How to produce banana from your backyard

Banana plant is common in India especially in south India. Banana is rich in vitamins such as B6 and C. Dried and powdered banana is an energy rich and pertinacious food for babies. It also used as snacks, in desserts and in meals. Banana you get from shops might be imported from other countries and might lost its quality to a considerable extent. Instead of buying this poor quality banana, you can easily grow banana plant in your backyard. Let us see how we can be successful

Where to plant your banana plant

It is important to select a proper place to plant the banana plant. Area, which gets maximum sunlight in your backyard can be selected for the purpose. Banana plant grows up to eight meter height and need at least two-meter diameter surroundings to spread its leaves and big leaves. Select an ideal place based on these requirements.

Site preparation: Remove weeds and other materials from the planting area and dig a hole of 50 cm depth and 50 cm diameter. Deposit half Kg. of dried cow dung and ash in the pit.

Select your plant: You can get banana plants from your neighbors, friends or even buy tissue culture plans from internet. Tissue culture plants give high yield and disease resistant. Healthy plants should be selected for planting. In case of banana suckers, remove all old roots and clear the plant.

Planting: Put the plant in the hole dug previously in the upright position, cover the hole with soil, and firmly tamp down.

• Water the plant daily if the soil is dry and do not do if the soil is wet because too much water causes decay of the roots.
• Since banana is rich in nutrients and protein, banana plants are voracious eaters and so give plenty of fertilizers for the plant every month. Cow dung, ash, kitchen wastes etc are best for banana plant.
• As the plant grow chop out all dried leaves from the plant
• Within a twelve-month time, the banana plat will flower and will take another three months to ripen the banana bunch.

Harvesting: Make a cut at mid way of the plant at the opposite side of the banana bunch and carefully bend the plant towards us, hold on the banana bunch and cut out the bunch as a whole. Fully ripen banana will be golden yellow in color and sweet in taste.

There will be many small banana suckers attached the mother plant, that can be removed an stored for next round of cultivation