planting bananas?
Answers:
Wow....that Wickpedia answer is a mouthfull, isn't it?
O.K....simply put.....you can't start a banana tree from seed. The only way is to plant the plant. You can buy a couple of different varieties from nurseries, or even on-line (yes....on line!!....I've had lots of success with trees and such purchased on-line!!)
The reason being that the tree sends out roots as it produces the stalks of bananas, when the stalk/bananas start to turn yellow and is cut off, to be hung elswhere to keep the buggies and birds from getting it before you do, the tree usually dies off and the new tree, from the root shoot, comes out!
(Part of why the Banana Plantations go nuts about rogue elephants....they take the fruit and rip up the tree while getting at it, before the tree sends out it's shoot, so they not only loose the first crop, but the replacement tree as well!!.... but that's another question isn't it....sorry....)
So... hopefully you are setting aside a nice little plot or corner somewhere in your yard, not trying this in a pot. And be aware....they often send out more than one shoot.....you CAN be overloaded with bananas sooner than you think (But the little finger sweets are awesome, and they also freeze well for mushing up later into banana bread, muffins, oatmeal, etc..... )
Good luck and happy gardening!! (hopefully you don't have any rogue elephants in your neighborhood!!)
Other answers:
Per Wikipedia.org: "While the original bananas contained rather large seeds, triploid (and thus seedless) cultivars have been selected for human consumption. These are propagated asexually from offshoots of the plant. The plant is allowed to produce 2 shoots at a time; a larger one for fruiting immediately and a smaller "sucker" or "follower" that will produce fruit in 6–8 months time. The life of a banana plantation is 25 years or longer, during which time the individual stools or planting sites may move slightly from their original positions as lateral rhizome formation dictates. Latin Americans sometimes comment that the plants are "walking" over time.
Cultivated bananas are sterile (parthenocarpic), meaning that they do not produce viable seeds. Lacking seeds, another form of propagation is required. This involves removing and transplanting part of the underground stem (called a corm). Usually this is done by carefully removing a sucker (a vertical shoot that develops from the base of the banana pseudostem) with some roots intact. However, small sympodial corms, representing not yet elongated suckers, are harder to transplant and can be left out of the ground for up to 2 weeks; they require minimal care and can be boxed together for shipment."
Per Wikipedia.org: "While the original bananas contained rather large seeds, triploid (and thus seedless) cultivars have been selected for human consumption. These are propagated asexually from offshoots of the plant. The plant is allowed to produce 2 shoots at a time; a larger one for fruiting immediately and a smaller "sucker" or "follower" that will produce fruit in 6–8 months time. The life of a banana plantation is 25 years or longer, during which time the individual stools or planting sites may move slightly from their original positions as lateral rhizome formation dictates. Latin Americans sometimes comment that the plants are "walking" over time.
Cultivated bananas are sterile (parthenocarpic), meaning that they do not produce viable seeds. Lacking seeds, another form of propagation is required. This involves removing and transplanting part of the underground stem (called a corm). Usually this is done by carefully removing a sucker (a vertical shoot that develops from the base of the banana pseudostem) with some roots intact. However, small sympodial corms, representing not yet elongated suckers, are harder to transplant and can be left out of the ground for up to 2 weeks; they require minimal care and can be boxed together for shipment."
You can buy a dwarf tree to grow at home inside or out, depending on where you live. I started mine about 3 months ago and it has grown from 9in. to about 2.5 ft already.