There’s
something mystical about a pink velvet banana that comes from the Himalayan Mountains.
Musa velutina is a species of wild banana that is native to Assam and the
eastern Himalayas. It produces copious flower stalks near the top of the trunk
starting in late summer. The flower stalks have pink stems and bright pink,
petal-like bracts. Each stalk is soon home to attractive clusters of small,
pink, velvety bananas, which peel themselves when ripe. Musa velutina is a hardy,
fast-growing banana tree that often flowers and fruits in its first year. They usually
grow up to 4-6 feet high by 3-5 feet wide. Although they seem to have a stem,
the base of the plant is actually made up of the large (1-2 foot) leaf stalks which
actually make it more of a giant herb than a tree. It spreads rhizomatically to
form lush colonies of pure tropical glory. In Summer, it produces showy
hot-pink hummer-attracting flower spikes followed by fuzzy pink bananas. The
fruit matures to reddish brown, splitting open when ripe. Grown mostly as an
ornamental, the fruits are sweet and tasty. The fruits contain a number of
black seeds. Remains evergreen in frost Fast zones. Once established, Musa
velutina seems to be fully winter-hardy in zone 7b as long as they are grown in
full sun. Until well-established, a cage of shredded leaves around the trunk in
the winter months should do the trick. In cold Winter areas it will die to the
ground, returning in the spring bigger and better than ever. Suitable for
growing in a container and can be over-wintered indoors where it can flower and
fruit. Mulch roots for added protection from cold. Zones 8-11.
Seeds are
stored in a refrigerator to maintain viability.
Growing
Instructions
The seeds have
a hard seed coat that has to be treated, or scarified, in order for water to
enter the seeds so that they can sprout.
1. Scarify the
seeds by nicking or sanding the seed coat.
2. Soak the
seed in water for 24-48 hours.
3. The seeds
like moist, well-drained soil. Prepare a mixture of half potting soil and half
sand, perlite or vermiculite. Put the soil in a pot. Water the mixture so that
it is moist but not wet.
4. Put the
seeds on the soil.
5. Cover the
seeds with a layer of soil.
6. Water the
seeds.
7. Place the
pots in an area with warm temperatures in full sun or part shade. The seeds can take 1 month or more to
germinate.
8. When the
seedlings are a few inches tall, they can be transplanted.
Dylan (verified owner) –
WOW!! Not one dud in the bunch!! Shortly after planting they started growing ! These are really great packet of seeds!!!
Dylan (verified owner) –
Easy to grow beautiful
John (verified owner) –
Easy to grow beautiful
Ryan (verified owner) –
Very healthy seeds! Well worth it.
Camden (verified owner) –
Great seeds, I now have squash everywhere from this one pack of seeds