With the arrival of spring in Southern California, nurseries are beginning to stock Babaco plants, typically near the banana plants and in the same size pots. Elsewhere in far-flung places like Salinas, Texas, and Tennesee -- there are people who have or will receive babaco cuttings very soon now. And so my inbox is full of questions about how to grow them.
The bottom 2-3 inches of the cutting should be dipped in rooting hormone -- which is how I ship them because the rooting compound also contains fungicide. The cutting should be planted a depth equal to about 1/3 its length. The plant is not shy about rooting and new leafs should start to push out the top in a few weeks or so -- depending upon the local temperature. You can water it with 1/4 teaspoon of SuperThrive added to a gallon of water
one time only. After that, water the cutting without a supplement until it starts pushing out new leafs.
In either case, the Babaco can be planted either in the ground or in a pot. You can transplant/root it outside now if the daytime temperatures are above 65 F and the nighttime temps do not dip below 50 F. If you are in USDA zone 9 or higher, you can grow the plant outdoors year-round. It is native to the highlands of central America in zone 10-11. It tolerates frosts but is killed by a hard freeze.
If you wish to (or have to) grow it in a pot, a 25 gallon size is sufficient and 50 gallon is unnecessary. For a 25 gallon pot you will need a little over 3 cubic feet of soil for a cutting, and a little less than 3 cu.ft. for a transplant from a 1 gallon pot. If you are going to purchase soil, consider 3 parts citrus mix with 1 part fine-grain cured compost (e.g., Kellogg's N-Rich). Another option is Kellogg's Patio Mix straight out of the bag. Allow room for 1.5 inches of mulch on top of the soil but 1.5 inches below the rim of the pot.
Just like your bananas, the base of the Babaco trunk will rot if left soggy for too long. However, don't fret: the Babaco is hardier than bananas in this respect. If you potted your plant -- it cannot stay soggy.
The plant wants full sun, but in areas (hello Arizona) that get over 95 F with low humidity it needs 25% shade during the heat of the day. Remember, this plant is not a Carica and is native to highland areas -- not frying hot lowlands. Another location thought: steady seasonal hot winds for multiple hours will permanently bend the plant, especially if it is loaded with fruit. A stake won't help because any strapping will cut deeply into the trunk. Instead consider a location where a fence will back up the plant during that season. If the plant does bend -- oh well, your fruit will still grow to maturity.
If planting in the ground, excavate a hole 2 ft x 2 ft x 2 ft. Make sure it drains. Remove all rocks larger than a golf ball. If your soil is not too sandy or not heavy clay, then just mix 3 parts of your soil with 1 part fine-grained cured compost. If your soil is too sandy, use 3 parts potting soil and 1 part your soil. If your soil is heavy clay, use 1 part your soil, 1 part citrus mix, and 2 parts fine-grained cured compost. Form a basin around your plant and water. Then apply at least 2 inches of mulch over the entire area.
If your bananas like what you feed them and they produce a lot of fruit, then feed that to your babaco plant. Don't start feeding your transplant or rooting until it is pushing out new leafs. I am using a granular Citrus-Avocado food (GroPower brand) rated 8-6-8, or a tropical plant granular rated 8-1-12 (when it is available). In either case, I use 1/4 cup per month for the potted plant and 1 cup per month for the plants in the ground.
My plants in the ground receive 5 gallons of water every 4 days during my summer months.
The growth habit of the Babaco is somewhat like a palm in that as leafs mature they will drop from the plant and new leafs will be generated. Expect leaf drop. Healthy leafs are green and a bit red-veined. In zone 9 when it gets cold there will be extra leaf drop and basically, any time the plant is shocked you will also get leaf drop (so Jackson -- don't go out there in your underwear). The plant is doing fine so long as new growth is pushing out the top.
For details about fruit maturation, see post #1 below.
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