Tips on growing healthy bananas

Bananas can be good as a source of potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and fibre, the Examiner reported recently.

The online resource gave tips on how to incorporate the fruit into your diet, but horticulturalists may be more interested in the conditions needed to grow their own in their garden or greenhouse.

According to Banana-Tree.com, the soil used to house the plants is one of the more important considerations.

It should be a mixture that drains well, containing around a fifth perlite, with the rhizome planted upright and the roots well covered, the website said.

Gardeners were also advised fertilising lightly each time the plant is watered, unless there is an absence of active growth.

Soil should be kept moist to a depth of around half an inch, meaning it will have to be hydrated very regularly.

The plants need a lot of light – such as that provided by a well-positioned greenhouse -and also require warm temperatures to flourish.

Ideally, the greenhouse should be kept at around 80 degrees F during the day and 67 degrees F at night.