Growing Bananas

GROW YOUR OWN BANANAS

Bananas are the world's favourite tropical fruit. The fruits are rich in fibre, potassium, vitamins A, B6 and C. Bananas are the perfect ingredient for cereal, pancakes, muffins and bread. But it's also about flavour - and you just can't beat the taste of a home grown banana. You may be able to grow your own banana plant in your backyard, by following these simple steps!

Propagating And Planting

• Choose your perfect spot in your landscape. Select the variety you want to grow and make sure the sun or shade requirements are met, provide good well drained soil and plant. In about 9 months you'll have bananas on most plants.
• Remove any plants or weeds that are growing. Dig a hole with a diameter of 50cm and a depth of 30cm. Add fertilizer at the bottom if necessary.
• Select your planting material It could be a banana sucker, or a tissue culture one. You can get banana suckers from your neighbors and friends, or buy them on the Internet. Select suckers about 1ft or 1m high with sword-like leaves. Use a sharp spade or iron bar to separate the sucker from the mother plant. Always remember to be very careful in sucker extraction. 
• Tissue cultured banana plants are those that are produced in laboratories, and are commonly found on the Internet and in nurseries. Tissue cultured bananas produce higher yields and larger banana bunches.
• Simply cut the old and long roots with sharp scissors, leaving a few centimeters of roots left or none at all. Leaving about five good leaves of a tree is usually enough. Too many leaves cut the sunlight badly and make the underground wet.
• Put the plant in the hole you dug previously. It should be in a standing position. Cover it with soil, tamping down firmly but not too much.
• Water the plants daily if the soil is dry. Don't water if it's wet and also Feed your plants with plenty of fertilizer every month. Support the plant to avoid toppling of the plant due to strong wind or bunch weight.

• The banana plant flowers after 12 months, depending on your climate (usually it takes 9 months in the tropics). A sign of flowering is when the foliage decreases in length, compared to other leaves.
• Remove the main flower/bud 3-4 days after the first appearance of the last hand. This is a sterile, male flower called the "banana heart". The odor is quite strong. 
• It may be advisable to remove the last hand because it has a bigger chance of wilting.

Harvesting Bananas

• Cover the bunch with blue plastic.Nylon rice sacks work well too. Remember that the plastic/sack must have holes at the bottom for drainage of water. 
• Tie the sack with soft twine several inches from the first hand. Covering the whole banana fruit with a big blue sack when it is about 2 months old is good practice.
•  It makes the fruits get bigger and also gives good protection from the birds, bats and squirrels. The bag will help to hold available heat and trap the ethylene oxide released by the fruit, which accelerates ripening. Harvest the bunch 70-80 days after bagging the bunch, or if the last short leaf is starting to die.

Few Health Benefits Of Bananas

• Bananas Provide Energy- Because of the abundance of vitamins and minerals, bananas are a great source of natural energy.
• Bananas Promote Bowel Health- One of the banana health benefits is that they can help stop constipation. Bananas have a certain type of fiber that helps to restore and maintain regular bowel functions. The complexity involved in passing stools normally, known as piles, may lead to bleeding often times. Since bananas help normal bowel function, they can help to cure piles.
• Bananas are Rich in Iron- For people suffering from a deficiency in iron, bananas help to give your body the iron that it needs.
• Healthy Skin- Bananas are loaded with essential nutrients vital for a healthy skin. They contain high doses of vitamin C which helps production of collagen, a type of protein found in the skin. Also, vitamin C a potent antioxidant protects the body from attack of free radicals that cause premature ageing.
• Dispel effect of hangover- The nutrients in bananas combined with their ability to refuel the body’s vitamins make them a perfect option to dispel the effect of a hangover. A combination of bananas blended with honey and yoghurt makes an excellent cure for hangover.

Strawberry Banana Crepes Recipe

Ingredients

For Crepes

• 1 cup Original Bisquick® mix
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 eggs

For Filling

• 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 to 3 bananas, sliced
• 2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced, or 1 box (10 oz) frozen strawberries, partially thawed
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Method

• In small bowl, stir all crepe ingredients until blended. Grease 6- or 7-inch skillet with shortening or cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. 
• For each crepe, pour 2 tablespoons batter into skillet; rotate skillet until batter covers bottom. Cook until golden brown. 
• Gently loosen edge with metal spatula; turn and cook other side until golden brown. Stack crepes as you remove them from skillet, placing waxed paper between each. Keep crepes covered to prevent them from drying out.
• In chilled medium bowl, beat whipping cream and sugar with electric mixer on high speed until stiff. 
• Spoon about 3 tablespoons whipped cream down center of each crepe; top with 4 or 5 banana slices.
• Roll up; top each crepe with whipped cream, strawberries and walnuts.