grown in a container. Choose a fertilizer that is slightly higher in nitrogen than the other numbers in the NPK ratio, and use a water soluble fertilizer if the plant is grown in a container. There are many fertilizers that will do the job, just follow the directions on the package closely.

Light – full sun to part shade

Hardiness – Z9, 20-30f – This banana is not hardy in Portland, so special measures should be taken to keep it alive through cold winter months.