Provenance

The Musa Acuminata 'Dwarf Cavendish', or banana plant, owes its name to William Cavendish (6th Count of Devonshire) who brought this plant to Europe. The maximum height of the Musa is 200cm. This looks big, but his family grows up to 5 meters high!

How to take care of the Musa?

The Musa needs a lot of water, this is because the plant consists of 80% water. Make sure the soil never dries out. Especially in summer this plant needs a lot of water. So make sure you water the plant daily in summer. In the other periods, watering twice a week is sufficient. Place the banana plant in a spot that gets enough sunlight. But keep an eye on the plant every day, if the leaves of the Musa slack off, this is a sign of too little water or too much sun.

Tips for proper care

1. The banana plant is accustomed to living in an environment with high humidity. Water the plant at least twice a week, the more often the better.
2. Rain not only removes the dust from the leaves, but also vermin. So it's fine when your banana plant ends up in a rainstorm. Make sure that the plant is not in the sun immediately after a rainstorm.
3. Pay attention to how much water the soil can absorb. The bigger the pot, the more water it can hold. You can check this by putting your fingers in the ground after 6 days. Does the ground still feel very wet? Then you're probably giving too much water.

Nutrition

Without feeding the banana plant, growth will slow down and eventually stop. The plant grows very fast, so it could use a little extra. Fertilize the plant once a month with nutrition especially for green plants. Always check the nutrition packaging for the correct dosage. In the winter it is not necessary to feed the plant.

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Repot

Banana plants grow comparatively very fast. This makes it necessary to repot the plant every year. Make sure the pot is big enough for the plant to grow well. A larger pot stimulates growth and provides a larger water buffer. In this way you ensure that the plant can absorb more water and therefore needs to water less often. Repot the plant immediately after purchase or in the spring period. It is best to use universal potting soil for this purpose.

Grow your own bananas

But now the best thing about banana plants/trees, growing bananas. Is this possible in the Netherlands? Yes, this is also possible in the Netherlands, but bananas are without doubt tropical fruits. The ideal temperature for bananas is between 26 and 30 degrees. However, bananas can also grow in Europe. Wondering how this is possible? Read further on.

1. Imitate climate You can grow bananas anywhere, as long as you can imitate the right climate. In the Netherlands you need a greenhouse or conservatory where you can regulate the temperature properly. Some species can grow almost 8 meters high, so make sure there is enough space. The banana plants must not stand in the immediate vicinity of other trees or plants and like moist areas. The humidity must be at least 50%.
2. Supplies Of course you also need a banana plant. You can grow these yourself, or you can buy a young plant. The water must be able to drain away well so there must be enough space to store the water. But the plant doesn't like too much water, if the water stays there the roots rot and the plant dies. In addition, you can give the plant fertilizer.
3. Patience The last but perhaps most difficult point: Patience. You have to have a lot of patience to eventually see bananas on the plant. In a European climate, it can take a year or more for bananas to become edible.

Banana bread

What do you make of bananas? Homemade banana bread of course! Banana bread isn't actually real bread, it's more a cake. The reason why banana bread is called bread is the shape and the structure. You can choose to make a healthy or unhealthy banana bread. It's eaten more as a snack than a meal. It's just a tasty snack!

Banana bread recipe

Ingredients

• 250 Gram Wheat Flower
• 2 Teaspoons Baking powder
• 1 Teaspoon cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 4 Ripe bananas
• 100 Gram Butter
• 200 Grams White soft sugar
• 8 Gram Vanilla sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 125 Milliliters Crème fraiche

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. Grease the cake tin with a little butter and, if necessary, line it with baking paper. If you use a modern silicone baking mould, this is not necessary.
3. Remove the bananas from the peel, and mash the bananas with a fork.
4. In a large bowl or food processor, mix the butter, soft sugar, a pinch of salt and vanilla sugar until the mixture is smooth.
5. Add the eggs one by one, the baking powder and the cinnamon, while stirring well.
6. Mix everything through the wheat flour until the mixture is smooth again.
7. Now add the crème fraîche and mix again until the dough is smooth again.
8. Now scoop the bananas through the dough.
9. Pour the dough into the cake tin and place the cake tin in the oven. Baking time about 1 hour before the cake is golden brown.
10. After 50 minutes you can check with a clean knitting needle.
11. If the knitting needle is clean after you have put it in the cake, then the cake is ready.
12. If you keep some dough on, the cake isn't ready yet. Leave the cake in the oven for another 5 minutes
13. Leave the banana bread in the mould to cool for at least an hour. When the mould has cooled down you can turn the cake mould over and take out the bread.

Bon Appetit!