Healthy banana, which is available throughout the year, is full of many properties, those who are underweight also consume it and those who are overweight also include it in their diet. Most mothers feed their young children with bananas first. At the same time, when old, it can be eaten comfortably even without teeth.
Although, it is definitely a cheaper fruit than other fruits, but it is also very beneficial in terms of health. It is rich in calcium, fiber, protein and vitamins.
Its plants are large in size, so most home gardeners refrain from planting it. At the same time, some say that its tree grows, but it does not bear fruit. In Hinduism, its tree is also worshiped, so many people want to plant its plant only for worship.
It is such a tree, every part of which is useful. Its leaves are used for serving food. Its fruits and flowers are used for food, and the stem is dried to make fiber, which is used for making handicrafts.
Which banana tree should be planted, how to care for it and how will it bear fruit? For the answers to some questions, we spoke to Prabha Kumari, a gardener in Patna. She has been gardening for years and her garden has many fruit and vegetable plants, one of which is a banana tree.
She says, “It is very important to give proper and nutritious fertilizers for the banana tree to bear fruit. You can easily plant it using any large container.”
What are the things to keep in mind?
Prabha says that to grow a banana plant, you will need its small plant. It cannot be planted from seed or cuttings. Nowadays there are many hybrid varieties of plants available in the market. These hybrid varieties of plants start bearing fruit within a year. You can plant it by bringing it from any nursery in your city. The cost of a banana plant is normally between Rs 60 to Rs 100.
While buying a plant, you must ask the nursery person about the variety of the plant. Also, while choosing the plant, make sure that the plant is healthy and its leaves are not yellow.
Prabha said, “You must first grow the plant brought from the nursery in a small grow bag, because in the beginning you have to keep this plant away from strong sunlight. If the pot is small, you can easily replace it.” After about 10 days, when the plant is established, plant it in a large grow bag, pot or drum.
How to Plant Banana Plant?
For this, you take a grow bag of about 38 inches. You can also use an old drum.
Banana plant requires fertile soil. For its potting mix, friable soil should be used.
To make potting mix, you take 50% normal garden soil, 25% sand and 25% earthworm compost or cow dung and some neem cake.
Bringing the tree from outside, plant it in the center of the small grow bag and keep it out of the sun.
After it has set for about 10 days, plant it in a large pot and keep it in normal sunlight.
Keep giving little water every day.
To ensure that the tree bears fruit on time, keep giving potash fertilizer every 15 days. Compost made from household wet waste would be great for this.
Usually after planting a banana tree, many small trees grow around it. Which is very important to remove. You take out those small plants and plant them in another pot. If small plants are allowed to grow in it, they will take away all the nutrition of the main plant.
To prevent pests and diseases, you can sprinkle neem oil in it. Keep doing this once a week, which will reduce the chances of getting sick.
It takes about eight to 10 months for the hybrid variety of banana tree to bear fruit. If properly cared for, you’ll be able to savor the taste of your pot-grown bananas within a year. For any problem related to gardening, you can contact Prabha Kumari on Instagram.
Editing – Archana Dubey
Also read: Snake Plant is the easiest indoor plant, so plant it from cuttings
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