Truly Tiny Banana Tree

Banana trees are fascinating and beautiful, and who wouldn’t want to eat their own, home-grown bananas? But they also grow large, and even the popular Dwarf Cavendish variety will be 6 to 8 feet tall. If you want something more compact, perfect for a pot indoors, or for a small space outdoors if you live in a frost-free part of the country, then go for the Truly Tiny Banana Tree – it really is truly, truly, tiny. Growing just 3 or at most 4 feet tall, it is a perfect miniature banana tree, right down to the tiny fruit, that are delicious, but just an inch or two long – diet bananas anyone? With classic banana leaves, broad and green, sometimes with some red-brown markings, it forms a compact clump of short stems, and once well-established and happy it will flower, producing arching branches of dusky-purple bracts concealing clusters of fruit. These ripen to perfect miniature bananas, a great conversation piece and party fruit. This plant makes a unique houseplant, which should be placed outside during summer if possible, and is ideal for a patio or balcony where you want that tropical look, but have only limited space.

• The smallest banana tree available, just 3 or 4 feet tall when mature
• Carries a full crop of small, 1 to 2-inch bananas
• Perfect houseplant, with beautiful foliage
• Can be grown outdoors year-round in frost-free regions
• Suitable for pots and planter boxes

Grow your Truly Tiny Banana Tree in full sun, or in a bright, sunny window. It grows best in moist but well-drained soil, and should be watered frequently, waiting for the top of the soil to dry just a little before watering again. Feed with liquid fertilizer in spring and summer. Keep outdoors, if possible, when temperatures are above 45o F. The time outdoors will deal with any pests that may develop when indoors, and this plant is easy to grow and is generally free of any serious problems. Remove dead leaves as necessary, and transplant into a larger pot once it fills the one it is in.