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Banana trees spread like they’re trying to take over the neighborhood. The underground rhizomes send up new shoots faster than you can say "I should’ve planted something sensible instead." If your yard has become banana tree territory, here’s how to reclaim it.
1. Cut Down and Dig Out Everything
This is the nuclear option, but it’s the only one that actually works permanently.
Cut the trunks down to ground level. Then grab a shovel and start digging. You’re after the stump, the rhizomes (the thick underground stems that spread horizontally), and as many roots as you can reach. Dig wide. These things spread farther than you think.
Will you get every last piece? Probably not. But getting most of the root system out means way less regrowth to deal with later.
2. Poison the Rhizomes
If digging out a massive root system sounds like back-breaking misery (because it is), herbicide is your friend.
Cut the trunks down, then immediately paint concentrated glyphosate onto the fresh cuts. The plant pulls the poison down into the rhizome system. Do this within minutes of cutting, or the plant seals the wound and you’ve wasted your time.
You’ll still get some regrowth. When new shoots pop up, cut them down and poison the cuts again. Eventually you’ll starve the whole system.
3. Smother New Shoots
Banana trees need light to fuel that aggressive growth. Take it away.
Lay down thick cardboard or several layers of newspaper over the area where shoots keep appearing. Top it with 10-15 cm of wood mulch. The shoots can’t punch through, they run out of energy, and the rhizomes slowly die off.
This takes months, sometimes a full growing season. But it works without chemicals and without destroying your back.
4. Stay Vigilant
Even after you think you’ve won, random shoots will pop up for the next year or two.
The second you see one, dig it out or cut it down. Don’t let it grow for a week "because you’re busy." That week gives the rhizome system time to rebuild strength. Kill every shoot immediately and you’ll eventually exhaust what’s left underground.
And if your neighbor has banana trees near your property line? Have a friendly chat now, before their problem becomes your problem. Banana trees don’t respect fences.