How to Grow Banana Indoors

Humans have been in love with bananas for a long time! Even though they’re shown in Egyptian hieroglyphs, evidence points that they originate from the jungles of Southeast Asia around 8,000 BC.

Can You Grow Bananas Indoors?

Absolutely! While some banana varieties grow a bit too tall indoors, there are several dwarf varieties perfect for indoor gardening. Here are some top choices:

Best Setup for Banana Plants

You’ll Need:

Planter:

A pot that is at least 12″ / 5 gal. The plant will grow in proportion to its planter, so choose a size based on how tall you want your plant to grow.

Soil:

Standard Potting Mix

Plant Food:

Balanced Blend. This should be equal parts nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (with NPK numbers like 10-10-10).

Grow Light:

A strong grow light that can give the equivalent of 5+ hours of direct sun [DLI of 15+ mol/m²/day].

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Starting to Grow Your Bananas Indoors: Seed vs Propagate

Growing bananas indoors can be challenging but rewarding. A banana plant grown for fruit is usually started with a live plant or cutting. Plants grown from seeds will grow as “wild types” and may not produce desirable fruit.

Why You Shouldn't Start Banana from Seed

If you grow a banana from seed, it won’t grow “true to type,” meaning the fruit you get will be a mix of varieties and likely not taste very good. This is similar to why coffee seeds aren't commonly available.

How to Transplant Banana

Live starter plants give you a head start on your first harvest. Choose the bushiest plant at the garden center (avoid tall and lanky ones). Inspect for pests and quarantine the plant for about a week at home. Once pest-free, transplant your seedling:

1. Remove some soil from the final planter, leaving space for the seedling's base to be just above the soil surface.
2. Hold the base of the stem with one hand, turn the pot over, and gently pull the seedling. Squeeze the pot to help dislodge it if needed.
3. Place in its final container and fill around it with soil, ensuring it’s tight but not compacted.

Where to Grow Your Banana Plants

Banana plants need lots of light to grow and develop good flavor. Sunlight is ideal, but a grow light is recommended for consistent light, especially in winter. For more on grow lights, check out our guide on grow lights for indoor gardeners and our buying guide for screw-in types. We recommend the 24W Screw-in Bulb by Sansi.

How Bright Should Your Grow Light Be?

Banana plants need the equivalent of 5+ hours of direct sunlight [DLI of 15+ mol/m²/day]. Place the 24W Sansi bulb 6 inches away from the top of the plant for optimal brightness (PPFD of 500 μmol/m²/s).

How Many Hours Per Day Do Your Banana Plants Need Under a Grow Light?

Banana plants are day-neutral and can grow under various daylight lengths. Set up a timer for 10+ hours of light per day.

Banana Plants Grow Faster in Warmer Temps

Banana plants thrive in warm temperatures, ideally around 80°F, but anything between 60 and 90°F works. Sunnier, south-facing windows help maintain warmth.

Year 2+: How to Pollinate Your Banana Flowers

Banana trees are self-fruitful, so you don’t need to pollinate the flowers. Cut the flower stalk off below the bunch of developing bananas once it’s no longer attractive. It takes 3 to 5 months for bananas to reach full size after flowering.

Year 2+: How to Harvest Bananas

Bananas are ready to pick when they’re rounded between the ribs, the peel is soft, and the color changes from dark green to light green to yellow. While they are typically picked at 75% ripe and left to ripen off the vine, it’s even tastier to let them fully ripen on the tree and pick them off as you want.

Year 6+: End of Life

A banana tree can live for about 6 years, but after fruiting, they will appear to die. This is just the above-ground part, and the roots will soon send up another stalk. If you want to continue growing bananas indoors, you’ll need to get a new plant.

Shop This Blog

The right supplies can take the guesswork out of caring for your plants and turn care from a daily to weekly routine. Through our grow tests, we’ve found these products to produce the best indoor banana (and also have simple maintenance). Plants are adaptable and can grow in many different conditions, so they are by no means necessary if you already have other supplies.

Best Containers for Banana: Ceramic Self-Watering Planters

Plants thrive on consistent moisture but can suffer if they’re waterlogged. A semi-porous ceramic self regulates ideal conditions. Our favorite is the COSWIP planter. Runner up is XS Self Watering Planter by Wet Pot.

Best Soil for Banana: Standard Potting Mix

Bananas like a rich and moist root zone, so you are best off with a standard potting mix. We like this Potting Mix by Rosy Soil.

Best Nutrients for Banana: Balanced Blend

Bananas like nutrients that are equal parts nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (with NPK numbers like 10-10-10). For a balanced blend, we recommend: Dr. Earth All Purpose.

Best Light for Banana: DIY or Soltech

There is a very small chance that you have the bright windows needed to grow these without a grow light. If you are looking for a higher-end option, we love the Aspect Light by Soltech. For a more affordable option, a DIY setup using a 24W Screw-in Bulb by Sansi with a Clamp Light and Timer works well too. Check out our complete guide on a DIY setup for less than $40 or our buying guide for screw-in bulbs.