Description
Foliage Type: Large oblong veinous leaves, to 12″, green with dark flecked above, green below. Flower Form: Dioecious, female flowers in 2 rows, approx. 16 in each, male also in two rows 20 in each; in horizontal or pendulous bracts.
Tree Description
Botanical Name: Musa Acuminata ‘Dwf. Cavendish’ Form: Tender perennial Sun Exposure: Full Sun Height/Habit: 5 – 8′ Hardiness Zone: 9 — 10
Companion Planting Chart
Nitrogen Mineralization: Heavy nitrogen-giving beans and legumes include chick peas (Cicer arietinum), soy beans (Glycine max), bush beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), fava beans (Vicia faba), lima beans (Phaseolus lunatus), mungbeans (Vigna radiata) and cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata).
Coffee beans (Coffee canephora) are another companion that grows well when interplanted underneath the banana tree. Farmers in areas of East Africa utilize this strategy due to the effectiveness of bananas as a source of food security, and coffee as a cash crop, all coming from the same planting space. The leaves of the banana tree provide vital shade for the bush-like coffee plant, while the bark from the banana tree acts as a mulch and fertilizer for the coffee plant.
Care Instructions
During periods of active growth, bananas draw a large amount of nutrients from the soil, making the need for rich, fertile soil crucial to banana health.
Bananas require large amounts of nitrogen for healthy growth. Beans and legumes have a supply of nitrogen within nodules of their root system, which is released into the soil upon harvest.
Known Problems
How to Harvest
Bears fruit in 3-5 years
Uses / Notes
A banana circle is a planting bed that is 8 to 9 feet in diameter. Bananas are planted around the rim of the circle, and other root crops, such as paw paw or sweet potatoes are planted alongside to maximize the food yielded from the planting space. Climbing beans, such as pole beans (Phaseolus coccineus), require support for growth and make amiable companions for bananas growing in a banana circle. Pole beans, in this case, use the stalks of the banana tree or plant for support as they grow. Additionally, pole beans add vital nitrogen to the soil, which becomes available for uptake by other plants growing in the banana circle.
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