Indoor plants Musa
Description
Characteristic Features of Musa
Musa is genus of tropical plants in the banana family Musaceae, according to various sources, comprising 40 to 75 species. They are perennial herbs. Yes, very high herbs 2-9 meters or more tall that were mistaken for trees for a long time. Though it would to be logical to consider them trees, if we take, for example, a 12-meter giant species of Musa itinerans var. Gigantea.
The true stems of Musa are quite short and do not come above the soil. The stem bears 6-20 leaves. Their long sheaths and petioles tightly packed into tubes with the multi-layered walls make up the pseudostem similar to the trunk and performing its functions before fruiting. After fruiting, this hollow ''false stem'' (in other words, all the above-ground part of the plant) dies. By that time, offshoots have appeared around the stem at the base of the true root collar. Their task is to produce new tubes. This is how a change of generations happens.
The active growth period lasts for 8-10 months followed by the flowering period. A flower stalk develops inside the pseudostem and finally emerges outside. Flowering may also take months. The inflorescence is an elongated spike. Large female flowers (often white in cultivated Musa) appear further up the stem closer to the leaves, followed by rows of smaller fruitless bisexual flowers and tiny male flowers that usually do not last very long.
Only female flowers can develop into fruit. An inflorescence can produce up to three hundred (50-60 kg) of fruit. The fruit is finger-like, 3-40 centimeters long, and 2-8 centimeters thick. Technically, the fruit is a many-seeded berry (this scientific fact is not easy to accept, either) with a thick peel. The "fingers" of wild plants contain so many seeds that their total mass may exceed the pulp weight. In cultivated varieties, the fruits frequently have no seeds at all and therefore only vegetative reproduction is possible.
Musa develops a powerful root system. If the soil allows it, the root can go 1.5 meters deep and almost 5 meters longwise. However, these dimensions are not enough to resist strong winds and heavy rain, and Mother Nature invented an extra countermeasure. The huge soft leaves are easily torn along the veins by the wind, thus greatly reducing the windage area of the plants.
During the growing season, young leaves emerge from inside the pseudostem (in favourable weather, one leave per week) while external leaves that fulfilled their purpose dry up and fall off. Before the death, they can grow up to 275 сentimeters long and 60 centimeters wide. Their colouring сan be solid green, green with maroon spots, or green on the top of the leaf and crimson underside. The leaves have parallel venetion and a smooth texture.
Originally, the described variety was endemic to the Malay Archipelago. There Musa was used as a source of edible fruit from time immemorial. Aborigines not only used bananas for food but according to modern scholars, even selected these plants and contributed to their introduction when sailing to different islands of the Pacific Ocean or to the coasts of Asia and Australia. The earliest written mention of bananas is found in the Buddhist sutras (scriptures) in North India dating back to the 6th or 5th centuries BC. During his Indian campaign, Alexander the Great is said to have tasted the exotic yummy fruit and even brought some bananas back to Europe (probably as a treat for his pacifist relatives?). In the second half of the 8th century AD, Arab traders introduced bananas to Palestine and East Africa. In the 15th century, when white explorers came to West Africa, they noticed that these plants were not unusual for local people. When the Portuguese and Spaniards found out what the plant does not want to grow in temperate climates, they brought it to the tropical regions of the New World, the islands of the Caribbean, Panama, and even farther to the south. However, according to some experts, Musa had been well-known in South America even before conquistadors. They say the leaves of Musa (or rather, their remains) were found in the tombs of Peruvian Indians.
Almost all of these stories and anecdotes, as you can see, relate primarily to the NUTRITIONAL value of the giant herbs of the genus Musa. The greater is the merit of the gardener who was the first to see their BEAUTY and recognized it as an ornamental deciduous plant. Who was he, what was his name and when did he perfor this modest "feat"? We will never know. We can only note that in the 19th century Victorian England, greenhouse owners considered Musa exclusively as an ornamental plant. Currently, an interest in this tradition is being gradually revived.
For many decades, there has been three species considered suitable for cultivation in pots and plants:
- Musa acuminata (Musa chinensis, Musa × sapientum var. Suaveolens, Musa sinensis). The plant has proven itself particularly well because it can bloom and bear fruit in indoor cultivation (once in its lifetime).
- Ethiopian banana, or Musa ensete. The classification has recently changed, and the plant has been added to a separate genus Ensete of the same banana family, which includes another 6 or 7 species. The name has also been changed to Ensete ventricosum. However, its common name of Abyssinian Banana still reminds of its previous name.
- Japanese Banana, Japanese Fibre Banana, or Hardy Banana (Musa basjoo). This species originates from as far to the north as the Ryukyu Islands (Nancei), and therefore is quite hardy. It is grown on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea, in the Russian Caucasus, and Georgia. If the roots are well insulated, it may withstand short-term freezing. The pseudostem dies; however, in the spring the young leaves will resprout and 5 months later the plant will again be lush green and grow up 4 meters in height.
Currently, the choice of Musas for indoor cultivation has expanded considerably:
- Musa balbisiana. The pseudostem can reach 8 meters tall. The leaves are3 × 0.6 meters. Petioles are 1 meter long and sweet yellowish fruits are 7-15 centimeters long.
- Musa banksii. The pseudostem grows up to 4 meters tall. The leaves are up to 1.5 meters. The flowers are pink.
- Musa velutina is small. Its maximum height is 1.3 meters. Yellow flowers are produced only once in lifetime; the fruits are attractive but not edible
- Musa nana or Musa cavendishii. The pseudostem grows to a half meters to two meters tall.
- Musa maurelli grows quickly up to 3-4 meters. The leaves can be green or unusual red.
- Musa ornate (Musa rosacea) is famous for its purple yellow orange flowers.
- Musa mannii. The maximum size of leaves producing a false stem is 60-80 × 20 centimeters. The leaves that protect the inflorescence are red.
- Musa × paradisiacal (Latin synonyms Musa dacca; Musa × paradisiaca subsp. Sapientum; Musa × paradisiaca var. Dacca; Musa × sapientum), a hybrid of Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana. The plant reaches a height of 8 meters. Green leaves sized 200-250 x 60 centimeters have brown spots. Yellow mealy fruits can be eaten unripe as vegetables and ripe (they are noticeably sweeter) as fruit.
You can add to this list Musa ingens, Musa coccinea that grows no more than 1 meter tall, as well as several varieties of Cavendish bananas: 'Dwarf Cavendish', 'Giant Cavendish', 'Lacatan', 'Robusta', 'Valerie' etc.
The Secrets to Successfully Growing Musa
Musa needs bright filtered light with some exposure to direct sunlight, so the protection screen should not be too dense.
Water plentifully in the summer because large leaves rapidly evaporate water. Decrease watering in the winter. Carefully watch the soil condition all year round: the soil should not dry out or be soggy.
Moderate or even high air humidity is best. In the summer, diligently mist the leaves; in the winter wipe with damp cloth (especially in cool locations).
In the winter, the best temperatures are 17-20 ° C (not lower than 15!). In the summer, maintain the temperature of 25-30 ° C. The plant will benefit from regular airing or moving the tub in a warm sunny place in the garden in the afternoon.
Recommended soil composition is humus-rich loam. You may add leaf mold. Use indoor decorative foliage plant fertilizer once per week in the spring and summer and once per fortnight in the autumn and winter.
Repot in the spring into considerably larger pots. Ensure a good drainage. Examine the root system, carefully remove rotten and dry roots, and powder the cuts with growth biostimulant (Kornevin, for example). Cuts are prone to rot. Make sure to keep the new soil moist but not soggy. Do not water in the first week after repotting, then water sparingly. During the first month after repotting, add Zircon to water (2 drops per cup) every week.
Musa is usually propagated with lateral shoots because it is easier; less frequently, it is propagated from seed.
Potential Problems
If you consider that in the winter you will not be able to provide the the plant with good light, cut the leaves. In the spring under the warm sun, they will grow back again. If you notice that the young leaves cannot break through the remains of the pseudostem, carefully cut it to clear the way.
If your plant slows or completely stops growth, there are three possible causes: the temperatures are too low, the plant is potbound or not getting enough light.
If the temperature is high enough but humidity is lower than required, the tips and edges of the leaves dry out.
From the mid-19th century, when massive commercial cultivation of bananas started, a number of serious diseases was discovered and studied. Three diseases are caused by fungi:
- Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Panama disease): No efficient treatment has been found
- Mycosphaerella musicola (Cerospora musae), or Sigatoka, treated with fungicides
- Mycosphaerella fifiensis var. difformis (Black Sigatoka), showing resistance to treatment.
The fourth most common disease is caused by Pseudomonas solanacearum. It is called Banana Bacterial Wilt (BBW) (also locally called Moko disease) and results in tissue disintegration.
The list of flying and crawling pests is unfortunately long: whitefly and red mites, roundworms (nematodes), spider mites, rice weevils, thrips, black weevils, and scale insects. If careful washing of leaves and stems with soapy water does not help, use acaricides (for mites), insecticides (for insects), or nematicides (for worms). Three or four treatments may be needed every 10 days. It is advisable not only to mist the trunks and leaves, but also water the soil and wipe the pot base, windowsill and window glass with the solution.
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NOTE 1. Just in case, remember, the word "Abacá" (the last "a" is stressed). This is a binomial name of Musa textilis often used in crossword puzzles.
NOTE 2. Banana pulp contains tryptophan. The human body can use it to produce serotonin, the so-called "happiness hormone" that fights fatigue and boosts stress resistance.
NOTE 3. Slightly overripe banana is a "dangerous" product as it increases the blood alcohol content to 0.22 ppm for 20-30 minutes.
