You can propagate/Plant your Bananas vegetatively or by breeding. The vegetative method however is the commonest among our farmers, and you will be able to use any of these planting materials below:
Peepers; these are very young suckers appearing above the ground with scale leaves only.
Sword suckers; these are formed from buds or eyes low on corm and bear narrow elongated leaves, these are usually 30_60 cm tall with. These are the most preferred material as they are usually firm in the ground.
Maiden sucker; these are relatively old with greater than 60cm and when are used for propagation it’s advised that the leaves should be cut off to try minimize water loss.
Bits of large corms; they are obtained from corms which have bared a bunch. They are dug up; the upper parts are removed and are cut in two or more pieces each containing one or more eyes.
Water suckers; these are young with broad leaves and arise from the top parts of the corms. Always avoid planting these types of suckers as they are usually easy to dislodge from the mother plant and are usually weak.
Before planting, you should ensure that the suckers are clean, and free from pests and diseases. Your suckers should be cleaned by paring (cutting off all the roots and peeling off the outer layer of the corm). Paring should be done until all tunnels made by weevils have been removed. The pared suckers should be hot water treated to kill nematodes.
The best time for planting your bananas will depend on your local climatic conditions.
In areas with pronounced dry season and yet irrigation is not possible, you will typically plant at the beginning of the rains.
You will plant your bananas in holes dug by hand. Your banana holes should be roughly (45x45x45) cm, with a recommended spacing of (3×3) cm.
Mix well rotten manure or compost (1-2) tins with top soil and return it to the hole.
Put the sucker in the middle of the hole and cover with the rest of the soil.
If you chose to use corm bits, be sure not to bury your corms deep; cover with just a 5cm layer of soil.
