Bananaman88

Hey, Zach! I'm not in AZ but I see no one else has answered you yet. Being a horticulturist, maybe I can help. Growing bananas in containers provides a special set of challenges and being in an arid area like Phoenix will just add to that. I think you can pull it off, though, if you really want to do it.

First of all, you mention that you're limited to growing on a balcony. This tells me that you need to select a dwarf variety of some sort. Examples include Dw. Cavendish, Dw. Orinoco, Dw. Brazilian, Super Dwarf Cavendish, High Color Mini, etc. If you aren't interested in fruit there are several other smaller ornamental varieties that lend themselves well to container culture.

Secondly, you'll need a good potting soil (any good commercial brand) to which I would be sure to add some polymers; some come with this in them already. Read the bag. If you are unfamiliar with these polymers, they aid in the water holding capacity of your soil. You add them to the mix and, when watered, they swell up and turn into a jelly-like consistancy and hold many, many times their weight in water and release it slowly back into the soil as the plant needs it. You should be able to find these polymers at places like Home Depot, Lowe's, and probably your local nursery.

Third, you might consider what kind of pot to use. Clay will have some porosity, helping the roots to breathe while adding bottom weight to help keep the banana from blowing over. Plastic is obviously lighter and blowing over can occur if you choose a taller variety or the soil dries out. However, plastic pots retain moisture in the soil a bit longer than clay, so it's a trade off.

Hope this helps!