How to Grow Banana Plant
Musa acuminata
Dessert bananas are tropical plants that need warmth all year to grow and fruit. In the UK, grow them in a heated greenhouse or conservatory, or in a large pot that goes outside to a sunny, sheltered spot in summer and comes back under heated glass before nights drop below about 10 °C. Give them rich, moist, well-drained compost, plenty of water and heavy feeding in summer. Each pseudostem fruits once then dies, but suckers keep the clump going. Compact cultivars such as Dwarf Cavendish suit pots best.
In your Leaftide garden 
- Height
- 300 cm
- Spread
- 250 cm
- Spacing
- 250 cm
- Harvest
- September - October
- Light
- Full sun
- Water
- High
- Feed
- Monthly balanced feed during growing season
- Prune
- Remove dead leaves
Yearly Lifecycle
Care Essentials
Heavy feeder — apply balanced fertiliser monthly during the growing season. Reduce in winter.
Watch For
- Aphids
- Spider mites
- Panama disease
- Leaf spot
Companions
Sweet potato, Comfrey, Lemongrass
Pet Safety
Care Requirements
Light
Full sun; bright spot under heated glass
Full sun or the brightest spot in a heated greenhouse or conservatory. Pots stood outside from June to September need the warmest, most sheltered spot, such as against a south-facing wall. Bananas need maximum light and heat to thrive.
Watering
Generous in summer; reduce in winter
Water generously during the growing season — bananas are thirsty plants. Keep soil consistently moist but not waterlogged. Reduce in winter.
Fertilizing
Monthly balanced feed during growing season
Heavy feeder. Apply a balanced fertiliser monthly during the growing season. Reduce to every 6-8 weeks in winter for plants under glass.
Pruning
Remove dead leaves; cut fruited stems down
Remove dead or damaged leaves as they appear. Cut the fruited pseudostem to ground level after harvest — it will not fruit again.
Mulching
Compost mulch in spring and summer
Mulch the root zone thickly with compost in spring and summer to retain moisture. Top-dress pots with fresh compost each spring.
Overwintering
Heated glass, minimum 10-15 °C
Not frost hardy. Keep under heated glass at a minimum of 10-15 °C in good light all winter, bringing outdoor pots in by September. Water sparingly until growth restarts in spring.
Growing Tips
Warmth is everything
Dessert bananas stop growing below about 14 °C and are damaged by frost. Keep them under heated glass, and only stand pots outside in the warmest, most sheltered spot you have, such as against a south-facing wall, from June to September.
Feed heavily
Bananas are hungry plants. Feed monthly with a balanced fertiliser during the growing season.
Harvest green and ripen indoors
Cut the whole bunch when fruits are plump but still green. Hang indoors to ripen over a week or two.
Bring indoors before it turns cold
Bring pot-grown plants back under heated glass in September, before nights drop below about 10 °C. Keep them at a minimum of 10-15 °C over winter.
Pests & Diseases
Pest Aphids
Identification: Clusters of small green or black insects on unfurling leaves and flower stems
- Blast off with a jet of water
- Encourage ladybirds and hoverflies
- Spray with fatty acid or plant oil-based insecticide
Pest Red Spider Mite
Identification: Fine webbing on leaf undersides, stippled yellowing leaves, tiny mites visible with a hand lens
- Increase humidity by misting regularly
- Introduce predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis under glass
- Spray with fatty acid-based miticide
Pest Mealybug
Identification: White cottony masses in leaf sheaths and at the base of the pseudostem
- Dab with a cotton bud soaked in methylated spirit
- Introduce Cryptolaemus ladybird as biological control
- Spray with fatty acid or plant oil-based insecticide
Disease Leaf Spot
Symptoms: Brown or yellow spots on leaves, sometimes with dark margins, leading to large dead patches
Treatment: Remove badly affected leaves. Improve air circulation
Prevention: Avoid overhead watering. Ensure good ventilation around the plant
Disease Crown Rot
Symptoms: Blackening and rotting of the pseudostem base, foul smell, plant collapse
Treatment: Remove and destroy affected plant. Improve drainage before replanting
Prevention: Ensure excellent drainage, especially over winter. Do not pile mulch directly against the pseudostem
Popular Varieties
Apple Banana
A dessert variety favoured in the tropics for its stubby fruit and slightly acidic, apple-like aftertaste. Hawaiian favorite, also known as Manzano.
Dwarf Cavendish
A compact cultivar that remains manageable in containers or small gardens. Produces standard-sized fruit with familiar sweet, creamy banana flavour.
Spacing & Planting
| Plant spacing | 250 cm |
| Row spacing | 350 cm |
| Mature height | 300 cm |
| Mature spread | 250 cm |
Herbaceous perennial, not a true tree. Each pseudostem fruits once then dies. Suckers provide continuous production.