It is important to know that some plants have adapted themselves to be able to survive in very wet, boggy environments and banana plants are in that category. With their huge root systems and rhizomes, they are able to make a lot of space in a very moist environment so that this rhizome is still able to gather oxygen and prevent itself from drowning.

Because banana plants are not classified as aquatic plants, and therefore need more oxygen to their roots than actual aquatic plants in order to survive and thrive, you find a happy medium by planting your banana plant somewhere where it’s roots can creep into the pond water to draw up as much water as it may need and also where the roots that creep away from the pond water can draw up as much air as necessary for the plant to stay alive. You find this place in the wetland of your pond where the pond is turning back into land.

This is also an excellent area to plant banana plants as large banana plants can provide a lot of shade and cover for wildlife, or in my case, ducks to rest near the pond so that they can be near the water for a quick escape into the pond if something tries to harm them.

As your banana plant(s) grow in, the root systems provide a wonderful environment for the bacteria that help to turn waste into plant fertilizer and also help stabilize the edge of your pond to prevent soil erosion. Because banana plants are also fast-growing during their growth season, they make excellent choices for a pond wetland filter which helps to keep the water clean for whatever may be living in the pond or using the pond as drinking water.

Banana plants that dip their roots into a pond will rarely need to be watered by their human, assuming that your pond’s water level stays high enough for the banana plants to have 24/7 access to the nutrient-filled pond water. You can compound this benefit even more by adding ducks to your garden or food forest, who will water all the plants in the pond’s wetland and beyond by dripping water on the ground as they leave the pond, and also by splashing water on the pond’s edge as they play and bathe in the pond.