Bulbs
Flower Basics
Flower Beds & Specialty Gardens
Flower Garden
Garden Furniture
Garden Gnomes
Garden Seeds
Garden Sheds
Garden Statues
Garden Tools & Supplies
Gardening Basics
Green & Organic
Groundcovers & Vines
Growing Annuals
Growing Basil
Growing Beans
Growing Berries
Growing Blueberries
Growing Cactus
Growing Corn
Growing Cotton
Growing Edibles
Growing Flowers
Growing Garlic
Growing Grapes
Growing Grass
Growing Herbs
Growing Jasmine
Growing Mint
Growing Mushrooms
Orchids
Growing Peanuts
Growing Perennials
Growing Plants
Growing Rosemary
Growing Roses
Growing Strawberries
Growing Sunflowers
Growing Thyme
Growing Tomatoes
Growing Tulips
Growing Vegetables
Herb Basics
Herb Garden
Indoor Growing
Landscaping Basics
Landscaping Patios
Landscaping Plants
Landscaping Shrubs
Landscaping Trees
Landscaping Walks & Pathways
Lawn Basics
Lawn Maintenance
Lawn Mowers
Lawn Ornaments
Lawn Planting
Lawn Tools
Outdoor Growing
Overall Landscape Planning
Pests, Weeds & Problems
Plant Basics
Rock Garden
Rose Garden
Shrubs
Soil
Specialty Gardens
Trees
Vegetable Garden
Yard Maintenance
How to Care for an Ice Cream Banana Tree
How to Care for an Ice Cream Banana Tree. Bananas come in many more varieties than you find in the grocery store. Ice cream bananas, also known as blue java bananas, can be a very hardy tree in the right conditions. Known and loved for its snow white flesh and delicious flavor reminiscent of vanilla custard, this variety of banana grows between 8...
Bananas come in many more varieties than you find in the grocery store. Ice cream bananas, also known as blue java bananas, can be a very hardy tree in the right conditions. Known and loved for its snow white flesh and delicious flavor reminiscent of vanilla custard, this variety of banana grows between 8 and 15 feet tall. From bare root to delicious fruit requires less than three years.
Things You'll Need
8-10-8 fertilizer
Spray fungicide
Plant your ice cream banana tree in rich, well-drained soil. If you live in a coastal area, you must dig out a planting area for your tree and fill it with new soil. Ice cream bananas cannot tolerate salt in their soil. If drainage is a problem, plant your tree in a raised bed.
Make sure that your banana tree receives plenty of direct sunlight. Bananas grow best in tropical climates where heat, humidity and sunlight are plentiful. Consider placing your tree either near a water source to provide humidity and reflected light or near a blacktop driveway that will radiate heat.
Fertilize your tree with an acidic plant food once per month during warm weather. A properly balanced fertilizer for bananas contains equal amounts of nitrogen and potassium but slightly more phosphorous. The preferred blend used in commercial growing is 8-10-8.
Protect your ice cream banana tree from root rot and other fungal diseases with a sprayed fungicide.
Watch for flowers beginning to form when the ice cream banana approaches a year and a half old. Banana flowers form on a single stalk that grows from the center of the plant and bloom as a bunch. Full bloom typically occurs in midsummer.
Harvest the fruits six to eight months after flowering when the bananas have plumped. Immature fruit from ice cream bananas exhibit a bluish cast, but this disappears as they ripen. Bananas of all varieties die after fruiting, but send up new trees from the roots continuously once mature.
