Best Chance of Success with Banana Seeds?

Hi all, recently I got some banana seed (6 mixed seed) free as part of an offer/voucher deal from T&M, on the packet it simply says soak for 24hrs and then keep in a bag of moist compost and keep at around 80 degrees and watch for germination (which could take 1-6 months), once they germinate pot them up.

Are there any other tips that I could try for the best chance of germination, would it be worth chipping some of the seed coating off before/after soaking?

Thanks in advance

 

You know I've only ever had success with Musa Sikkimensis seed, I've tried a few others with no luck.
Ensete seeds are fairly easy I find.

I was once told to use near boiling water on them, it works with Ensete.

I dont fancy your chances Bilbo. I rate T&M slightly dodgy at the best of times.

But hope you get some results

 

Thanks guys, given that I got the seeds free (along with another 6 packets of other stuff) I'm not really losing anything so I'm not going to lose any sleep over them if they fail; but I will give them a good go . They're certainly big seeds that's for sure..

 

I sowed 10 (I think) Musa sikkimensis last year, and 4 germinated. I had them on top of the batch log burner which gets hot when on (4 hours), and then the heat tails off (another 4 hours) so they had alternating day/night temperatures. No idea if that helped, but I have read it recommended in several places.

I have read of plenty of people doing the bag-of-peat method too - good idea for large seeds that have variable germination rates.

The boiling water thing: you put the seeds in very hot water, and the idea is that that causes any air in the seed to expand (and be expelled from the seed) then as the water cools, and the seed contracts, it draws water into the space that previously held air. Repeat. Thus you get some water into the seed to kick-start germination.

(Very hot water can also crack a hard seed coat, e.g. pouring just-boiled water on Canna seeds)

Good luck !

 

Thanks Kristen; I put them in hot water last night and noticed that 3 of the seeds were expelling microscopic little bubbles; I've just put some more hot water on them and will leave them for today and then put them in a bag of damp vermiculite and pop them on top of the combi-boiler in our kithen cupboard. It's a method I've used for a few large seeds with plenty of success..

 

I think it would be worth repeating the hot-water treatment a number times during the day, each time may expel a bit more air.

 

How did you all get on with germinating your bananas?

 

Nice one Armandii

Unfortunately I got 100% failure with mine , not a single one germinated in 4 months............I'm patient but not that patient, they're now composted

Maybe they were dud seeds???, perhaps I'll try again next year..

 

Banana seeds have notoriously low viability. 10% germination is good, on a good day. I see T&M are selling packs of 4 seeds - so 50:50 chance of getting zero germination then, and that's on a good day!

If you want to have another go buy in bulk, 100 seeds would give you 10 plants (on a good day )

Moles Seeds are £20 / 100 for Ensete :(
Trebrown Nurseries, in Cornwall, have Musa sikkimensis for £8.52 / 100 ... a bit more like it!

 

So probably cheaper just to buy a few plants then!

 

Hahaha ... yes, perhaps ...

Bog standard Ensete are cheap-as-chips in the Sheds, but Musa sikkimensis is not so easily found, and probably going to be a tenner a plant ...

Plus [pedantic point] shipping cost on Seeds is a lot less than on Plants.

I fancy having a go a Trebrown's Travellers Palm seeds though - tried some this year and nothing happened, but 100 seeds for £4.37 would give me a better chance I reckon.