Originally Posted by Mauro Gibo

Hi shawndact, I have been growing many kinds of bananas these past 14 years. I believe the M. Basjoo or Japanese Banana's native place could be here in my region, mainland Japan, Honshu Island. What I can say by my experience in growing bananas is that the edible bananas grow very fast and will bloom in a year or so, but it takes about 3 years for the Musa Basjoo to bloom. The growth of the pseudostem is quite slow. Maybe half shade would help it grow taller and don't forget to water them a lot. A banana mat needs at least 4 gallons of water everyday, that's why they have irrigations at the banana plantations.
Cheers,
Mauro from the Basjoo country.