Germinating Dwarf Cavendish Banana from Seed?

Where to begin, well I have a small Dwarf Cavendish Banana plant which I brought from the Eden Project, its very easy to look after and has tolerated a lot since I got it. When I was cleaning out my room I came across a propagator and a heat mat, lucky me :D ; the next day I went back to the Eden Project and this time in the gift shop I saw a pack of banana ‘Musa Acuminata’ seeds (there was 5 seeds In the pack.) I felt inclined to buy them and have a shot at germinating (and perhaps with a little luck) growing them into plants. I looked on the internet about germinating them and after some research I found out that the plants were easy to keep and raise, but the seeds weren’t. Surprisingly enough I wasn’t discouraged but just more determined to propagate these seeds!
You can probably guess what I’m going to say next…HELP! -But its not all bad, I have made a start and I just want to know if what I’m doing will suffice :D
I soaked the seeds for 24 hours before putting them in-between two pieces of warm, moist tissue paper. I wrapped the bowl in cling film to raise the temperature and humidity, but the temperature was still under 15c, so I put the heat mat underneath as well and now the temperature is around 28-29c. WILL THIS WORK!!! That’s what I’ve done so far and now I’m waiting for them to germinate, im adamant on making this work and will appreciate any advice. Thank You :D
*There is a picture at the bottom of the page which shows how I am propagating the seeds, after they germinate I am going to move them to my propagator (what soil should I use?) (Should I use vermiculite?)
Thank You All
Regards -Josh-

Hi Josh, I wish you all the luck, I have also done the same as you when I saw these seed for sale, tried several times and different ways, but had no luck. used different growing mediums, temps etc, but still no plants, when the seeds were removed, they were hollow, so guess either they were from the start, or they went off very fast, don't know how long the seeds were in the shop/packet so maybe that was another factor, but there are a few companies in UK who now propagate and sell all the tropical type of plants for sale, so maybe as you live in UK, you could phone them or email for good advice, one company I have read great things about is Jungle Plants. good luck. let us know how it all goes, who knows, we may be buying plants from you soon. best wishes. WeeNel, UK.

Youve filled me full of hope, Jokes :D anyway you were probably sold a dud pack of seeds, but I have no chance! I have them at 29c for 12 hours and 15c for 12 hours, no success so far but will keep u posted, Thanks
regards -Josh-

Hi Josh, I could be wrong, but all seeds I have germinated have been done with a constant temp till they show through the soil, the fluctuation may confuse the seeds a bit too much, but again, someone else may know better than me, good luck anyway, keep us posted as to how they go. best wishes, Weenel.

I think WeeNel has a good point...I've never grown any sort of bananas so maybe they have weird germination requirements, but I grow a lot of tropical things from seed and I've never had any seeds that needed to go back and forth on temperature like that. I have a lot that need heat to germinate, but I leave them on the heat mat all the time. I'm trying to imagine how they would germinate in their natural environment, and even though air temperatures can change a lot between day and night, soil temperatures remain much more constant so I don't think that in nature they would experience soil temperature fluctuations like that on a daily basis.

Well im confused now, i was told that banana plants need temprature fluctuations to effectivly germinate, well i have 5 seeds in warm moist tissue paper in a dish wrapped in cling film in a shoe box under my heat mat- Temprature 29c for 12 hours and 16c for 12 hours. I guess ill put the other seeds in a propigator and keep at a fairly steady 28c, should i use a drainage layer of vermiculite ? Also B-Williams reccomended half a 2L bottle filled with moss compost put in a warm place with bottom heat (there is a pic at the bottom of the page)
Thanks ;D
Regards -Josh-

Hi Josh, the moss is a good idea as these plants growing in natural habitat will seed into this kind of stuff, also it is natural, holds moisture at a steady rate and easy to see if it starts to dry out for misting again to give some more moisture, you could use an old clear
juice container for the project and keep the top OFF so that air also circulates, I know lots of companies who germinate using this medium, but please remember to use sterilised peat moss as the last thing you want to do is collect from the wild and possibly introduce bugs or virus etc, good luck, I am dying to learn your outcome. WeeNel.

Thanks for the reasurance :p ill keep you posted on the results.
Im also trying to germinate 'sensitive plant' seeds in a small tray on top of my fish tank. They are covered with cling film to improve humidity and temprature, shall i remove the cling film for 5mins per day to allow some air to circulate?

Regards -Josh-

As I said, I haven't grown bananas so if someone who has told you they need fluctuation then maybe they do. I just couldn't see how in real life (nature) they would experience those conditions.

On your sensitive plants--have they come up yet? If the seedlings have sprouted then it's good to get them more air circulation, but if they haven't come up yet then as long as you don't have things too wet in there, there's really no need to open it up.

I don't see how temprature fluctuations would mimic the natural process either but banana plant sites seem to think it will help "Ensete will germinate quite easily with constant heat, rather than the temperature fluctuation that seeds of the Musa genus seem to benefit from this" I am not quite sure why this is but apparently it works :p

As far as the sensitive plant seeds go i only planted them yesterday so they havent germinated yet (LOL)

Regards -Josh-

Hi again Josh, not too sure about ventilating the clingfilm, however, these seeds should be showing signs of tiny green tips in about 7 to 14 days, so keep a close eye on the soil so you can remove the film as soon as you notice what looks like moss growing as the seedlings will look like that at first, then remove the film as you don't want to get what is called damping off disease starting, this happens when there is no air circulation around the seedlings or when too many are planted too close together, just be careful for things like that when the seeds are inside an air tight container. hope it all works out for you as you seem to be so keen to get yourself into the gardening mode, it is such a pleasurable thing to get started and ofcourse, you learn as you go along, so best of luck. WeeNel.

:D Thanks, i will keep a close eye on my sensitive seeds. You seem to know alot about seeds so,,, Could i germinate my banana seeds in perlite in my heated propagator? If not then what do you think the best growing medium would be (50% perlite 50% seed compost)
? Thanks
Regards -Josh-

Hi Josh, I would do a mixture of either compost and sand, horticultural sand, not builders sand, this will hold onto some of the heat and, offer good drainage, but I guess the way you mentioned will be fine too so long as you don't let them sit in too much water when you feel the need to water the growing medium. hope that helps you out. good luck. WeeNel.

Thank you for the input, Now im thinking about a mix of:
2/4 Peat based seed compost
1/4 Sharp sand
1/4 Vermiculite

;) Any ideas?

Regards -Josh-

Hi Josh, your mix sounds good to me, instead of watering, I would be inclined to mist spray unless you see the potting mix really dry out, but your definitely on the right tracks, as with all germination, everyone finds their own mix and once it suits you, you just stick to it as you know it works, so everyone can only really give you guidelines to follow and the reasons for them. The only other thing I feel might help you with ALL seed sowing, I always prefere to water the mix from the bottom, that is, I sow the seeds into the mix, cover them IF need be (some don't want covering as light is required for germination) then I sit the pots/trays into a basin of water till the soil has changed colour (darker) that tells me that e soil has been completely watered and then let the pot/tray drain, thereafter, I do the same to water only if needed, mist any other time, this stops the seeds being swamped with water and maybe floating about in the soil if watered from the top of the pots/trays, but like I say, you will learn your own way and how to control watering etc. so good luck, lets know how it all goes. WeeNel.

Thanks for the update, i was looking online at germination and some aspects of propogation of stem tip cuttings 'If you place your pots directly in the propagator, pour enough liquid to keep the propagator base moist at all times' Cheers for confirming this, since i wasnt sure about seeds.
Keep you posted on updates


Regards -Josh-

YAY! my sensitive plant seeds have germinated !

OH, well done Josh, you must be really pleased your seeds have come through, so proud of you, now you need to be really watchful in-case they topple over with what gardeners call damping off disease, this happens when the soil is kept too wet or there is not enough air circulation, ie, the seeds are growing too close together for air to circulate, or you have the soil too cool and wet, or the heat causes condensation to much, dont know how many seeds you have germinated, but you need to separate them (pricking them off/out) into either a seed tray, make the holes about 2 inch apart, or, into individual growing pots, one seedling per pot, you dont separate them till there are 2 true little leafs on each seedling, as you lift the seedling to separate them, use a pencil or similar to lift from the soil and hold the seedling by the leaf, if you hold it by the stem, you will break the stem and it will die, gently poke the seedling into the hole made by the pencil and gently press the hole closed either with pencil or finger, pencil gives you more control for such delicate seedlings, maybe you know all that Josh, just thought I'd mention it, again, water the pots of seedlings from the bottom in a basin of water and then drain the trays/pots before placing back into your heated propagator or heat mat, if not light enough, the seedlings will grow tall and leggy, weakened by this.
your last reply said you read that you should add water to the bottom of the propagator to keep the compost in the pots moist, you need to be very careful doing that as too mush moisture in an enclosed heated propagation will set in fungus or wilt as there needs to be some air circulation, I dont know if it will help you, but for my propagater, I add about 3 inches of horticultural sand to the bottom of my heated frame, then sink the pots/trays into that, then as I need to add water, I water into the sand, the moisture dont come into direct contact with the pots, yet the compost can get just enough moisture to maintain a constant amount, when the sand dries out, I know it is time to add more water, if the green part of the seedlings need moisture because they have become too dry, I just mist the foliage as this helps to prevent fungus disease, we all get it at some point growing seeds, but best to be careful than loose everything, it spreads very fast. good luck. hope all works out for you and you go on to grow more things, it becomes addictive you know. WeeNel.

Wow, thanks for the advice ill be sure to try that hortricultral sand thingy, it sounds great! Hopefully it will stop my seedlings from dying too quickly (LOL!)
About the transplantation, what do you mean by "Large enough to handle" is there a particular size or just so you dont crush them. Also i have them on my fish-tank for heat not on a heat mat or propagator it seems to work great!
I will keep you posted about Banana plant seeds also ;)

Regards -Josh-

Hi Josh, when seedlings are ready to handle (transplant and thin out) the time to do that is when each individual little seedling has grown 2 full proper leaves. the very first leaves to appear are the tiny germination ones, they stay on the seedling either for good or till the plant matures, BUT the next set of leaves to show will be proper baby leaves that are a little stronger, so when you divide your seedlings up as they will get too overcrowded, you hold the individual seedlings by the true leaves and very gently pop them into seed trays about 2 inch apart to grow on, or into little individual seed pockets or pots to grow on and mature before you put them out into the garden, at the garden centers or DIY stores, you will find packs of these trays that have individual planting pots all stuck together, about 5 trays per pack and each tray will hold about 25 seedlings or 40 seedlings, depending on how many seeds you need to transplant, they are sometimes called seed modulars, seed trays, they cost little, you can reuse them time and time again and you can also cut them into strips of say 10's, it is really up to you what way you transplant the seedlings, but if you dont split them up, then you will have a tangled mass of plants that will not survive long if too close together in 1 pot. hope this has helped you out some, your doing good so enjoy. best wishes. WeeNel.

Thanks you so much for your great for reply,
I can now transplant my seedlings feeling that ive done it right ;)
Ive already got some seed trays and have them ready.
But i have yet another question about my banana plant seeds. You have to keep the sowing medium moist not wet, I planted the seeds stright into the propogataor with no drainage layer. This is my sowing medium:
1/2 Seed compost
1/4 Vermiculite
1/4 Perlite (I thought this would suffice for drainage) -will it ?

I put the mix directly into the propigator, layed the seeds on-top and covered with a very thin layer of vercumilite. About a quater of an inch.
I then put a heat mat underneath the heated propagator, for added bottom warmth (I heard banana seeds can handle very high tempratures up to 35c aslong as they have plenty of bottom heat!)
I am now keeping the mix moist, hopefully not too wet. The vercumilite is moist to the touch, hopefully it is working.
Ill keep you posted on how it goes-

Regards -Josh-

Hi Josh, cant say how they will work the way you have done it, I always do any seeds either in a tray or a pot with whatever mix is required, then place the tray/pt onto the sand bed within the propagator, that way I have better control over the watering situation, also, I could have a variety of different seeds being germinated all at the same time in separate trays/pots and they dont all need the same amount of attention as each other,
I sometimes have to change the position of the trays/pots within the enclosure, so I wont be disturbing any other seeds that were not in trays/pots if you know what I mean, sometimes seeds like to be germinated in a small confined space also till they need re-potting or the roots can grow way too far from where the seeds first started, so this would save too much disturbance of the roots and stems at the thinning out stage, I really dont think you will need the extra heat mat under the propagator if this has heat and is controled by a thermostat, pop a thermometer inside the propagator if you like for extra safety till you get used to the way it all works, I have to sit my propagator onto say a piece of pollystirene to help insulate the bottom IF I am to have really freezing cold nights and this works. let me know how you get on, but keep a close eye out for germination of the Banana seeds as the roots will grow fast once they do germinate, if anything, I would scoop them up and place into a pot for even better control of the heat. moisture and watchful germination, but hey, your way might do it for you. good luck. WeeNel.

Thanks, Thats something i will definatly do for next time, also 3 more of my sensitive plant seeds have germinated and seem to be growing at an alarming rate! They dont seem to be crowded, but as soon as they get ther 'true' leaves i will transplant them,
many thanks -Josh-

YAY!
A big breakthrough (for me!)
3 of my banana seeds have germinated- Just small roots at the moment, i will get pics soon :D
Im also trying to germinate some dragon fruit seeds, its just an experiment and i dont expect it to work ;)
Regards -Josh-
i will keep you posted

Good for you Josh, that was quick, hope all goes well for you, as for the Dragon plant seeds, I always say, nothing ventured, nothing gained, so go for it, if it dont happen, try later when you get more seeds, this is the fun part, the next worry is, will my seeds survive the next stage, so we gardeners never stop worrying about what to do next, that's what makes it all interesting, fun and productive, a good pat on the back from yourself is also good as you congratulate yourself with "all my own work". happy propagating Josh. Weenel.

YAY! Unfortunatly one of my larger sensitive plant seedlings seemed to just 'collapse' is this due to the dreaded Damping off!?
Oh well i have many more :D

Did the stem look like was kind of pinched in near the base? That's a definite sign of damping off. They can also collapse if you don't water them enough, or if you removed the dome and took away their humidity without letting them get used to it gradually.

Hi Josh, Ecrane is right in all she has advised, if you remove the covering from the seedlings, you just start to do it gradually, a bit each day, say a couple of hours, the half a day etc after a full week, you should have got them used to the new temps around them, as for the dreaded dying off, there are many reasons for this, damping of happens when there is sudden changes to the seeds when very young, like too cold, too wet and cold at the same time, too overcrowded as they start to form proper leaves therefore less circulating air, sudden quick changes in conditions, all these things can cause this, but if it it just one seedling that has collapsed, then dont worry, that is also quite normal, but remove it from the others, have you started to divide the seeds yet, sometime when we do that, we snap the very tender stems and dont realise this till the seedling falls over. so just keep an eye on all the other seedlings, your doing well so far, just be patient and vigilant. good luck. WeeNel.

Whoopie! The sensitive plant seeds have came back to life, i think it was something to do with underwatering :p Oh well, more good news though :D My dragon fruit seeds have germinated and better yet, they are growing :):)!!
all is good in the way of seeds, so are my chilli pepper seeds "Twilight"
Thanks for all your helpful information
Regards -Josh-

Sorry the picture didnt work :(

Good for you Josh, for someone who has never done all this before, you need to pat yourself on the back, keep watching and learning from it, you will soon be cutting your way through a jungle of plants, well thetas what my husband said when I got my first seeds to germinate, many, many years ago, dozens of packets, all at the one time, just never thought about that happening, ha, ha, ha, just make sure you have enough room to care for them as they grow larger, you will be so thrilled with the results and I am sure go on to even more things with plants. good luck.
P.S. sorry to do this, but Ecrane should be able to help you out with transferring pictures, and set you in that direction, I am hopeless as far as computers are concerned.
WeeNel.

:D

woohoo! my dragon fruitplant seedlings are really starting to grow, there about 4 inchs high d have fully formed their spikes!
As far as the banana plant seeds are concerned, 3 have root and one is starting t send out a little green shoot :D !!!

Hi Josh, sorry, but been on the sight less, husband had operation so I have been nursing him instead of the plants, hes much better now, so he takes second place to the plants, AGAIN.
Good going with the germination work, you seem to have the knack, dont be tempted to rush and pot up your Banana and Dragon plants, remember these are much larger plants, therefore will need larger roots to support them, this means you need more root growth for them than the other tiny seeds you got started, just wait till you feel they can take the transplant before you do it as this is a critical time for any seedling. hope all goes well. send us a picture so we can relax and enjoy all this with you. best wishes. WeeNel.

i cant upload pictures, but ill try again tomorrow
thanks for post!
o and i have a small shoot out of my banana seeds, i WILL get a picture,
Regards -Josh-

Well Josh, if I come to Cornwall this summer, will I find you selling home grown Banana's by the bunch, Ha, Ha, Ha, in our climate, there are very few Banana plants that form fruit unless they are in a massive greenhouse growing in the best possible conditions, others that do fruit are non edible, but the fun is in the huge foliage and the speed they grow, you have achieved such a lot for your first time, good luck, hope all goes well. Keep us updated. WeeNel.