Originally Posted by varig8

I've germinated Musa seed many times. Since you may have gotten them from a seed catalog, or you do not know how fresh they are; and also they do take some time to sprout, I always score the seed whether fresh or not. This way , if they are viable, they sprout within a weeks time. Simply take a metal fingernail file, and file ONE tiny cut through the hard outer shell until you just barely see the white meat inside. Only enough to permit some moisture into the interior of the seed. Then soak overnight and pot them up right below the surface with the "bellybutton" top side up. Roots will develop around the outer 'ring' of the bellybutton, and the shoot will come from the center. Keep evenly moist but not soaking wet. Ive used many different soil mixes, doesnt seem to matter, its the amount of water that is crucial. Of course, you should provide warmth and bright light. Ive found this way very successful. If you think about it, nature has made it possible for these seed to germinate simply by being passed through an animals digestive track,(permiting easy germination from the acids in their stomachs to breakdown some of the hard shell), and then dropped to the ground and sprout themselves without any 'help' from man.