I soak mine for 2 or 3 days... change the water daily. I usually soak them in plastic beer cups on top of the fridge. Before I plant them I rinse them with warm water...sometimes dip them in 1 part bleach 9 parts water to prevent fungus....but sometimes I dont bother. Usually put seed starting mix in a 5 or 6 inch plastic container(walmart storage tubs do fine)and put them in a warm spot. The last ones I planted started to sprout in a couple days. Over the last week or so 60 of 106 have started to grow. Ive pulled them out of the tub they were started in...put then in individual plastic beer cups( with drainage holes in the bottom)and put them in the light. Most have there first full leaves. I order my seeds from rareseedsource and always have good results.

I agree that soaking them can help; I've had decent luck (never 100% germination, though) planting them in small pots which are then enclosed in a ziplock bag to maintain moisture. Bottom heat helps, too - placing the bag on top of a refrigerator or setting it up on the end of a fluorescent aquarium strip light (being careful not to cover the vents on the fixture) can provide a little extra warmth to kick the seed into growth. BTW - in a testament to global warming, I discovered the other day that one of the Ensete ventricosum plants I had left in the ground all winter (it was too big to bring in, so I'd started a new one for this year) survived the winter and is growing again, having received no mulch or protection of any kind. I'm used to hardiness in Musa basjoo, M. velutina, and Musella lasiocarpa, but this was kind of a cool surprise - of course, it also messes up the plans I had to replant that space with something different this year!

Oh I will get it under the house one way or another..lol. it just gets so heavy and the root ball is large. My largest Eucalyptus is sp. gunnii I believe. I have a cinerea but it dies back to a stump and resprouts. The E. gunnii is 20 feet tall. Our Lowe's has carried lots of named varieties of bananas this year and it has been so hard not to buy any but I think I am going to try and just keep a few banana plants and give them special care from year to year.

Hi, thanks for the response. I hadn't considered lower light levels. It makes sense, though. Now that we're going into winter, the sun follows a lower path in the sky and I've noticed much less sunlight in my office as compared to the summer months. Also, the leaves seem, in some cases, to be fading a bit, which, I understand, is also a symptom of low light. Aside from the ensete glaucum and ventricosum, I have jacaranda mimosifolia, strelitzia nicolai, trachycarpus fortunei, delonix regia, and tamarindus indica. Hoping to get them through the winter. They'll be going through the roof next season if they survive! M.