How bananas grow

12-01-2018

Please tell us how bananas grow. I always thought that they were ripening on a palm tree, and recently a transmission came across my eyes and heard by the edge of my ear that it turns out that bananas are not even a fruit, but a berry.

Bananas are one of the most beloved tropical delicacies, but for our edges they still remain unfamiliar. It is not surprising, because their thermophilic nature makes growing crops in a far from tropical climate almost impossible, so information on banana cultivation remains unclaimed among the majority of the local population. Take at least how bananas grow. Most are confident that the yellow oblong fruits ripen on the tops of the palm trees, but this is fundamentally wrong. Not a fruit or even a tree - so what are these "overseas" bananas?

"Mutant Grass"

It is so often called bananas - huge herbaceous plants with large broad leaves and a powerful root system. A characteristic feature of the culture is very rapid growth - in less than a year the grass rises in height to 15 m.

The leaves grow from a short stem, hidden under the ground and not protruding to the surface. Their size is also impressive: with a length of about 6 m, their width is 1 m. Each plant grows up to 20 leaf plates that tightly gird each other, forming a second, false, stem about 0.5 m in diameter - this is taken for the main and therefore consider bananas a palm tree. A longitudinal vein clearly protrudes along the leaf, and lateral small veins run away from it. The surface of the sheet is covered with a waxy coating - it prevents the rapid evaporation of moisture. Over time, the old leaves fall, exposing the lower part of the false stem.

Bananas are almost the tallest grass in the world, only bamboo is above it.

The root system of a banana can be envied by our fruit and berry bushes: spreading to the side to 5 m, the roots go down to the ground by almost 2 m.

Features of vegetative development

As already mentioned, bananas grow very quickly. The phase of active growth of the aerial part lasts up to 10 months, and then the culture begins to prepare for fruiting:

From the present stem (the one that is short and grows underground), the peduncle grows, and at the same time it rushes up straight through the false stem from the remnants of the leaves;

Having reached the top, the peduncle at the top produces an inflorescence in the form of a large purple bud, at the base of which the flowers themselves are arranged in three tiers: first large female, middle-bisexual, and the last, smallest, male.

After pollination in place of the inflorescences, the fruits are tied, and this does not happen simultaneously.

Banana is a berry, coated in the form of a peel. After the crop ripens, the false trunk dies, giving way to a new, young one.

Is it possible to grow bananas in Russia?

In Russia, culture can only be cultivated in heated greenhouses, where it is possible to control the temperature and humidity of the air, creating a climate for bananas that is as close as possible to their natural habitat. For greenhouse cultivation, only varieties with a limited growth rate and height are selected. Among them it is worth noting the following compact types of height not exceeding 2 m:

Dwarf;
Supercarlic

In the open ground, banana groves are found in the Sochi region, but it is very difficult to get sweet yellow berries there - the fruits do not have time to ripen, and the grass freezes from the winter frost.

"Mutant Grass"

Features of vegetative development

Is it possible to grow bananas in Russia?

Features of the development and fruiting of bananas - video