How to Transplant a Banana Tree


Transplanting Banana Tree

Wondering how to transplant a banana tree? I know, it's not a tree, so wondering how to move a banana plant? 

Bananas are pretty easy to move, and they're pretty hardy too. 

The best time to transplant a banana plant is in the rain season, but I've planted and re-planted banana plants all year round, just remember to water well if it doesn't rain.

Last year I planted a small ice cream banana pup in front of our home, but I was negligent in my research and didn't realize just how big it would get. I prefer moving banana trees in the rain season, but the leaves were getting too close to our power line, so it had to be moved.

Ice cream banana in zone 9b


The roots of banana trees aren't very deep, and they will quickly re-establish, if you give them some love and water.

Grand nain banana 1 year old
The root ball of a 1 year old Grand Nain banana


We've been preparing an area at The Land for banana babies, since we now have six different banana varieties at the house and these are beginning to give us pups.

Today was the perfect time to move one of the larger grand nain banana pups, because we had been promised a good summer storm.

If you have great soil already, just dig a hole and plant your banana? If you have poor nutrient-soil or sandy soil, I recommend amending the soil before transplanting banana trees.

At the land we need to raise the ground level, and in the garden areas, we've been doing so with wood chips.

Planting banana tree


To create good soil for the banana patch, we've been layering the ground with lots of greens in between layers of woodchips at various stages of composting.

Planting a banana tree
Grand Nain banana after being moved


We moved seven big plants and trees to The Land today, and we we left soaking wet as nature came and did the watering for us.

How To Move a Banana Tree:

  1. Prepare the new home for your banana tree. Amend the soil if needed and dig a hole about 1 1/2 ft by 1 1/2 ft. 
    how to move a banana tree

  2. Dig a circle around the banana tree about a foot from the plant. Dig straight down.
  3. Put the shovel underneath at an angle and push up.
    Transplanting banana tree

  4. Lift it up at the lower end of the trunk and place in a bucket/planter or carry it on your shovel to its new hom,e if it is close by.
    Transplanting banana tree

  5. Place the banana in the new hole and fill in. Add composted matter on top.
  6. Water well.
  7. Keep watering the banana tree every day for 3 days, then every 2 days until it looks happy and you're certain it has established itself in the new home. No need to water if it rains.
  8. Make sure to keep adding composted matter or greens from your garden to make your banana thrive.
  9. Bananas love composted manure of any kind, but make sure you trust that your manure source has not been contaminated. We use our own chicken manure, and it has done wonders for the bananas.
  10. If you need to move a pup make sure your shovel is sharp, and dig down straight as close to the mother plant as possible.
  11. Bananas like to be close to each other as they are susceptible to wind and cold.

We will be adding more banana pups soon, but for now we added a spiky native yucca as a companion plant. It was planted right next to our parking space at the house and kept poking everyone, so we figured it would help with windbreak and keep long fingers away from our banana, as it is closer to the road than we like.

1 year old Ice cream banana - blue java zone 9b St. Augustine Florida
1 year old Ice cream banana - blue java 3 months after move.



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