Musa basjoo
Japanese fiber banana
Common names: ornamental banana, winter-hardy banana
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Pot size
- from 50 l
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −10 °C
- Water need
- High
Photo: Illustratedjc · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
The Japanese fiber banana is the most robust banana for our climate and brings tropical flair with its huge, fresh green leaves. It is cultivated as a structural shrub; edible fruit is rarely produced, and the appeal lies in the lush foliage.
Care instructions
Plant the fiber banana in nutrient-rich, humus-rich soil at a sunny, wind-protected spot and water abundantly during the growing season. Fertilize regularly from May to August. After the first frost, cut back the foliage and wrap the trunk thickly with leaves, twine, and a wire basket so the rootstock survives winter and shoots vigorously again in May.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
humus-rich, well-drained, loamy, nutrient-rich
Plant the Japanese banana in deep, humus-rich and well-drained soil. Waterlogging makes the fleshy rhizomes rot quickly. A fresh, loamy soil is ideal; keep the soil evenly moist, but never wet.
Feeding
Heavy feeder
Months
Apr–Aug
In spring, work mature compost or well-rotted manure shallowly around the plant. During the vigorous growth from May to August, meet the high nitrogen requirement with horn shavings or horn meal, which release slowly and steadily. Stop feeding from September so that the plant can ripen before winter.
Overwintering
The rhizome of the Japanese banana stays in the ground, but needs sturdy winter protection: after the first frosts, cut back the pseudostem and leave a stump standing, which you cover thickly, together with the root area, with dry leaves, straw or brushwood and secure with a polystyrene or wooden enclosure as well as breathable horticultural fleece. Never cover it airtight with plastic sheeting (waterlogging makes the rhizome rot) and leave some air circulation; in spring, remove the protection gradually, and the stem sprouts anew from the rhizome.
Propagation
Methods
- Offsets
- Division
The most reliable way to propagate Musa basjoo is from the offsets (daughter plants) that form at the base of the rhizome every year. Wait until an offset is about 30 to 60 cm tall and has formed its own roots. Then, in spring (after the Ice Saints, from mid-May, week 20) or in early summer, expose it and separate it from the parent rhizome with a sharp, clean knife. Make sure that a sufficient piece of rhizome with roots stays attached to the offset. Let the cut surface dry briefly, then plant the offset into fresh, well-drained soil and keep it evenly moist. Alternatively, you can propagate a well-established clump by rhizome division: dig the plant up in spring, divide the rhizome with a sturdy spade or knife so that each piece has at least one shoot and its own roots, and replant the pieces straight away. This method is particularly suitable if you want to rejuvenate the clump anyway. Sowing is hardly promising for Musa basjoo in practice. In Central Europe the species only rarely sets viable seed, and germination is very unreliable. So go for offsets or rhizome division.
For your garden
Grow Japanese fiber banana yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
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