Banana from seed

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Mowgley

Banana from seed

Post by Mowgley »

Having caught the tropical bug late last year icon_cheers brought a musa sikkimensis red tiger from amulree in June which has grown to a good size this year in a pot, now in the GH because of the very strong winds at the moment and musa Siam ruby a couple of weeks ago from urban jungle which is in the living room window.
Will be getting a couple of musa basjoo next spring
Been looking at getting some banana seeds started.
I know that the key is getting them fresh.
Been looking at these

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/25-Seeds-Abys ... 1e734cc4d9

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Snow-Banana-2 ... 1e746da0e5


Any tips folks
fern Rob

Re: Banana from seed

Post by fern Rob »

Good luck, I'm going to try and grow bananas from seed but I don't know how I'm going to do it though.
flounder

Re: Banana from seed

Post by flounder »

I tend to buy musa and ensete seeds from a reputable seller rather than ebay. Places such as Trebrown, silverhill seeds and sunshine seeds come to mind, there are others you just need to do a google search. A lot of ebayers buy their seeds in bulk from the places mentioned plus rare palm seeds and don't have the facilities for proper storage. Plus you can't guarantee the age of the seed.
Even with fresh seed, 20-30% germination and you're doing well
Kristen

Re: Banana from seed

Post by Kristen »

I started my Exotic Garden Adventure :) a couple of years ago growing some Musa sikkimensis from seed. Sowed 12 seeds and got 4 plants. Have sowed lots since and got ... nothing :( so it was a fluke. Agree with fresh seed, and I reckon Trebrown may be the best. Either way, worth emailing them to ask if it is possible to buy from them when they have fresh seed (i.e. to get them to send you an alert). And buy way more seed than you need plants for - the excess plants will sell on eBay etc.

This year I gave up on trying to get mine to germinate and bought 6 x Musa plants on eBay for not-very-much. Less stressful than my non-germinating seeds!
GREVILLE

Re: Banana from seed

Post by GREVILLE »

Unless the seed is guaranteed fresh germination rates are pretty close to zero. I've never had a single Musa seed germinate
ever :shock: Managed a handful of Ensete ventricosum over the years - one took fifteen months.
Mowgley

Re: Banana from seed

Post by Mowgley »

Not filling me with confidence folks.
Like Kristen said maybe cheaper buying plants :D
Was going to give the ensete ventricosum first seems that they maybe easier to germinate
Blairs

Re: Banana from seed

Post by Blairs »

The problem is that they can take a few years to germinate - so people give up. I have left mine on the hot water tank to see if anything germinates. I got 4 seeds to germinate this year but only the ensete ventricosum actually grew well and is now huge :D . The musa sikk tiger thingy through up a few striped leaves then stopped and died then seemed to grow again then that rotted icon_scratch . The other 2 musa that germinated I got 1 inch of growth and 2 leaves, then died back.
hedychium

Re: Banana from seed

Post by hedychium »

Does anyone know where I can buy a heliconia rostrata in the uk
And are they easy to over winter?
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