Some days ago I posted here some pictures of my variegated banana tree that grew so much that is now touching the ceiling and many readers asked me if I have some kind of secret since I grew it from a tiny seedlings. 

I thought it could be interesting showing what I think it’s my ‘secret’ to growing it: it’s mainly thanks to the semi hydrophobic set up.  
I transferred the seedling from soil to water immediately after getting it and after a period of acclimation (10 days if I remember correctly) I planted in a gritty soil made only by inert materials like pon and leca (mixed).  
The pots that I use are from the brand Elho (I’m in the EU and can’t say if it exist in the US), basically a cache pot with inside a specific insert for self watering.   
It has an indicator for the water level in the reservoir that is very handy when watering a lot of plants.

The only minor inconvenience in this setup are the specific hydroponics fertilizer but honestly it’s not a big deal for me (I don’t check the ph, I don’t use demineralized water, no special treatments). Every so often I flush the soil and clean the cache pot and that’s it.

After this positive experience I transferred a good portion of my collection in semi hydrophobic with a self watering setup - not all plants take it well, it’s very trial or error, but it’s very rewarding now having a big plant collection without the hustle of guessing ‘this plant needs to be watered? Now is the right time?’ and it’s also a lot less messy.   
No fungus gnats and way less pests going around.

ps. yes, my banana tree is crooked, leaning to one side, and yes, there is some weed that grows on top of the soil, but I like it, it’s some kind of clover and it blooms tiny yellow flowers in the summer period.  
 

Banana tree (Musa Variegata) care