Banana Plant Seed
Code: 141207
Exotic-looking leaves
Easy to grow, this magnificent giant can grow 1m a year, with leaves 2m to 3m long. After several years it sends up a final 'firework'; a huge, stunning flowering spike. In its native home, East Africa, it is grown for its seeds, which are used for flour, and its stems, eaten as vegetables.
Culture: The seed should be soaked for 24 hours in warm water prior to sowing, then sown in a warm place. Germination can be erratic, so it is best to sow in small individual pots, or between moist tissue paper in a plastic bag so that germinated seedlings can be removed without harming the others. In the home, the airing cupboard is a suitable place. Regular transplantation and heavy feeding of the young plants will maximise growth and result in an impressive plant up to 2m tall within 6 months. Warm bright conditions are needed at all times while the plant is growing. Ensete is not hardy in northern gardens, but will survive an occasional light frost elsewhere. It is most widely used as a specimen or dot plant for summer bedding schemes, but is invaluable wherever a tropical effect is required.