What should I be feeding my Banana? The nursery I got it from said use a general fertilizer, but they done specialize in tropicals. I wondered if a fruit fertilizer would be better? This is my first year trying one, and she's looking a little sad.
Feeding my Banana?
I take banana peels from store bought bananas and put them under the mulch around the base of the banana trees. Since I started doing that, I have noticed better growth. I also water them with a balanced fertlizer every other week
BTW, they have 6 ft tall 7 gallon Rojo bananas at the eastside Lowes -
Do you have one? (Rojo) If so, what do you do with it over the winter?
I don't have bananas mulched, but I bet if I blended the peels with a balanced fertilizer it just might help. It would be like a banana cocktail! Thanks for the tip!
I am pretty new to bananas, but I thought the Reds weren't supposed to be winter hardy in our zone......but it came back this year. It was planted near the house's foundation so that may have helped. The other I plan on digging up and storing in the garage.
Hi Ghia girl,
I use a specially formulated fertilizer that I get from a local co-op, for my bananas. You may want to check with your co-op and see if they have a similar one. The fertilizer I use is 6-3-16. This is of course formulated for South Florida soils (which are alkaline) so I don't how the formula might be different in your area (again, your co-op can help you). But you do want to make sure that you give them plenty of potassium (the last number in the formula). As you probably know, bananas are a great source of potassium for humans (and other animals), so it makes sense that they also need a lot of it themselves.
The banana peels that capt-insano uses helps to give more potassium back to the bananas. Mulching is also a great idea.
Bananas are heavy feeders, so be sure to fertilize/mulch them often. I use 2 lbs of this granular fertilizer per month for each "mat" of bananas (a mat being one clump with several stalks). Its a lot, but thats the recommended amount, especially in S. Florida's nutrient-deprived soils.
Bananas also like a lot of water and a lot of heat. They love hot, humid summers. Just make sure their roots don't sit in water - they don't like "wet feet" and do either bring them indoors in the winter, or somehow protect them from the cold, if this is an issue for you.
Hope this helps.
Heather
P.S. What year/color is your ghia? Also, my favorite car :) Used to have a lime green, 71.
73' Yellow, they are so much fun to drive. Okay not drive, but cruise! Lime would be my second choice.
Thanks for the info on the banana, it has been so hot here, and I've been watering so much I was concern about rotting out their roots. I have two; the one in partial shade looks better than the one in full sun.
I think for bananas, I would use a fert with a lot more nitrogen-as well as the potassium. a 3-1-3 ratio is good ( like 18-6-18)
Cute car!
Make sure you have well-draining soil. Then you can water all you want.
What kind of bananas are they? In what way does the one in full sun not look good?
Heather
Hi Tiger Lily,
Nitrogen is good, but in order to avoid potassium deficiency, which can happen often bananas, you want to be sure you do not have an excess of nitrogen, and have plenty of potassium. Signs of potassium deficiency are older leaves first turning yellow, than becoming scorched and dead-looking. Potassium deficiency makes the plant more susceptible to disease.
According to the Univeristy of Florida extension agency, "In general fertilizers with a higher proportion of potassium than nitrogen are used to promote fruit and flower production and those with higher nitrogen to encourage vegetative growth (young, developing trees and shrubs, or periods where a major growth flush can be expected, as in turf grass). "
If you want to read more about this, here is a link to their article:
http://miami-dade.ifas.ufl.edu/programs/urbanhort/publications/A-Word-or-Two-XX.htm
Heather
I was just saying-go equal amts of both. bananas grow so fast that they tend to use a lot of nitrogen.
Hi use a little wood ash to Regard Paul
Personally, my neighbor gives me horse manure and it is amazing with bananas. I have several banana patches and the ones with horse manure really look fantastic. How about Malorganite?
I have been keeping my bananas in the gh. Everytime I set them outside they get torn up by the wind blowing them over.
Here they are on 5/30/06
Here is another picture of them taken this week.
Another angle. I have 4 in there, a Williams hybrid, a ice cream, and two Musa's one that is hardy to our zone and one that isn't. But last year I got some fert. off ebay that is especially for Bananas and I put 1 scoop in there pot and water about every three weeks. They get a lot of heat by being in the GH, and I water them 2 to 3 times a day. I always spray them down real good as well. They are thriving, as tall as my Rion GH in the center. Don't know what I am going to do come Nov. when I have to start filling up the gh. Last year these bananas were so small that I kept them in the house. No way will they be coming into the house way to big. Does any one have any suggestions???
I forgot to mention that both of the Musa's have a lot of pups. I know the Williams hybrid doesn't have any but not for sure about the ice cream.
I was in my GH yesterday and was checking out my Musa Williams Hybrid and it does have pups about 3 of them and they are good sized then a little one just starting. Here is a picture of them.
