Hardy Banana Tree
When we speak of hardy banana trees, we normally mean disease hardy banana tree variants, cold hardy banana tree variants or simply bananas variants that do not need a lot of pampering. When commercial banana growers look for banana trees resilient towards the dreaded Panama wilt disease, they normally opt for one of the ‘Cavendish’ cultivars. As a private, small-scale banana grower you have a much broader range of disease hardy banana plants to chose among, at least as long as you do not plan on exporting your bananas. The reason why ‘Cavendish’ is so popular among export producers is that it is a disease hardy banana tree and that is produces bananas that can be transported long distances without going bad. If you do not plan on transporting your bananas, you can have your pick among a much broader range of disease hardy banana tree variants – some of them will even be cold hardy.
The hardy banana tree from Japan
If you want to grow an amazingly cold tolerant banana tree, the Japanese fibre banana (Musa basjoo) is a great choice. Healthy and well established Japanese fibre banana plants are known to survive winters where the temperature drops down to – 20 degrees F. Musa basjoo hails from the Ryukyu Islands of Japan and is commonly referred to as the Hardy Banana Tree due to its remarkable resistance to cold. It has been successfully grown in all 50 states of the United States, but if your garden is colder than zone 8 it is recommended to use plenty of mulch to protect the rhizome during the winter.
Hardiness:
USDA Zone 6b: to -20.5° C (-5° F)
USDA Zone 7a: to -17.7° C (0° F)
USDA Zone 7b: to -14.9° C (5° F)
USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2° C (10° F)
USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4° C (15° F)
USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6° C (20° F)
USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8° C (25° F)
USDA Zone 10a: to -1.1° C (30° F)
USDA Zone 10b: to 1.7° C (35° F)
The Japanese fibre banana can reach a height of 12-15 ft. (3.6-4.7 m) and the recommended spacing is 10-12 ft. (3-3.6 m). Most people dislike the taste of the bananas and this hardy banana tree is therefore primarily grown as an ornamental plant; not to produce edible fruit. The bananas will normally stay smaller than two inches in length. While not being a great source of food, the Japanese fibre banana certainly live up to the label ornamental plant and will produce an appealing flower stalk where a yellow to orange bud emerges in the shape of a torpedo. The leaves are green, long and slender. Ideally provide your Musa basjoo with soil that is constantly moist – do not let it dry out between waterings.
