How to grow Banana
Updated October 2026
Bananas are giant, fast growing herbs, not trees: each leafy stalk grows from an underground rhizome, fruits once and is then replaced by a new sucker. They fruit reliably in South Florida and Hawaii, and in warm, sheltered spots further north after a mild winter. They need plenty of water, food and warmth, and the right variety makes a big difference to the crop.
📖 Our full guide: How to Grow Banana
Where to plant
Plant bananas in the warmest part of the garden, in full sun, where the soil does not flood or stay wet after summer rain. Keep them away from power lines and windows, since tall plants can topple in strong winds; UF/IFAS notes tall varieties can blow over in winds above about 25 mph and short ones above about 45 mph. Shelter from wind also stops the leaves shredding badly.
In South Florida and Hawaii, bananas grow and fruit all year. In Central Florida and coastal Southern California, they fruit in most years. In North Florida, the Gulf South and Texas, a hard freeze kills the top back to the ground, and the plants usually fruit only after a mild winter, so grow cold tolerant varieties and mulch the base well. The low desert is too hot and dry, and the rest of the country is too cold except in a heated greenhouse.
Choosing a variety
Choose a variety for your climate and for disease resistance. Panama disease races 1 and 2 are present in Florida soils and limit what can be grown in infested ground.
| Variety | Notes |
|---|---|
| Dwarf Cavendish | Large bunches of medium fruit; better adapted to the cooler subtropics than most commercial types, but prone to black Sigatoka |
| Ice Cream (Blue Java) | Creamy fruit with fair to good cold tolerance, but susceptible to Panama disease |
| FHIA-01 (Goldfinger) | An excellent dessert banana resistant to Panama disease and to yellow and black Sigatoka |
| FHIA-02 (Mona Lisa) | Resistant to Sigatoka and Panama disease |
| FHIA-17 | Dessert banana resistant to Panama disease and tolerant of Sigatoka |
UF/IFAS does not recommend Gros Michel for Florida gardens: it has poor cold tolerance and is susceptible to both Panama disease and Sigatoka.
How to plant
- Start with healthy planting material: a large sword sucker with narrow leaves, a cleaned rhizome piece, or a tissue culture plant from a nursery, which is free of pests and disease.
- Plant in spring, once frost has passed, so the plant has the whole warm season to grow.
- Dig a wide hole and work in plenty of compost. Plant at the depth the sucker or pot grew.
- Water in well and mulch thickly, keeping the mulch a little away from the stalk.
Watering and feeding
Bananas use a lot of water and are very sensitive to drought, which delays flowering and shrinks the bunch. UF/IFAS gives about 4 to 6 inches (100 to 150 mm) of water a month, which means about 1 to 1.5 inches a week, especially in dry spells. Do not overdo it, though: waterlogged soil damages the roots.
Feed often. Growth in the first 3 to 4 months sets the size of the bunch. On poor sandy or limy Florida soils, UF/IFAS suggests 4 to 6 feeds a year with a fertilizer high in potash. Thick mulch and chopped old stalks return organic matter.
Pruning and care through the year
- Prune the mat. Too many stalks give small bunches of poor fruit. UF/IFAS suggests one stalk flowering and fruiting, one about half grown and one small sucker per clump. Cut other suckers off at ground level and gouge out the bud, or they regrow quickly.
- Each stalk fruits only once. After harvest, cut the stalk off at the base and chop it as mulch.
- If frost kills the top, new growth usually comes from the rhizome when warm weather returns.
Harvesting
Bananas are best cut green, once the fingers are plump and their angular edges have filled out, and before they begin to turn yellow on the plant. Cut the whole bunch, then hang it in a shady, cool place to ripen, which gives better flavor than ripening on the plant. UF/IFAS suggests harvesting 7 to 14 days before the fruit would ripen on the plant.
Fruit is usually ready about 10 to 24 months after planting, depending on variety, care and season. The first bunch is often smaller than the ones that follow.
Propagation and saving seed
Divide bananas by digging sword suckers, which have narrow leaves and a large base, from the edge of the clump. Broad leaved water suckers are weakly attached and make poor plants. Pare off damaged roots and dark tissue, and never move suckers from a plant that looks diseased.
Companion planting
A banana clump suits a lush, well watered bed with low growing companions.
Good companions
- Sweet potato A spreading groundcover that shades the soil around the clump and enjoys the same heat and water.
Pests and diseases
Borers and soil diseases are the main problems. In Hawaii, banana bunchy top is the most serious threat.
Pests to watch for
- Banana weevil Tunnels in the rhizome and the base of the stalk, weak plants that topple. Use clean planting material and chop up old stalks.
- Root-knot nematodes Poor growth and toppling plants; use nematode free planting material.
- Aphids Banana aphids clustered at the base of leaves; in Hawaii they spread bunchy top virus.
Diseases to watch for
- Panama disease Older leaves yellowing and collapsing, and the stalk splitting with brown streaks inside. There is no cure; plant resistant varieties in infested soil.
- Black sigatoka Dark streaks and spots that kill large areas of leaf in long rainy spells.
- Banana bunchy top In Hawaii, narrow, upright, bunched leaves with dark green streaks. Destroy affected plants and do not move banana plants or suckers between islands.
Common questions
How long does a banana take to fruit?
Usually 10 to 24 months after planting, depending on the variety, the size of the planting material and how well it is fed and watered. A hard winter in North Florida or the Gulf South resets the clock, because the plant must regrow from the ground.
Should I cut down the banana stalk after harvest?
Yes. Each stalk fruits only once. Cut it off at the base after harvesting the bunch and chop it as mulch, leaving the followers to carry the next crops.
Can I grow bananas in North Florida or Texas?
Yes, as long as you accept that a hard freeze kills the top back. Grow cold tolerant varieties, mulch the base, and expect fruit mainly after a mild winter. In colder parts of the country, grow bananas in a heated greenhouse.
When do I pick bananas?
When the fingers are plump and their edges have rounded out, while still green. Cut the whole bunch and hang it in a cool, shady spot to ripen.
Why are my banana leaves splitting?
Wind. Banana leaves split along the veins in wind, and light shredding does little harm. Heavy shredding dries the leaves and slows growth, so plant in a sheltered spot.
Which bananas resist disease?
UF/IFAS highly recommends the FHIA varieties for home gardens, including FHIA-01 (Goldfinger), FHIA-02 (Mona Lisa) and FHIA-17, which resist Panama disease and Sigatoka and rate well for cold tolerance.
Sources we checked: UF/IFAS EDIS MG040: Banana Growing in the Florida Home Landscape; University of Hawaii CTAHR: Banana bunchy top disease; Hawaii Department of Agriculture: banana bunchy top interim quarantine release.
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