Fresh bananas from the living room—Satu’s houseplant did the unexpected!

Satu, you managed to get your banana plant to produce fruit. How did that happen?

I bought the banana plant about six years ago at IKEA. Back then, I knew almost nothing about caring for houseplants. A few years later, I became more enthusiastic about them. That’s when I picked up some grow lights for the banana and started fertilizing it.

Last fall, my husband and I were in Indonesia. While we were gone, my brother stopped by to water our plants. In October, he sent me a message saying, “Look at what your banana plant is doing.” It had burst into a magnificent bloom. I burst out laughing—how could that be possible? I had no idea a banana plant could bloom or produce fruit indoors.

The bloom developed into a bunch of eight bananas. I was sure they’d never ripen in our row house, but I let them grow anyway. By March, the first bananas started turning yellow, which meant they were ripening.

Satu bought her banana plant from IKEA six years ago, but she’s not sure which variety it is. “Back then, I knew absolutely nothing about houseplants,” she says. Photos by Satu Sydänmaanlakka.

The blossom appeared in the fall while Satu and her husband were traveling. The flower will bear fruit even without pollination.

How did you care for your banana plant?

The banana is in a self-watering pot with a 40-centimeter diameter. I repotted it into a bigger container a year ago, and that’s when I replaced the soil, too. I use a special self-watering potting mix.

For several years, it’s had two grow lights, which stay on year-round from ten in the morning until ten at night. I also give it nutrients each time I water it. Usually, I use a bit more liquid fertilizer than recommended. I just buy whatever brand I can find at the store. Aside from watering, I don’t mist or wash the plant.

The banana sits in the corner of our living room. It has two grow lights year-round to ensure it gets enough light. They switch on and off via a timer.

Did you change anything once the banana began to bloom?

No, because I was away traveling for months. My brother kept watering it the same way as before.

Once it flowered, though, I allowed the new shoot at the base to grow. Before, I used to remove the pups so they wouldn’t take energy from the parent. But I read that once a banana plant produces fruit, it will die. Within a few months, the pup had leaves nearly a meter long. That’s good, because the edges of the parent plant’s leaves started turning yellow. I think it’ll probably wither away soon.

It took nearly six months for the bananas to ripen after the bloom appeared. For a moment, I considered removing the unripe bananas. “I didn’t think they’d ripen indoors, but I decided to leave them and see what would happen.”

What did your homegrown bananas taste like?

They tasted just like the small bananas in Asia, which surprised me because I was certain they couldn’t develop flavor without direct sunlight. I let my brother, my mom, my dad, and even our dog sample them. Sadly, my husband missed out because he was gone on a long work trip when they ripened.

According to Satu, the ripe bananas were sweet—just like the ones grown in Asia.