How to Germinate a Pink Banana Plant

Pink banana plants, or Musa velutina, appeal to gardeners with their glossy green leaves and large clusters of bright-pink fruit. Although they are commonly propagated from rhizomes, pink banana plants also grow reliably from seeds. The seeds germinate very slowly and must be kept under warm, moist conditions to successfully sprout. The plants mature rapidly after germination and produce their first fruit in one to two years, long before they reach their ultimate height of 4 to 6 feet.

Bowl
Dishtowel
4-inch square pots
Seedling compost
Spray bottle
Plastic wrap
Propagation mat

Instructions

- 1
  Soak the pink banana plant seeds in a bowl of warm water for 24 hours to soften the hull. Drain them on a dishtowel for 15 minutes before sowing them.
- 2
  Fill 4-inch square pots with seed starter mix or another sterile, moisture-retentive growing medium. Fill the pots to within a ½ inch of the top.
- 3
  Sow one pink banana plant seed in each pot. Cover each with a 1-inch-deep layer of mix. Firm the growing medium on top of each seed.
- 4
  Saturate the top inch of mix in each pot using a water-filled spray bottle. Drape plastic wrap loosely over the top of each pot to hold in warmth and moisture while allowing for evaporation.
- 5
  Arrange the pots atop a propagation mat with the temperature set to between 68 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit. For the best results, keep the temperature on the mat higher during the day and cooler at night.
- 6
  Expose the pots to six to eight hours of bright light each day, whether from a window or an artificial fluorescent grow lamp. Avoid exposing the pots to direct sunlight, since it dries out the soil too quickly.
- 7
  Remove the plastic wrap every few days to check the moisture level in the pot. Add water using a spray bottle whenever it feels dry in the top half-inch. Put the plastic wrap back in place after watering.
- 8
  Watch for germination starting one month after sowing but do not be discouraged if it takes up to six months for the pink banana plant seeds to sprout. Remove the plastic wrap permanently as soon as the seeds germinate.
- 9
  Transplant the pink banana plant seedlings into larger pots filled with standard potting soil as soon as they grow to 2 inches in height. Keep them under warm, bright greenhouse conditions as they grow.
- 10
  Plant the pink banana plants out in a sheltered, warm and brightly lit area of the garden if you live within USDA Hardiness Zone 8 or above.

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