Larry The Banana Man

 

PLANTING A BANANA TREE IN GEORGIA

 

Banana plants are in the herb family, they never develop woody trunks like trees. The trunks, are known as pseudo stems. They grow larger each year, up to 20 feet tall and 10 inches in diameter after several years.

Your banana tree should be planted so as to receive as much direct summer sun light each day as possible.

Dig a hole approximately 18 inches wide and 18inches deep in well drained soil.  (Not soggy)

1. Add approximately 3 inches of planting soil to bottom of hole.

2. Place banana plant in hole.

3. Fill in around plant with an equal mixture of planting soil, native soil from hole you dug and black cow manure. 

4. Important: Tamp down on soil to remove trapped air.

5. Spread a 3-inch layer of mulch approximately 24 inches around the banana plant covering the diameter of the planting hole and beyond . Mulch helps maintain moisture and even soil temperatures in the heat of the Georgia summers.

6. Water the area thoroughly. Keep the soil damp but not soggy. This will remove any residual air pockets and provide the roots with the needed moisture to begin growing again. Keep the soil moist at all times for at least a month to allow adequate root growth.

Transplanting your cold hardy banana plant is most successful in the spring, summer and early fall when it is most active in growth.  In winter the plants will go dormant and is not normally suitable for planting.

 

FOR MAXIMUM GROWTH AND BEAUTY: Pull back mulch from around the plant and fertilize the plant EACH MONTH OF THE GROWING SEASON with a few ounces of 10-10-10 fertilizer and a few cups of Black Cow manure mixed in with the top few inches of soil surrounding the plant. Replace the mulch after mixing in nutrients (fertilizer). 

 

Keep soil damp but not soaked.

 

This regiment of Fertilizer, Black Cow Manure and Water during the growing season will assure best results for your banana tree.

 

Larry The Banana Man