Banana trees do great in clay as long as it drains reasonably well. Ours in Houston would bear fruit when the winters were mild enough to not damage the stalk. Don't know the variety, but had it had fruits about half the length of those found in the grocery store. Didn't need any supplemental watering once established, but back then Houston was regularly getting afternoon showers once or twice a week during the hottest months.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bananas for Houston

Cool. I heard from some local people that once established they grow like crazy and after a year or so they will sprout like alot. I plan to ammend the soil with some compost and topsoil for better drainage. Hopefully I will get some delicious fruit. Thanks for the advice and link, bostedo!

Dig hole.
Plant Banana.
Wait.
Curse. Bananas have taken over backyard, taken over the neighbors, have formed a small forest which the HOA is upset about....
Try to give away banana plants, start sneaking out at night and shoving baby banana plants in unlocked cars, drive to San Antonio and give them to unsuspecting folks at plant swaps.
If yours doesn`t make it I`ll be by with a truck load.
Tally HO!

Tally, you always make me laugh!

They are hungry and thirsty plants. They are also easy to kill. just cut down into the stalk into the root area and it will not be long before they die out. They do take 18 months to produce fruit. Some have a great taste some have none. They need to be cut from the stalk before the fruit ripen or the fruit will split wide open.

I`ve never been able to kill them. If you chop up the roots you just have more bananas. I don`t feed mine either, monsters grow fast enough.
Drought doesn`t kill them, saltwater doesn`t kill them, roaches live in them.....they can wash up on the beach and still grow.
I have them everywhere and currently have baby nanners. I plan to add a few more varieties to my garden including a blue java now that I know I survives and produces in North Houston. The backyard is already a jungle.

Watch out Roselee, I might just leave bananas in your yard!
Tally HO!

Just arrived yesterday

in the ground

I only have a clump of "Rojo" banana and I really enjoy it, but I don't want it to continue to expand its territory. Wally, if I cut one of the stalks down, will it only kill that stalk, rather than the whole clump? I would like to maintain 3-5 stalks in the clump. I am thinking this variety is not as prolific about clumping as other banana varieties.
Thanks,
Molly

Molly, if you just cut down the stalk it will come back. I routinely cut mine to the ground. You really have to dig them out. I`ve had what I thought was a dead banana, dug up the base and threw it in the compost pile only to find bananas sprouting in the compost pile. I`ve whacked them down, dug them up, split the base into chunks and grown those.
Rojo is not quite as invasive as the one you see everywhere that has naturalized. My rojo has nanners right now. It is a medium sized clump, started with one 3-4 years ago and now there are maybe 8 or 10.
Tally HO!

I don't make it to Texas often, have family in Victoria and Port Lavaca, was wondering if the bananas I see growing there could be dug up and grown in containers up north? Maybe I'll sneak into Galveston and snag some of your jungle...lol
Jerry

Tally, I had to laugh. It's true that they multiply like crazy at my mom's in Houston. Lol. I love the tropical look of it though in the background as privacy screening.

Jerry, lots of people up north do just that so I don't know why you couldn't. Just chop them back in the fall and drag the pot in to where it won't freeze. They'll take some freezing temps when in the ground in Texas, but of course not the winter temps of zone 5.

There is a cold hardy banana, I`ve seen them in Kansas City. They die back every year and return. I had to stop at a nursery and ask about them.

Jerry, come on by, hope there is plenty of room in the car.
Tally HO!