Dwarf Bananas In Your Bucket Garden

Your first priority when growing bananas must be to use the proper soil. This is so critical that it must be stressed! You must to use a well draining soil mixture withÂ 20% Perlite added to it thus assuring that you will have well drained soil. DO NOT use potting soil or soil from a yard as these heavy soils will kill your bananas. Plant your banana rhizome upright being sure that the roots are well covered ( 1/2"=3/4") with a soil around the base.

You should water and fertilize banana at the same time with any good balanced fertilizer. Bananas are very heavy feeders so you rerally should fertilize very lightly every time you water. The sole exception to this rule being that you do not fertilize if you are not seeing active growth. After each watering you should not water again until your soil is dry to a depth of 1/2" . It is easiest to use your finger to test for this need. Do not expect this to be a plant that you only water once a week. If you do water only once a week you will never have any success growing your banana.

Bananas thrive in bright light. Actually 12 or more hours of bright light are considered to be ideal for all varieties.

Bananas require constant warmth when growing and this is very important. Ideal night temperatures would be 67-70 deg-F. Day temperatures would be in the 80' or 90's and the higher the humidity the better bananas like it! You may use fans to provide fresh circulating air, somthing else that bananas like as well. Hot, dry air will destroy the leaves and ultimately kill your bananas.

Grow bananas in a container that is not too large. You may actually a standard 6" or 8" pot with a drain hole but bickets of the 5-gallon size seem to work best. NEVER plant a banana it in a container without a drain hole. You should transplant to a larger container when your plant is quite crowded in its current container.

Dwarf bananas are the best for bucket gardening. They rpoduce sweet fruits in profusion and are easily grown in contianers.

These are dwarf varieties that work best in the USA.
MusaÂ 'Mini' Super Dwarf
This is a Super Dwarf Cavendish banana variety that only grows to a 3' height. Produces excellent dessert type fruit. Great for indoors. a beautiful potted plant too. Nice 1 month old plant (5") with soil.

Musa 'Rowe Red'
This is a banana plant that will top out at 5'-6' with a sweet fruit. This banana is easily grown in a greenhouse or a bucket gaden.

Brazilian Dwarf Banana
Brazilian Dwarf banana tree leaves turn brilliant yellow color during the fall. It grows very wide leaves with a thick trunk for a very tropical landscape appearance. It will top out between 4' & 5' and does very well in a bucket garden.

Jamaican Red Dwarf Banana
This banana tree leaf coloring was developed at TyTy Nursery and shows the Jamaican Red banana tree producing a spectacular yellow color that appears only after after the first frost. This plant will top out between 5'-6'. It does very well in containers that are large enough.

Sources:

http://www.banana-plants.com/High-Color-Mini.html

http://www.tytyga.com

http://www.banana-tree.com/Banana_Tip.cfm