How to sow banana seeds
Updated: 21 October 2026
You have a named packet on the bench and a fortnight in mind, which is how most banana sowings get thrown out too soon. This page is how to sow banana seeds with one published method held intact, plus a second method labelled as the other method, so the soak and the temperature are not averaged into a recipe nobody printed. The [banana seeds comparison](/hub/herb-seeds/banana-seeds) is where the packets are listed. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Peter F., updated 21 October 2026. These packets were not sown for this page.
You have a named packet on the bench and a fortnight in mind, which is how most banana sowings get thrown out too soon.
You have a named packet on the bench and a fortnight in mind, which is how most banana sowings get thrown out too soon. This page is how to sow banana seeds with one published method held intact, plus a second method labelled as the other method, so the soak and the temperature are not averaged into a recipe nobody printed. The banana seeds comparison is where the packets are listed. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Peter F., updated 21 October 2026. These packets were not sown for this page.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Species named | Seed count | Instructions on the listing | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  SAFLAX SAFLAX snow banana, 10 seeds, Ensete glaucum | Ensete glaucum syn. Ensete wilsonii | 10 | Detailed potting instructions claimed | 8.1 | about £4.55 | View offer |
| Alternative |  SAFLAX SAFLAX Darjeeling banana, 5 seeds, Musa sikkimensis | Musa sikkimensis | 5 | Detailed potting instructions claimed | 6.6 | about £4.55 | View offer |
| Best value |  Seeds & Plants Shop by Ipsa 10 Musa acuminata dwarf banana seeds, Ipsa | Musa acuminata | 10 | General sowing instructions; English not guaranteed | 5.5 | about £3.23 | View offer |
On this page
Why these seeds sit still
Banana seed has a hard coat. Two weeks on a cold sill is not a fair test. Fresh seed may move quickly. Older seed may sit for months. Wet compost rots seed, so damp is not standing water. None of these listings prints a germination percentage. Darjeeling at 2.5 from 55 and snow banana at 3.0 from 69 are shopper stars, not a rate. Kew’s Cavendish fruit has no seeds. If the packet has no Latin name, use the banana seeds buying guide before you soak. A quiet pot at week three is not a plant-health case.
The RHS method
Use the RHS method if you want one steady temperature. Lightly file one side, soak for 24 hours in warm water, and sow each seed about 1 cm deep in peat-free seed compost. Keep it slightly damp, not wet, at 21–24°C. Fresh seed may be quick. Older seed may take six months. A heat mat is how you hold that band in a British spring, because a north sill often sits below it. Do not add a day of soaking and then turn the mat to 35°C. That is the other method. Six months is the older-seed figure, not a promise that every seed appears on the last day.
The other stated method
Planet Banana’s routine stays separate. Soak for at least two days and change the water daily. Sow into sterile compost and cover with vermiculite. For Musa, about nine hours at 30–35°C and 15 hours at 12–15°C. For Ensete, a constant 25–30°C. The wait is about six weeks to a year, sometimes staggered. Germinated seed moves to 7 cm pots. Use this only if you can run that cycle or that constant Ensete heat. Do not average 24 hours with two days, or 21–24°C with 30–35°C. Musa sikkimensis and Musa acuminata take the cycling line. Ensete glaucum takes the constant line. Label the pot with the method you chose.
What to do when a seed does nothing
Nothing visible for months still fits both published waits. A sealed wet pot on a cold sill, binned at day 14, fits neither. If the compost is sodden, dry it back to slightly damp. If you filed through the seed, that batch is more likely rotten than late. When a shoot appears, pot it on. Wider moves and winter water are on growing banana from seed indoors. Do not harden a new shoot onto an April patio. Frost kills most seedlings left out early. Seed is not food.
Common questions
Do you file banana seeds, soak them, or both?
Both, inside one method. The RHS says lightly file one side, then soak for 24 hours in warm water. Planet Banana’s separate method uses a soak of at least two days with the water changed daily, and it is not an add-on to the 24-hour soak. Pick one routine and finish it. Filing is there because the coat is hard, not because a deeper nick is better.
How deep do you sow them?
The RHS says about 1 cm deep, each seed in its own spot, in peat-free seed compost. Keep that compost slightly damp. The other method uses sterile compost and a vermiculite cover rather than a second depth figure you should blend in. One centimetre is enough for the RHS routine. Burying the seed several centimetres down does not speed a hard coat.
What temperature does the RHS give?
21–24°C, held steadily, with the compost only slightly damp. That is the figure to use if you follow the RHS method. It is not a nightly drop to 12°C and it is not a spike to 35°C. A cold windowsill in a British spring is often below that band, which is why a fortnight there is a poor test.
What if you follow the nursery method instead?
Follow it as written. Soak for at least two days and change the water daily. Use sterile compost and vermiculite. Give Musa about nine hours at 30–35°C and 15 hours at 12–15°C, or give Ensete a constant 25–30°C. Expect about six weeks to a year. Do not keep the RHS 24-hour soak and then apply these temperatures as a hybrid.
How long can older seed take?
On the RHS guide, older seed may take six months, while fresh seed may be quicker. Planet Banana’s range is about six weeks to a year, sometimes with seeds appearing at different times. Neither figure is a germination percentage, and neither comes from the star ratings on these packets. Mark the sow date so the wait is a count, not a mood.
Why is a cold windowsill a mistake?
Because both methods depend on warmth the sill may not provide, and because two weeks is shorter than either published wait. The RHS band is 21–24°C for as long as older seed needs. A nursery Musa cycle spends part of the day at 30–35°C. A pot at room-edge temperature, checked once and discarded, never ran either method.
Does wet compost help?
No. The RHS warns that wet compost rots seed. Slightly damp is the target for that method. Standing water, a sealed lid full of condensate, or a daily splash just in case pushes the compost past that. If the mix is soggy, dry it back. Do not compensate with a higher temperature from the other method.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources named below. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts are from the nine listings in this comparison. Scoring note dated 20 October 2026. Page updated 21 October 2026.
- RHS, How to grow bananas (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- RHS, Musa sikkimensis (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- RHS hardiness ratings (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Kew, Cavendish banana (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- GOV.UK, Import plants and plant products from non-EU countries to Great Britain (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 11 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- The Palm Centre, Ensete glaucum (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Planet Banana, sowing notes (retrieved 20 October 2026)