Do you know where bananas grow? The photos below will probably surprise you ...
“Bananas grow on palm trees!” Strange, but in the age of high technology and the broadest possibilities of the Internet , more than half of the population think so. And how does a banana really grow ? Perhaps the information below will be for someone a business idea and will be further developed.
To begin with, it is a berry, not a tropical fruit. Banana is a giant grass. Its leaves can reach 15 meters. But the trunk, like trees, no. Even the stem is practically invisible and more reminds a tuber.
The largest and oldest leaves look like a weed (they are also called vaginal). New ones grow above them, forming a kind of multilayer tube, also called a false stem.
Since the banana grows quite quickly (up to eight meters in one year), the fruits, unlike those we collect from trees, appear much earlier. If it takes several years before the first crop is harvested from tree seedlings, such as an apple tree or a pear, then this grass can produce a crop already in its second year.
After the cessation of growth and the formation of new leaves inside the false stems, powerful peduncles begin to develop. After several weeks, very large inflorescences appear on the tops. They are wrapped in a multitude of colored opaque leaves, similar to a huge and bright bud, which, one after the other, turn away in turn. This amazing sight is reminiscent of the opening of a giant bud.
Soon, lateral inflorescences of sunny yellow flowers open in rows. Pollination occurs due to bats, nectarnia birds, dull birds (animals similar to squirrels) and, of course, insects. Then the covering leaves leave (fall off), and in the place of the flowers berries (bananas) begin to be tied. Ripening occurs gradually. There are so many lateral inflorescences on one peduncle that by the time the last covering leaves are opened, the fruits are already ripening at the base.
It is believed that the cultivation of this giant plant in our regions is impossible, since banana grows only in the tropics. However, this opinion is erroneous. Back in Tsarist Russia, there were banana heated greenhouses. Today, there is much more opportunity for these purposes. It is simply important to have a sufficiently spacious greenhouse.
Of the forty banana species, only two varieties are suitable for growing at home: Supercarlik and Karlik. For them, greenhouses two meters high are quite suitable.
Seedlings can be obtained from seeds sold in specialized stores, but the finished plant is, of course, easier to buy. A ten-centimeter seedling can produce a crop in a couple of years.
But since banana grows only in special conditions, you will have to think about creating a climate suitable for the plant. Temperature fluctuations should not go beyond +15 at night and +25 during the day. The earth must be very fertile, humidity - moderate. Frequent spraying of the leaves is required, but the ground is watered if necessary (to avoid rotting of the roots).
The lateral processes that appear as the banana grows need to be separated. By the way, they can be used for reproduction.
The fruits will be tied only in place of the female flowers (there are also male ones in the inflorescence). The number of bananas can reach 300 pieces per brush. The plant is removed after fruiting.
A new distillation of bananas is already beginning with the obtained processes.