Blue banana (Musa acuminata × balbisiana 'Blue Java')

Who has never eaten a banana? But surely it must have been yellow or green, right? These are the ones that are sold in European supermarkets and greengrocers. However, in other parts of the world, it is also possible to find blue bananas. And although it is hard to believe, no, they are not painted (but you have to be careful with the advertisements found on the Internet, since these sometimes show retouched images, making them a much more intense blue).

As can happen to anyone who is shown a food they have never seen before, doubts will surely arise about the blue banana, such as, what species does it come from or what is its aroma. Well, let's solve them.

What is the origin of the blue banana?

It is a cultivar of Musa acuminata x balbisiana, known by the name of »Blue Java Banana» or vanilla-scented banana, since its fruits, that is, the bananas themselves smell of this orchid (Vanila sp). So this means that it is not found in the wild, but it is grown in gardens, and even in Hawaii there are plots dedicated solely to its production.

When he reaches adulthood and finishes growing in height, It reaches a maximum of 6 meters and a minimum of 4 meters. The stem or false trunk is about half its height; and as for the leaves, it is important to know that they are not only very long, but also simple and fragile, being able to break easily when the wind blows.

The banana, once ripe, reaches between 15 and 20 centimeters in length, and turns yellow with cream-colored pulp; nevertheless, when fully grown, it has bluish-colored skin or shell.

What uses does it have?

The blue banana can be used as a garden plant, or edible for its fruits. In this sense, you should know that you can consume them freshly picked, or put them in the freezer -having removed the shell beforehand- and then eat them as if they were ice cream.

To have it in the garden or in a pot, here we tell you how to take care of it:

What are the care of the blue banana?

Although it is an exotic plant, we should not worry about the color of its fruit, because it does not stop being a banana tree, and as such, you need relatively little to be happy, namely: lots of sun, water and a mild-warm climate. If there are frosts in our area, we tend to take it inside the house, since otherwise it would not survive, unless they were very weak.

But to have it all clearer, let's see how to take care of this banana:

Location

As I said, it is a plant that wants to be exposed to the sun. In addition, it is recommended that you give it direct light for a minimum of 6 hours a day, but the more, the better. It is very important to remember this, since it is not one that we can put in the shade, and that even indoors it could have problems, since there is not always a room with a lot of light coming through the windows.

earth or ground

It is a banana tree that can be kept in a pot for a few years. In fact, if it is planted in a larger one every 3 years, until the time comes to have it in a container that measures at least 80 centimeters in diameter by the same height, you can leave it there. Likewise, it is convenient to know that you must put a substrate or a universal cultivation land that is spongyas this for example.

If you have land to plant it there, in the ground, do it if the land drains water well; that is, if it does not puddle quickly, and if it absorbs it at a good rate.

Irrigation

How much should I water the blue banana? Well, if it rains little, to the point that the land spends a lot of time dry, it will have to be watered oftenseveral times a week during the summer.

In winter and the rest of the seasons, on the other hand, watering will be spaced out, since the soil remains moist for longer.

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Fertilizing it regularly during the warm months will help it grow and produce fruit.. For this reason, it is worth fertilizing it with organic fertilizers, such as those of animal origin: manure, guano (for sale here), earthworm humus. In this way, we will make it grow at a faster rate, and therefore have enough energy to produce its blue bananas as soon as possible.

Planting time

the blue banana can be planted in garden or orchard soil throughout the spring, or even summer as long as it is not fruiting. Given that, like all banana trees, it is a rhizomatous plant and that shoots will sprout from the rhizome, it is important that you think about whether you want to leave them, in which case you should find an area where there are no trees or other plants oversized fence; or if, on the contrary, you are going to remove them when they sprout, in which case you will not need as much space.

Rusticity

The cold does not hurt him, but the frost does.especially if they are moderate or intense. We recommend wrapping it with an anti-frost cloth if the temperature drops a little below 0 degrees, and bringing it indoors if it drops below -4ºC. you can buy it here.

Have you heard of the blue banana?