Bananas used to be very hard to find. I spent 8 years looking for mine. When I finally got them I researched them using government agriculture sites to learn everything I could before planting mine. With bananas positioning is paramount.
Bananas have a very shallow rhizome root system. Because of this they need to be planted next to a barrier of some kind, which will protect them from wind and harsh rain. They also like a lot of heat because they're tropical. The best way to grow your bananas here is to plant them next to a garden wall which gets a LOT of sunshine each day. The wall retains heat (which the bananas love), and it protects them from winds that could blow them over.
When you find a banana plant, dig a foot deep hole, work bone meal and compost into the hole, then plant your banana. Keep it well watered for the first year, after that it takes care of itself.
The variety I first found was musa paradisical. These are also known as lady finger bananas, because they are smaller than commercial bananas. They have very thin skins, the flesh has a peach tinge to it, and they are very sweet and creamy (nothing at all like normal bananas). Because the skin is so thin birds can (and do) peck right through the skin. As soon as you see birds at your bananas, it's time to pick them. Cut the hands off the main stem (wear gloves because bananas leak out a latex fluid which sticks like mad all over your hands) and leave the bananas on the lawn for a few hours for the ends to dry (where you cut them off the main stem). Then bring them inside and wait for them to fully ripen. They are going past ripe when they start to get black streaks on the skin.
One banana plant gives a lot of bananas, and despite the research I read - a banana plant can give you bananas for 3 years running. They make more banana plants by spreading their rhizome roots, so they multiply year after year. Because this variety is so rich and tasty, it's hard to eat a lot of them. They are packed full of flavour and end up giving away bananas to friends and family.
Now you will find musa cavendish available at some of our local nurseries. This variety is the commercial kind you buy from the shops, and you can recognise it by the red/purple flecks on the leaves. If you see bananas, get them! They are evergreen, need no babying, and become a garden institution. They attract swarms of bees into your garden (so I plant a lot of vegetables around mine to cash in on pollination), and the flowers smell fantastic! They're also evergreen.
I live in the Gauteng region, where we get terrible hail storms, bitter wind, and wild winds in August. Our bananas have been hailed to shreds year after year, snowed on many times, and the winter wind has completely dried the leaves. Don't panic! As long as the rhizome root system is protected from cold (with lots of mulch on top of the soil), your bananas will simply grow new leaves and carry on regardless come spring. When the leaves dry up in winter, leave them on. They rustle every time the wind blows, but it's worth leaving them on as these end up protecting the main stem of the plant from cold damage.
If anyone (locally) wants a musa paradisical plant, get in contact with us via the contact form on our Contact page. we sell them for R80 a plant.
Now that you know how to plant it for best success, here's the health benefit of eating and using bananas.
It is a common perception that the banana plant is a tree. In truth the banana plant is the largest herb grown. It is such a rapid grower that it grows from rhizome root to mature and fruiting in just fifteen months. Although we naturally think of bananas as cheerful yellow, there does exist a tropical red variety (Cuban Red) which has a dark red skin. The banana fruit contains the enzyme tryptophan which is used in medicine to combat insomnia. Eating a banana will have the same result. The tryptophan present in bananas also aids individuals suffering from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) as it is a mood enhancer. This mood enhancing effect is also believed to help with the mood swings associated with PMS sufferers. The tryptophan content in banana's assists the body with serotonin increase, resulting in a happier disposition generally. This makes banana eating helpful for depression sufferers as well. The banana contains minerals calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, sodium, zinc, copper, magnesium and selenium. It also contains vitamins C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, B6, folate, A, E and tocopherol. One banana contains 123IU of vitamin A and contains the entire B vitamin group. These high levels of vitamins and nutrients are said to help recovering smokers with their nicotine withdrawals.
The inside of the banana peel is a natural source of antihistamine. For this reason it is effective when rubbed on the skin to soothe itching and irritations from bites and stings. The banana is believed to have originated in Malaysia approximately 4 000 years ago. From there it’s believed that it spread to India and the Philippines. Alexander the Great’s records revealed that they found bananas growing in India in 327 B.C. From there bananas moved to Africa through the Arabian trade system and spread to America in approximately 1482 A.D. Unfortunately bananas were initially only enjoyed by coastal dwellers close to ports.
As wonderfully tasty and creamy as bananas are, they also have many other attractive qualities. This simple fruit which comes already packaged in an attractive yellow peel has an antacid effect which is helpful when suffering from stomach ulcers. An easy to prepare remedy is to blend one banana into a cup of milk to suppress acid secretion in the stomach and protect against ulcer damage. One study even found that bananas protect the stomach from wounds. Compounds found in the banana (called protease inhibitors) help to eliminate the bacteria which cause stomach ulcers. They also encourage the stomach to produce a thicker mucous lining which protects the stomach from ulcers forming.
Bananas are well known for their potassium content. An average sized banana contains 467mg of potassium. Potassium is an important electrolyte which is often removed from the body when suffering from diarrhea. Eating bananas when suffering from diarrhoea restores the electrolyte level and the soluble fiber (pectin) in them restores fluid levels in stools to normal. This works with constipation too. As this fruit is a complex carbohydrate it gives us a slow release of energy which is helpful in sustaining stamina and energy levels. Bananas help the colon because it is a prebiotic, nourishing helpful (friendly) bacteria in the colon. The helpful bacteria in the colon produce digestive enzymes which assist in nutrient absorption from food. The effect this has encourages the absorption of calcium and other vital nutrients. The better your body is at absorbing calcium from food the more your bone health is improved. In a study of infants given green bananas (green bananas have SCFA’s which make up the digestive tract lining) their stools lessened in bulk revealing that more nutrient absorption was occurring and inhibited diarrhea.
A study published in January 2005 revealed that women who ate bananas four to six times a week halved their risk of developing kidney cancer. This is attributed to the high amount of antioxidant phenolic compounds present in bananas. Consuming at least three servings of fruit a day has also been shown to lower the risk of macular degeneration. Age related macular degeneration is considered the biggest culprit of failing eyesight in old age.
Potassium rich foods like the banana are very effective in lowering high blood pressure. Many studies have revealed that regular consumption of potassium rich foods like the banana significantly lower heart disease risk as this potassium maintains normal cardiovascular function and normalizes blood pressure. This potassium content also counteracts urinary calcium loss caused by a salt rich diet. Thereby helping to prevent bone degeneration.
The banana plant has many folk names. Some of them are Maia; Bananier Nain, Canbur and Curra. In many Asian cultures which place foods into element categories, the banana is placed in the “cool” category. The belief system is that foods can have an overall effect on the body. Thereby eating a “cool” food would drop high body temperature and lower high temperament. Thai women eat bananas when pregnant to ensure that their child is born with a “cool” temperature. This is important in their geographical area which has such high humidity and heat. It is interesting to note that the banana assists in keeping blood sugar levels up which also prevents morning sickness. The Asian expectant mothers were on to something bigger.
Rubbing the inside of a banana peel on a wart will make the wart disappear. The old wives remedy is to wrap the banana peel over the wart, replacing with a new peel each day, only removing the peel for bathing. This remedy does work but may take a few months depending on the size of the wart. I had a fairly large wart on the inside of my wrist. Using this banana peel remedy my wart did disappear completely leaving no scarring on my skin. Looking at my wrist there is no trace that there ever was a huge wart there. Rubbing insect bites with the inner side of a banana skin reduces swelling and irritation.
* SCFA - short chain fatty acid
N.B: Bananas and plantains contain the substances named chitinases which are associated with latex allergies. If you have a reaction to latex it is highly probable that you will react to bananas, avocados, chestnuts and plantains too.