Worth knowing:
Due to its origin in the Himalayan region, the Darjeeling Banana is frost-hardy, sprouts annually and can be cultivated outdoors in more protected areas, where it can grow up to four meters high and develops huge red-streaked leaves and stalks. With some luck your Musa sikkimensis produces banana bunches with delicious fruits. Unfortunately the fruits are often not fit to eat due to the short vegetation period in Middle Europe. The plant grows more dense with each year and develops further through annual new shoots.
Natural Location:
The Darjeeling Banana comes originally from the Himalayan region of Northeast India.
Cultivation:
Seed propagation indoors is possible throughout the year. To increase the germinability, you can slightly roughen the seed with a soft file or a piece of sandpaper and place it in warm water for about 12 hours. Then, press the seeds in moist potting compost, put just a little compost earth on top and cover the seed container with clear film to prevent the earth from drying out. Don’t forget to make some holes in the clear film and take it every second or third day completely off for about 2 hours. That way you avoid mold formation on your potting compost. Place the seed container somewhere bright and warm with a temperature between 25°C and 30°C and keep the earth moist, but not wet. Depending on the propagation temperature, the first seedlings will come up after three to twelve weeks.
Place:
The Darjeeling Banana prefers a bright and sunny spot. During summer it can also be kept outdoors in a wind-protected place. In regions with a mild winter it can be planted outside for the whole year.
Care:
The Musa sikkimensis is a fast-growing plant that needs a big pot or tub for cultivation. Ideally, you may set up a drainage layer with expanded clay at the bottom of the pot. The Darjeeling Banana also needs plenty of water, especially during the growth period. Water your plant regularly and strongly, but avoid waterlogging in the saucer. From April until October you may give fertilizer for tub plants on a weekly basis.
During the winter:
The Darjeeling Banana hibernates indoors preferably in a bright spot at room temperature. In autumn the leaves of outdoor plants will become yellow and start wilting - before the first frost you can finally cut the leaves off. At a height of about 50 cm you will also cut the stem and protect the earth around with some piled up foliage. To protect your plant, you may cover it with perforated plastic foil with an open gap for air supply. In spring it will shoot again through the rhizome.
Picture credits:
- © © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © Prashanthns - CC-BY-SA-3.0 - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
- © Daderot - Public domain - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/publicdomain/
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