Wow! A rare and little known large banana species, new to cultivation, that sports a massive pseudo-trunk to 4,5m (14ft) tall and 45cm (18in.) in diam., tinged with red, and purple new leaves and leaf-midribs. A percentage of plants even exhibits beautifully dark red mottled leaves. The Darjeeling Banana is very hardy to cold (i.e. in the sense of Musa basjoo) coming, as it does, frommontane forests up to 2000m (6000ft) in the Himalayas of NE-India. First trials outdoors in the US, Britain, Germany and Switzerland have shown an excellent resistance to cold and frost. Like all bananas, it is extremely fast growing, given rich soil and an abundance of water. The fruits have a sweetish pulp but are hard and contain a few large seeds. An absolute novelty that shows great promise as an ornamental for the temperate as well as the cooler tropical garden. We think this plant that has more potential than any other cold tolerant Musa in cultivation at the moment..
FULL SOWING INSTRUCTIONS INCLUDED
Sowing:
Sow in late winter/late spring and late summer/autumn.
Prior to Sowing, Soak the seeds for 24 hours. Soaking is beneficial in two ways; it can soften a hard seed coat and also leach out any chemical inhibitors in the seed which may prevent germination. 24 hours in water which starts off hand hot is usually sufficient. If soaking for longer the water should be changed daily. Seeds of some species swell up when they are soaked. As each seed swells it should be removed and sown before it has time to dry out and the remainder pricked gently with a pin and returned to soak. Sow seeds in a peaty compost, “just cover” with 6mm (¼ in) of soil as the seeds need light to germinate.
Germination of Passiflora usually occurs in weeks, occasionally several months.
If your home is on the low side of 20°C (68°F), your seeds will benefit from bottom heat with an electric soil warming cable kit, or a heating mat. It will stimulate early growth, and help seeds to germinate and cut the germination time by half. Cover the top of the pot with clear plastic so the humidity will remain high.
When you see some tiny plants starting to sprout, open the top of the pot, a little each day, so that the new seedlings don't go into shock from the humidity being lowered too quickly. Prick out each seedling as it becomes large enough to handle, transplant into 7.5cm (3in) pots. Pot on as required. These plants have very fragile white roots and should be handled with care when potting up.
