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| COMMON NAME Sweetheart Banana Tree |
| BOTANICAL NAME Musa acuminata ‘Sweetheart’ |
| HEIGHT 8′ – 14′ |
| WIDTH 6′ |
| MONOECIOUS |
| EVERGREEN |
| LIFESPAN Stalks die after producing their fruit. Baby plants are produced around the base. |
| PERENNIAL |
| COLD TOLERANCE 32° F on leaves, roots regrow |
| SOIL TYPE Wet or dry |
| WATERING REQUIREMENTS Water after planting in ground, and water every day for 2 weeks. From then on, regularly water deeply twice a week. Potted plants need water once the top 1/2″ to 1″ of soil is thoroughly dry, water every 2 to 3 days. Supplement with water during droughts and the hot, dry months to keep your plant lush and thriving. Reduce watering in the Winter when growth slows. |
| DROUGHT TOLERANCE Medium |
| SALT TOLERANCE Low |
| LIGHT REQUIREMENTS Full sun |
| FERTILIZING Sparingly use a general purpose, 10-10-10 once a month from Spring to Summer for faster growth. Alternatively, use a slow-release fertilizer 3 times a year. Halt fertilizing from the Fall to Winter, then begin again in the Spring. Do not allow fertilizer to clump, be sure to disperse evenly. Clumped fertilizer can potentially burn roots, potentially harming or killing a plant. Avoid getting fertilizer on the leaves and trunk. |
| FLOWER Yellowish-white flowers (tinged with translucent maroon sometimes) are arranged in groups beneath each layer of purplish-red outer bracts (which are like petals) |
| MONTH OF COLOR Spring to early Summer |
| FRUIT Green unripe; yellow when ripe (3 – 6 months to fully ripen), size is usually 4″. White, sweet, seedless edible interior with an apple flavor. |
| ALLERGENS, TOXICITY AND ANIMALS Non-toxic to animals. (Dogs, cats, horses, humans.) Banana sap is watery and will slightly stain clothes, may irritate skin. Approximately 1% of the population is allergic to bananas. Those who are allergic to substances with similar proteins to that of the banana are at higher risk. Symptoms are itchy mouth and/or throat, itchy rash with hives, wheezing, and collapsing. Those with an allergic reactions are usually affected within seconds or minutes after consuming the fruit. |
| COMMENTS Fast growing banana to produce. Heavy crops on drier soils, with high disease resistance. Harvest fruit when green and full sized to ripen indoors; The fruit may split open if left on the plant. During Winter, dig up the baby banana plants that grow around the mother plant and pot them up to bring indoors until the last freeze. In locations susceptible to cold damage, one can also wrap a frost cloth over and around the tree and tie securely to protect the day before a freeze. Remove promptly once the freeze has subsided. For larger plants that are difficult to cover, protect the roots by mulching (with mulch, leaves, hay, etc.) no less than 3″ thick and 1′ radius around the base of the trunk above where the roots grow. Common in southeast Asian cuisine, flowers from the blossoms are edible, and must be cleaned and used fresh! Blossom stems are thick and fibrous, use tree saw or machete. Warning: clear sap stains clothing dark brownish-red. When the fruit starts to develop, cut off remaining flower to encourage sweeter bananas and lessen flower mess. |
| PRICE 30 gallon $70, 7 gallon $35 |