Grow Bananas!

Getting banana seeds is simple enough. Many places sell them online. I've had particularly pleasant experiences with Georgia Vines (or visit her ebay store). She has an excellent selection of exotic plants & seeds including bananas and everything is very reasonably priced. I would recommend buying a dwarf variety if you intend to grow them indoors or need to bring them indoors for the winter as bananas tend to grow quite large.

Once you've ordered your seeds you'll be ready to start growing bananas. Be sure to have a sunny and warm spot for them. Mind that these won't be like the bananas you get in the grocery store which are propagated using suckers.

My banana seeds

On day one you're going to need to grab a cup of lukewarm water and soak the banana seeds in it for 48 hours. I set mine outside in the sun so it would stay warm and would get cycles of warm/cool and day/light but you could also set it on a heating pad or seed mat for warmth. The seeds often benefit from some form of temperature fluctuation so feel free to turn off any heating at night provided your house is not below 60 degrees (I'd even say below 70). You may also consider turning it down.

Once your seeds have soaked for 48 hours you will be ready to plant them. Things you will need include a cup/pot, bark chips/shards/rocks for the bottom and some well-draining soil. Bananas are tolerant of most soils but cannot handle standing water so make sure you maintain a well-drained environment.

Some growers suggest you nick the seed coat and others insist that you don't due to potential bacterial and fungal infections. In my opinion it's up to you. I have nicked hard seed coats and had them grow and I have not nicked hard seeds and had them grow. Either way I think germinating banana seeds will be semi difficult and take a while. I suppose to play it safe you might not nick it but if you feel the need that's fine. Soaking them in the lukewarm water is intended to soften them up, though.

First you'll need to prepare the soil. If you are using cactus soil or orchid soil it should drain well enough for the banana, but if you are using regular potting soil you'll need to mix in 40-60% sand for drainage. Mix your soil with a time release fertilizer (such as osmocote) and water in a bowl or pot until damp (not soaking!). Put a layer of bark chips, shards or rocks on the bottom of your pot or cup and then fill the rest with your soil and fertilizer mix. Pat down the mix and make a small depression in the soil. Banana seeds don't need to be terribly deep, just deep enough that they will not uncover with watering. Cover the seeds with soil.

Now you'll have to play the waiting game. Seed germination is all over the place for bananas. It could be as little as 3 weeks or as long as a year before you get germination. Once germinated, however, bananas tend to grow quite rapidly and you can get a fruit-producing tree in as little as a year if it is happy. However, fruit production is difficult. Ornamental bananas often will not fruit and with indoor conditions even wild bananas may not. You will have to be patient and if you want fruit try to mimic its natural tropical environment. Note that not all of the banana fruits will taste good but the bunches pretty if you can get them. Good luck!

Dwarf banana tree by Tony Buser