A Guide to Cold Hardy Banana Trees

Written by Brenda Woods Updated 11/13/2024

Brenda Woods

Brenda Woods is an accomplished writer and managing editor with more than two decades of publishing experience. She has spent over 10 years covering home services and home improvement projects. Brenda supports her team in evaluating dozens of home service providers, surveying and speaking to hom…

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A cold hardy banana tree, also known as a Musa Basjoo banana tree, can grow in across the United States—even in regions that are subjected to freezing temperatures. The tree gives off a tropical vibe, despite not producing any fruit. Keep reading our guide to learn how to grow a cold hardy banana tree.

Cold Hardy Banana Tree Overview

What Does a Cold Hardy Banana Tree Look Like?

The cold hardy banana tree produces green leaves and small, light yellow flowers. Bananas grow out of these flowers, starting off bright green and turning yellow when the banana ripens. The bananas aren’t edible, as the inside is bitter and dry.

How to Plant a Cold Hardy Banana Tree

When you purchase a cold hardy banana tree, you will be given a rhizome—a mass of roots with a starter plant, also known as a sucker, growing out of it. Cold hardy banana trees can be planted in your yard, in a pot on your patio, or in a large pot inside your home next to a window.

1. Plant the sucker in a hole that’s 3 feet wide and 2 feet deep.
2. Fill the hole with soil that’s half original dirt and half amended soil from well-rotted compost or aged manure.
3. Deeply water the sucker and place a layer of mulch around the rhizome in a 2- to 3-inch layer.

Read more: How to Properly Mulch Around a Tree

As the tree grows, a pseudostem will grow out of the rhizome. The true stem will grow out of the center of the pseudostem and bloom yellow flowers that turn into bananas when fertilized. This entire process should take about nine months. Like other banana trees, a cold hardy banana tree will last about six years.

Growing Conditions for a Cold Hardy Banana Tree

Here are a few factors to keep in mind when caring for your tropical plant.

• Sun and shade: Cold hardy banana plants grow best in direct sunlight, so consider planting your tree in the center of your yard away from other plants with foliage that creates shade, in a pot on an uncovered patio, or next to a large window indoors.
• Soil: These trees like highly fertile and well-drained soil and prefer a moderately acidic soil with a pH between 5.5 and 6.5.
• Fertilizer: Cold hardy banana trees should be fertilized once every two to four weeks in the summer. You can use an organic fertilizer or a water soluble fertilizer with an 8-10-10 ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
• Watering: Banana trees require a deep watering that reaches the root system three to four times a week, especially during the summer months when it’s actively growing. If you don’t water regularly, the plant will dry out, stunting its growth.
• Ideal Hardiness Zones: The cold hardy banana tree can be grown in Hardiness Zones 4–11 all across the U.S. However, if you live in colder parts of Alaska, the North, or the Midwest, you may have less success with keeping your tree alive for more than a few years.

Tolerance and Susceptibility

Because bananas aren’t native to the United States, some diseases that afflict tropical bananas in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Central and South America won’t cause damage to the ones here. The one major disease American bananas are susceptible to is root rot, which is when cold, wet soil causes the rhizome to rot away.

On top of disease susceptibility, the cold hardy banana tree is also susceptible to damage from strong winds. However, the plant does have a tolerance to cold temperatures, which allows them to grow in colder states.

Wildlife Threats

Since cold hardy bananas aren’t edible, you don’t have to worry about animals or insects attacking the fruit. However, common insects like aphids and moths may attack the leaves. You can prevent aphids and moths by spraying a regular or non-toxic insecticide.

Winter Protection

Although the cold hardy banana tree can grow in colder climates, it will require protection to protect the tree from harsh winter weather.

We recommend cutting the tree back to about 12 to 24 inches from the ground before the first frost. Make sure to cut at an angle to avoid water pooling and rotting the crown and cover it with thick plastic or burlap. Next, provide an insulating protective layer over the trunk using mulch, hay, bark, or raked leaves to prevent damage to the tree from freeze and thaw cycles. To keep the protective layer in place all season, drive stakes into the ground 3 or more feet from the center of the tree to hold wire or netting.

Our Conclusion

Because the bananas from the cold hardy banana tree aren’t edible, this tree may be best for gardeners in colder states who want to create a tropical aesthetic without having to worry about insects or pests attacking the tree’s fruits. If you live in a warm to moderate climate and want a tropical feel and edible fruit, we recommend purchasing the ice cream banana tree instead.

FAQ About Cold Hardy Banana Trees

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