Some children and adults think that bananas hang on palm trees, where they are collected in the form of fruits. In fact, this plant belongs to herbal species, but of gigantic height. Amazing facts about where bananas grow and how they grow can surprise many people.
Botanical Description
According to the classification, bananas are perennial herbaceous plants with thick-skinned fruits and berries. The question immediately arises: where is his seed and how does a banana propagate in nature?
In the world there are more than 40 species and almost 500 varieties of bananas. The homeland of the fruit is the countries of Southeast Asia and Malaysia. Wild bananas grow there directly in the forest in the form of grass with thick trunks (up to 20 cm in diameter) reaching a height of 5 m. Side leaves and shoots are formed around the main stem, which are replaced by new ones as they die. Outwardly, they strongly resemble a palm tree.
As a rule, on each "palm tree" grows only one bunch of numerous fruits of different colors (photo below). Wild bananas are oval-shaped fruits that must be peeled to obtain seeds. And the fruits that are popular and loved by many on the shelves of supermarkets are fruits specially bred by breeders for consumption.
How bananas propagate in nature: features
The plant has a typical life cycle for herbaceous species, which begins with the appearance of a false stem and leaves, continues with flowering, fruit ripening and subsequent death of the leaves.
In the wild, when planted with seeds, bananas grow in height very quickly: in almost 9-10 months of the warm season, their false stems can grow to 8-meter height. Then comes the reproductive phase, in which new leaves no longer form.
Inside the trunk, the development of the peduncle begins, which in 2-3 weeks forms a large inflorescence in the form of a kidney of a dark purple color. At its base are small bananas, which in the future will form fruits that are located in dense large clusters in a spiral going from the base of the inflorescence to its top. Flowers are divided into female (top), bisexual or hermaphrodite (below) and male (small, located below).
Pollination of female flowers in nature occurs with the help of several types of living creatures that come to the specific smell of inflorescences:
- nectaria birds;
- tupayi - animals similar to squirrels;
- insects - bees, wasps, butterflies;
- bats at night.
After pollination, a bunch of fruits ripen, which looks like a brush with numerous fingers. When wild bananas ripen, they immediately become prey for animals and birds arriving to feast on it. After the completion of each cycle, the false stem of the plant dies, allowing the beginning of the next sprout.
The fruits of a wild banana have many "seeds" (50-200 pcs.), Similar in shape and size to cherry. With their help, bananas also multiply. These seeds fall into the soil in the litter from decayed foliage. After 2 months, green sprouts appear from them and the next plant growth cycle begins.
Varieties of varieties
Bananas are one of the oldest cultivated tropical plants that have been cultivated by humans since the 4th-6th centuries. BC. Now this culture is grown in many countries of the world where there is a humid tropical climate and where they are well aware of how bananas reproduce.
Most cultivated species were obtained by scientists as a result of breeding and crossbreeding of wild varieties "pointed banana" and "Balbis banana", which are widespread in India.
Cultivated varieties of banana seeds do not have and are divided into 2 main groups:
- banana - sweet yellow fruits that can be eaten raw;
- plantain (plantans) - fruits with starchy core used for cooking (they can be baked in leaves, cook, etc.).
Edible varieties
The most popular types and varieties of bananas (description and cultivation of them are presented below), which are cultivated on plantations:
- Cavendish - a dessert variety called dwarf, sugar or Canarian - grows in a bunch of fruits, when ripened, covered with brown small spots;
- Banana of the Sages is the most popular variety in tropical countries;
- Gro-Michel - has large fruit-fruit yellow-cream color, sweet and aromatic, well tolerate transportation;
- Lacatan - have a high resistance to disease;
- Lady Finger - thick fruits with a pleasant taste and delicate pulp, but tolerate transportation worse;
- Red Dhaka - almost straight in shape and elongated, in the brush up to 9 pcs., Delicious;
- Banana Paradise - a mealy variety whose fruits are cooked and baked, flour is made from unripe (starch content is 66%).
Vegetable or garden varieties: Banana of the Sages, Indian (plant height up to 10 m), Chinese, Dwarf Cavendish (2 m). Fibrous grades for obtaining fibers: Textile and banana Basio.
How bananas grow on plantations
The banana plant has a structure characteristic of herbaceous species: powerful roots, the main stem, on which huge leaves are located in an amount of 6 to 20 pcs. After bamboo, a banana plant takes the 2nd highest place in the world.
On plantations, bananas can grow with a stem thickness of up to 40 cm and a height of up to 8 m. Their leaves 50 cm wide reach 3 m, and they begin to grow not on branches, but from the depth of a hollow trunk, which is a characteristic feature of herbaceous plants. Reaching a certain height, the leaves begin to bend down from their own weight.
A powerful root system can be dug into the ground to a depth of 1.5 m and a width of up to 5 m in all directions. Each rhizome is able to live from 2 to 5 years, giving every six months all new sprouts. A characteristic feature of the structure of the leaves is a long longitudinal vein located in the center of the plate. Color depends on the plant variety and can be either green or with spots of burgundy or crimson.
Fruits grow in clusters, each can have up to 100 pcs. bananas. Maximum productivity on plantations is achieved with high humidity. In areas, they even use wrapping with a layer of polyethylene of ripening bunches to increase humidity and more rapid ripening of fruits. However, this threatens the rapid emergence of fungal infections and diseases.
In which countries do bananas grow and how do they multiply
In the 21st century, more than 42 million tons of bananas are grown annually in 107 countries, of which 2/3 are in Latin America. The largest plantations are located in Ecuador (7 million tons annually), Brazil (6.9), in Asia - in China (10.9) and India (24.9). Bananas are also growing on the African continent, where Tanzania leads, producing 2.5 million tons per year.
This plant can be grown in a cooler, not tropical climate. In addition to the delicious fruits that are eaten, rope is made from bananas in some countries, and the stems are fed to livestock. In Russia and Europe, people prefer to eat raw fruits, but on other continents where there are a lot of them, they make wine and chips from bananas, brew beer, and also create raw materials for tea bags.
A plant can be propagated in 2 ways: by seeds or processes (vegetatively). On plantations in Latin America, Spain, China and India, sprouts are used to breed and plant new plants. They appear from the rhizome of adult bananas after the death of the aerial part.
The way bananas are propagated on plantations is vegetative. He is the most reliable and fastest. For breeding choose the strongest offspring, as well as parts of tubers (rhizomes), cutting them. The most productive and resistant shoots are formed during the fruiting period, because they accumulate the maximum amount of nutrients.
Growing bananas at home
Even in the Victorian era, banana plants occupied an honorable place in the winter greenhouses of Europe, and in the 21st century, the popularity of growing them in a home or conservatory returns.
As a home plant, specially created decorative varieties of bananas are used. When planting crops, it should be borne in mind that in nature they like sunny warm places with high air humidity, i.e. in an apartment they need frequent spraying.
The plant loves abundant watering, i.e. the soil should always be moistened, preferably slightly acidic or neutral, loose and nutrient medium. When planting in a tub, you should pre-prepare the soil mixture, consisting of humus, foliage, turf and sand in a ratio of 2: 1: 2: 2.
The optimum temperature during cultivation all year round should be in the range + 22 … + 25 ° С. Such conditions are quite difficult to reproduce in an apartment, therefore, many flower growers fail to grow an exotic plant. Positive results are obtained by growing plants in the greenhouse, but provided that the air temperature does not fall below + 16 ° C.
Abundant watering of planted plants should be carried out regularly all year round, as well as spraying leaves and air around with warm water. It is recommended to place a pan or container with wet pebbles next to the banana.
The plant also responds well to the use of mineral fertilizers, which should be applied monthly. In the summer, it is recommended to fertilize the soil with slurry.
Planting Banana Seeds
One of the ways bananas are propagated at home is by sowing seeds of decorative plant varieties purchased at the store.
Preparation and steps for planting a banana:
- scarify seeds with sandpaper (grate to enhance swelling);
- soak the seeds for 2 days in warm water;
- plant in the ground;
- maintain humidity and temperature + 25 … + 30 ° С.
They sprout, as a rule, for a long time - 3-4 months. But after the appearance of a sprout above the surface, it immediately begins to grow, surprising the host with its speed of development. However, you should know that the seeds of wild banana varieties grown in an adult plant give inedible fruits.
For growing at home, use decorative varieties of banana: Paradise, Japanese, banana Manna and the Sages. They are characterized by low growth (2-3 m) and more unpretentiousness compared to varieties growing in open ground. Experienced growers recommend planting a Cavendish banana (also known as dwarf or Chinese), which grows up to 1 m high.
Such varieties of flower growers are grown only for decorative purposes, because their fruits are still inedible, and the plant usually dies after fruiting.
Decorative varieties and method A. Patia
One of the ways to grow a banana at home is the method of the Ukrainian amateur breeder A. Patiy. In 1998, he created high-quality fruit-bearing fruit varieties, which were called “Kiev dwarf” and “Super dwarf”. These varieties are highly resistant to cold and disease. They are able to bloom at a temperature of + 15 ° C.
Tips and tricks on how to grow a banana at home (method A. Patia):
- a young banana plant (up to 20 cm high) should be planted in a pot with a capacity of up to 3 l, at a height of 50-70 cm - in a large capacity of 15-20 l;
- when transplanting, deciduous land should be used: add 1 liter of humus (vermicompost), 2 liters of river sand, 500 g of ash or wood ash to a bucket of land.
The scientist recommends watering the tree only after drying of the top soil layer, so that the roots do not rot, with warm, standing water (+ 25 … + 30 ° С). In the winter months, bananas are watered less often. In summer, it is better to place the plant on a balcony or in a shady place in the garden.
Fertilizers should be applied many times:
- in winter - monthly;
- in spring and summer - weekly "feed" green manure (chopped green grass with boiling water in a ratio of 1: 5 and leave for a day), vermicompost, ash (alternately), introducing them into moist soil;
- to enhance fruiting, it is recommended to pour with fish stock cooked from 200 g of waste or small unsalted fish in 2 liters of water (boil for 30 minutes, strain, dilute with water in equal proportions and mix with vermicompost).
Plants grow to 1.5-1.7 m, and fruits ripen in clusters of bananas up to 15 cm in length and weighing 150 g. These varieties can be kept in an apartment or house.
Diseases and Pests
Like every plant, bananas can be sick and damaged by pests. The most common ones are:
- small beetles, larvae, which are called nematodes - they penetrate into the middle of the stems and begin to bite them;
- black weevils - crawl into the base of the stem, gnawing passages, from which juice starts to flow in the form of jelly;
- due to the lack of renewal of the gene pool of the plant, cultivars have a low resistance to fungal diseases.
To control pests, special means for disinfecting plants can be used. For prevention, do not forget to moisten the earth. With severe damage to plantations, infected plants have to be destroyed.
