Puerto Rican Plantain Banana Tree for Sale - Buying & Growing Guide

Planting and Care

by John Haryasz | Horticulture Writer and Landscape Designer – last update on June 8, 2022

Planting instructions

If you live in zone 9 or a hotter region, you can plant your Puerto Rican plantain banana tree outdoors in the ground where there is full sunlight. However, outside of southern Texas, southern Florida, and California, growing this plant in a container is the only viable option. Choose a large container capable of accommodating the entire root system and fill it with nutrient-rich potting soil.

Watering and nutrients

The best way to water a Puerto Rican plantain banana tree is to monitor the soil moisture. Once the first 1 to 3 inches of soil has dried out, add water. When watering Puerto Rican plantain banana trees that grow in containers, soak the soil until water flows through the drainage hole at the bottom of the container. These plants also need plenty of fertilizer throughout the growing season. Give your Puerto Rican plantain banana tree a balanced fertilizer blend once every month for the best growth.

Pollination

The Puerto Rican plantain banana tree is similar to a banana tree, which is a close genetic relative not requiring pollination to produce fruit. This unique feature makes plantains and bananas different from most other fruiting plants. The Puerto Rican plantain banana tree has flowers that are unique and complex. Fruit develops without any outside assistance when the plant is mature enough.

Pruning

These plants have a relatively short life span, so there isn’t much need for pruning a Puerto Rican plantain banana tree . While this plant matures, your only pruning goal should be to remove any leaves that are clearly dead or are harboring disease. But even if you don’t remove spent leaves, there is a good chance your Puerto Rican plantain banana tree will be successful in producing a harvest full of tasty plantain fruits.

Pests, diseases, and animals

If you choose to grow a Puerto Rican plantain banana tree, it would be good to familiarize yourself with the many potential health risks . Aphids, banana weevils, and scale insects are some of the most likely creatures to cause an infestation, while fungal infections can come in the form of anthracnose, rot, and wilt. There is also a virus called the banana bunchy top virus which can affect the Puerto Rican plantain banana tree.

Harvesting

Many fruit-bearing trees will offer you fruit once per year on a recurring basis. However, the Puerto Rican plantain banana tree will produce one single harvest that will take more than a year to develop. After about a year or more of healthy growth, your Puerto Rican plantain banana tree will begin to flower. Following that stage, it will be another six months before the fruits mature into a harvestable form to enjoy.

Achieving maximum results

The lack of pollination needed for Puerto Rican plantain banana trees to produce fruit is confusing to many, but it is not a process you need to understand fully. Instead, it is good to know that pollination is a detriment to these fruits, and it needs to be prevented from happening at all costs. If an insect pollinates your Puerto Rican plantain banana tree, you can expect it to develop fruits with too many seeds and too little edible flesh.

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