Mysore Bananas are vigorous growers that produce sturdy trunks, dark green leaves, and most importantly flavorful, nutritious bananas. Mysore Bananas can be grown in the ground in USDA Zones 8 to 11, or in pots within Zones 4 to 11. The plants are disease-resistant and the large bunches of bananas ripen to a smooth texture with a slightly acidic sweetness. Mature Mysore Banana Trees can produce as many as 300 bananas when they bloom.
Mysore Banana Plants like full sun, frequent deep watering, rich, well drained soil, and high amounts of fertilizer and organic compost. Each Mysore Banana plant grows a colony of psuedostems from a psuedobulb, and after each stem fruits, it dies to be replaced by a new trunk. Grow this ever-producing, high-quality eating banana in your garden and have plenty for your own table and to share with friends.
Mysore Banana Plants grow to about 16 feet tall. They have strong root systems so they will not blow over under normal or even slightly high winds. The best way to be sure you bring the fruit to ripeness is to plant the Mysore in full sun in a well drained spot. Water often as long as the soil drains well, and feed with a light application of fruit tree fertilizer every month. Use an amount that is 1/2 of the amount recommended for a citrus tree of similar height, but apply three times as often. Add compost, leaves, or grass clippings to the base of the trees at any time. Always water fertilizer or compost in well.
Banana Plants grow multiple stems but each stem only blooms and makes fruit one time. Cut away suckers so that the Mysore Banana colony has one tallest tree, a second smaller replacement tree, and a third smallest tree to replace the middle stem. Mysore Banana Trees will produce two types of sports. Sword suckers are tall, narrow, and have sharply pointed young leaves. Water suckers are short, stout, and have wide young leaves. Only allow sword suckers to grow as replacements. Cut away and compost the water suckers, as they will never bloom or make fruit.
Mysore Banana Fruit & Harvesting
Mysore Banana Plants bloom large purple-sheaved flowers that open in layers to reveal small bananas that mature over a few months. Banana fruit clusters are made up of groups of fruit called hands which are arranged on a central stem. Harvest the entire cluster by cutting the stem and hang the harvested fruit in a shaded location. Bananas are ready to pick when the youngest fruits have edges that become rounded off, and the oldest fruits begin to turn yellow.
Consume and share the ripening bananas by cutting the hands from the main stem as they start to turn yellow. Ripe bananas can be eaten fresh, used in baking, and frozen for long-term storage. Bananas have as many uses as any fruit. They are famous for being packed with nutrients such as potassium, vitamin C, vitamin A, and many minerals. Banana peels as well as the removed trunks and leaves make great compost and mulch. Add shredded banana material to the base of any fruit tree, or along garden pathways, to retain soil moisture and discourage weeds.
Advice
When growing Mysore Banana Trees in pots, use large pots that are at least 7-gallons or larger. Plant in rich potting soil that drains well and water frequently. While potted Mysore Banana Trees do like heavy and frequent applications of water, they will not survive their roots standing in water for any period of time. Be sure the pots drain fully and water again when the soil is dry to one inch deep. You can also feed potted Mysore Banana Trees with liquid fertilizer mixed at half strength.
Mysore Banana Trees are self-fertile, but they do not bloom according to season in the same way as other hardwood fruit trees. Once they are growing in a suitable location, they will constantly produce new viable trunks which bloom with maturity and produce fruit. The ideal time for a Mysore Banana Tree to set its flower is in early spring when the trunk has at least 10 living leaves. Once the bloom emerges, that trunk will grow no more leaves, so it needs as many as possible to ripen the fruit. Bringing a Mysore Banana Tree to maturity at the perfect time is a matter of managing the mat so that it always only has 3 trees: the largest, a middle-sized tree, and a baby replacement.
FAQs
Can Mysore Banana Trees be grown in pots?
Yes, Mysore Bananas can be grown in large pots with drain holes. Use rich, well-draining soil and place the plant in full sun.
Do Mysore Bananas have seeds?
Mysore Bananas produce inconsequential seeds. The plants are most often cultivated by sports that grow from the main plant’s base.
Can Mysore Banana Trees survive frost?
Mysore Bananas can survive brief freezing. The trees will die back and the underground psuedobulb will recover to grow more trunks.
Can you eat green Mysore Bananas?
Green Mysore Bananas can be cooked like a starchy vegetable. They are used to make banana chips or added to stews much like a potato.
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