Growing Edible Fruiting Bananas in Las Vegas

It isn’t often I post other people’s work on my blog. Several people have contacted me they have grown bananas here in our hot and cold desert but I thought the information here should be posted for comments and discussion. Harrison sent it to me in 2015. Yes, I’m slow.

Edible bananas, Musa acuminata, are herbacious perennials that grow with a large
pseudostem through which leaf stalks emerge at its tip until the growth cycle
nears completion, about 2 years under favorable conditions. Then, instead of a
leaf stalk growing from the pseudostem, a single flower stalk emerges,
enlarges, the petals peel back from the “bud” and in between at the base of the
petals are the fruits in bunches called hands. [See pictures, changes over 7
days.] After fruiting, the pseudostem dies back.

required. Common cultivars are a good choice, and
note that not all banana plants are edible fruiting. Search the Internet for their
current availability. Order from resources that provide safe packingand
shipping, and the shorter the travel time the better (the expense of air or two
day shipping is sometimes worth it.) The plants will be shocked from travel in
any case. Best time of year to order is spring. Fall ordering leaves short time
for the plants to acclimate before winter protection must be placed.

good idea. They may never
recover, and it can get dangerously cold there in winter. In our climate,
bananas can tolerate heat but do not tolerate direct sun; broken shade is
probably a best location. They should be planted in the warmest microclimate on
your property. In my opinion, the growth of the plant is best if it is continuous
and not interrupted by cold, wind, or heat. Banana plants tolerate wind, but not
a hot, dry desiccating one, so limiting exposure to wind is also a
consideration. In-ground (not in greenhouses) bananas require serious winter
protection, strategies for which are available in nursery catalogues.

Container planting may seem a reasonable option, especially
when considering seasonable portability in anticipation of hostile weather. In
warmer weather, relocating the plant should maintain its orientation to
sunlight. An urn of at least 20 inches is desirable, with a radius of about 5
feet around it to allow proper leaf spread. I prefer clay to plastic or
pottery. Since the duration of the plant’s life is about 36 months,
accumulation of salts from hard water should not be a problem. Emerging plants
in the same urn, however, should be transplanted to replacement soil. Hand
watering may be necessary, and moving the watered urn is a challenge. It is a
good idea to “double pot” the urn so that, in the heat of summer, roots are not
“cooked.”

Watering. For container plants, mulching and using a “water
stick” is a useful guide to determine plant watering needs. In-ground plants, also
mulched, are regularly watered, once per week for 15 minutes in Winter,
increasing to twice per week in Spring, and perhaps once more per week at the
height of Summer. Observation of the leaves, drooping when dry and discoloring
when too wet, is also helpful in modifying watering schedules.

Propagation. Bananas are easily propagated, once you are
able to grow them, even if they don’t grow edible fruit. From the base of the
mother plant, little plants surface, and can grow to be mature plants. These
offshoots are called “pups,” and are the same cultivar as the mother plant.