Hello, has everyone out there reading these articles begun growing food yet? Summer is not the most inspiring time to begin but without much sweat and effort you can grow something that loves the heat a banana plant.Bermudians say they prefer local bananas to imported bananas but they are hard to come by these days as a consequence of rough weather last winter. It all started, according to Agriculture Officer Tommy Sinclair, when banana fields were devastated by Hurricane Fabian. This meant that at least a year or two had to pass before another harvest. In the meantime foreign bananas got a foothold.Something could have been done to remedy the situation but it wasn’t and it’s not too late. Ever the optimist, I am convinced that we can restore our beloved local bananas to their previous status by everyone getting into the act.I propose that every single household grow your own at least one or two. If each household planted one or two in their own yard, each could produce a bunch in a year and there will be lots of local bananas.To increase the frequency of banana harvests each household could partner with other households and trade bananas between families to avoid having too many at once. The more families trading, the more frequent the bananas. It may sound idealistic but the fact that we supplied ourselves with bananas before was initially envisioned by someone in the past. It can be done again.Banana varietiesThere are many varieties of bananas but the most common one in Bermuda is Dwarf Cavendish, followed by a somewhat taller Gran Nain. Plantains the type that has to be cooked, is much taller.Banana descriptionBananas are perennial herbs, not trees. They grow similar to grasses and corn and are therefore monocotyledons and belong to the genus Musa.Banana plants grow from corms or rhizomes that form into large, fleshy trunk-like pseudostems that eventually produce a flowering shoot from its center. The large purple protuberance that forms on the shoot is not a flower but a compact cluster of bracts that conceal the real flowers. When the bracts curl back, the flowers are revealed. The first rows of flowers that form are functionally female and become hands of bananas (without pollination). The last flowers to form are functionally male and usually drop off. Most banana cultivars produce seedless fruit but two wild species (not present in Bermuda) are fertile and can set seed. They are about the size of pawpaw seeds and fill the banana like pomegranates. Imagine encountering those in your bananas!Where to plant your banana plant· If you are concerned about theft it may be best to plant them close to the house.· Since they like deep, moist soil, identify an area where those conditions already exist on the property or create it where it is most convenient for easy care. They don’t mind some shade but prefer full sunlight and protection from prevailing winds.Where and how to get young banana plants· At this time the only way to get them is from neighbours, friends and farmers.· Start banana plants from young suckers or cut up corms from robust plants. If you use suckers select 1 foot or 2 feet ones that have narrow sword-shaped leaves taken from the base of the mother plant, not the ones with big round leaves. The suckers should be carefully cut between the mother stem and the sucker right through the corm making sure the segment has many roots. Fill the hole left behind with soil to prevent it from leaning. Fertilize the mother plant immediately. Cut the top off the sucker to reduce evaporation and the roots to two or three inches; they will grow back. If you use a dug up corm cut it into pieces with at least one growing point. These take longer than suckers to grow.Types of suckers:Sword suckers small pseudostems (12-48 inches tall) with narrow leaves. Sword suckers will develop into fruitful pseudostems at maturityWater suckers small pseudostems (12-48 inches tall) with broad leaves. Water suckers are not well attached to the rhizome and generally produce weak plants and less fruit than sword suckers.Peepers very small pseudostems (1-12 inches tall) that develop into either sword or water suckers.Planting the suckersDig a hole 2 feet wide by 1 foot deep, in a prepared area. Work in mature compost and aged chicken manure or other suitable organic fertilizer. Plant the corm pieces or suckers with the shoot or growing point upright, 6 to 8 feet apart for the dwarf varieties or 10 to 12 feet for the taller varieties. Fill in with soil and tamp down firmly but not too hard. If you have a single clump you can plant them closer. Keep the banana plants moist but not too wet in the early days or they may rot.Maintaining the patchThe most common cause of banana plant death is lack of water. Bananas need 4 to 6 inches of rain per month for best results so it is important to water during prolonged dry weather. Lack of fruit is usually caused by insufficient nutrients. Bananas are heavy feeders so feed them every two months. Apply a dry organic fertilizer containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium at the rate of 3-to-1-to-6 with 2-3 percent magnesium 2 feet from the stem. A micronutrient tea made from compost can be applied as a foliar spray one to two times a year. Green manures like cow peas can be grown around them for nitrogen and composted seaweed for potassium.Prop heavy bunches with sticks that are v-shaped at the top end to prevent them pulling the plant down. Remove dead leaves and unwanted suckers keeping only the best one or two healthy, vigorous ones. You can cut off the purple bracts a foot below the last female hand to conserve nutrients for the bananas. Cassava and sweet potato can be planted between the bananas plants as living mulch and companion plants.Pests· Removing the dry leaves will help to discourage rats, but if they come set traps.· Cutting down bunches before they ripen discourages birds.Once the bunch is picked, cut the “trunk” down and chop it up for mulch and food for the next sucker. E-mail me when you have planted one or two at franceseddy[AT]logic.bm.