Banana Tree Bulb

What we normally refer to as a banana tree is actually not a tree – it is a large herbaceous plant that grows from under underground bulb. Banana plants are the biggest plants on earth without a woody stem. The stems produces by the banana tree bulbs are only pseudostems and they will die as soon as they have produced fruit. This is not a problem, because the banana tree bulb will continue to produce numerous pseudostems throughout its life. If you want to have bananas year round (and live in a warm region where this is possible) ideally let your banana tree bulb grow 3-4 pseudostems at the time. One big stem that carries fruit, one medium-large stem that will start carrying fruit when the biggest stem dies, and one or two smaller stems that are there to eventually become medium sized stems. If you let the banana plant grow more than 3-4 pseudostems at a time, they will compete with each other for sun, water and nutrients and might yield smaller bananas or a smaller number of bananas as a result.

If you care well for your banana tree bulb, it will continue to produce fruit bearing pseudostems for years and years to come. If you do not live in the tropics, it is important to protect the banana tree bulb during the winter. If you chose cold hardy banana variants, you only have to add plenty of mulch to keep the bulb safe throughout the winter. If you want to grow more sensitive species you may have to grow them in big containers and move the containers indoors, e.g. into your garage, during the coldest winter months.

Avoid planting banana tree bulbs too close to each other in your garden because they will grow bigger and bigger and eventually start competing with each other for nutrients. If you notice that stronger banana plants are out-competing a weaker plant, you can help the weaker plant by digging a trench around it. Use a sharp spade to cut off any roots that you encounter while digging your trench. Put the soil back when the trench is finished (unless you are okay with having a permanent trench in your garden).

Banana tree bulb = the rhizome

What we colloquially refer to as the banana bulb is formally known as the banana rhizome. In botany, a rhizome is an (usually) underground, horizontal stem of a plant that can use its nodes to send out roots and shoots. The banana plants always form underground rhizomes, but a few other plants, including some Iris species, actually have above ground rhizomes. Rhizomes are also known as rootstocks or rootstalks.