Tropica Darjeeling Banana

Darjeeling Banana

Its taste is sweetish like other bananas. It is a low-maintenance plant, feels very comfortable in most sunny environments and is also happy with shade from time to time.

Musa sikkimensis syn. M. hookeri

Fun Facts: This hardy banana species belongs to the tall-growing species and reaches up to 4.5 metres in height. The trunk is reddish and its diameter can be up to 40 cm. The leaves also have a reddish colour. The banana produces edible, sweet and seedless fruits.

Origin: The home of this banana is the north-eastern mountain forests of the Himalayas in north-eastern India at an altitude of 2000 metres.

Cultivation: Growing the seeds indoors is possible all year round. Roughen the hard seed coat with sandpaper and let the seeds soak in room temperature water for 12 hours. Then place the seeds in moist growing soil and cover thinly with soil. Keep the soil evenly moist and keep the propagator warm (25° to 30° C). Germination will take place after about 3 weeks - at colder temperatures it can take 5 to 10 weeks.

Location/light: Bright and sunny places are ideal - in summer also outdoors in wind-protected locations.

Care: The Darjeeling banana grows very quickly if it is given enough space, humus-rich soil and plenty of water. It thrives in tubs and also outdoors. From mid-April to October, you should feed the plant weekly with pot plant fertiliser.

Overwintering: The leaves survive down to -3°C. In winter, simply chop off the entire perennial at ground level. Outdoors, the plant can be overwintered by covering the root area with leaves or straw, putting a wooden box over it and then covering it against rain with a plastic sheet. The next spring the rhizome of the plant will sprout again.

Seed packet with 5 seeds.