Taison Horticulture

The Musa, also known as the banana tree, is native to Southeast Asia and Australia. Nowadays, however, the plant is grown in many tropical countries. The Musa belongs to the Musaceae family. The purple patterns on the leaves make each leaf unique and give the plant a unique appearance. The plant does need a lot of water and light, but you get a fantastic houseplant in return!

The banana plant loves a lot of sunlight and is therefore also grown under filtered light. The plant deserves a spot on the south in the sun, but bring the plant here gradually as the plant needs to get used to direct sunlight. The leaves can even burn if you don’t do this. Always make sure you place the plant in a reasonably sheltered place as the leaves can tear when there is strong wind. You could also place the plant on a window at the east or west, but try to give the plant as much light as possible.

The Musa itself already consists of 80% water and also needs a lot of water. Always keep the soil moist and check this regularly, especially in summer. Do not water buckets with water, because too much water causes root rot and you don’t want that either.

As the banana plant is a fast grower, it is useful to give it some extra nutrition in the summer. Do this once every 2 weeks and you will see that your plant will grow even faster. Do not use more than indicated on the packaging.

The banana plant is a fast grower and therefore it is advisable to repot every 2 years. Always repot in the spring so that the plant can recover from any damage that may have occurred during repotting. Use a pot that is 20% wider than the old pot and use universal potting soil. A larger plant promotes growth and health. Moreover, a larger pot provides a larger water buffer because the soil can absorb more water.

It is natural that leaves will turn brown. You can’t prevent this, but you can do something with it. It will improve the ornamental value to remove these old leaves. Moreover, it costs the plant unnecessary energy to maintain the old leaves. If the leaves turn lighter it means that the plant gets too much light.

The banana plant has been cultivated since the 6th century and is therefore one of the oldest commercial indoor plants. The first banana farm was established in Costa Rica, but originally they come from Southeast Asia and Australia. Nowadays they can be found worldwide. The banana plant owes its name to William Cavendish, the man who brought this plant to Europe.