Bananas.org - View Single Post - Novice discussion around banana soil, lighting, etc.

Dentate · 04-19-2011, 12:14 PM

Hi all,

Thanks for having such a useful site devoted to the banana enthusiast! I am very new to the world of growing bananas and figured a discussion around my thoughts and plans would be useful for me; this will ensure my efforts are headed in the right direction. Thus, I would appreciate your critiques of my current game plan.

In the last two weeks I received, via mail order, Musa acuminata 'Siam Ruby' and Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii' (Red Abyssinian) pups. They suffered pronounced damage during shipping, but each has put up one new leaf since planting and look okay to my eye.

I'm currently planning on growing them exclusively indoors as I live atop a Northern California hill directly adjacent to a windy valley, so quite forceful winds can arise unexpectedly, and I'd rather not subject the plants to that treatment. I realize there may be a size problem for the Abyssinian, but we do have 11+ foot ceilings where it will be located and anticipate it will not grow to full height indoors... hopefully.

Here are my thoughts/plans based upon data obtained from this site and other sources:

Lighting: They are currently by north and west facing windows during the day (south facing is not a option) and under two 96 watt 6700k CF bulbs at night. Their planned final location has moderate indirect sunlight with only 1 hour or so of direct sun. I am thinking about obtaining a T5HO 40,000 lumen fixture as they mature with the possibility of adding another bank later. My real preference would be a 1000 watt MH, but my wife doesn't like the appearance, and you know who would win that argument.

Soil: This seems to be a hotly debated topic. They are currently in Miracle Grow with 50% pebbles/coarse sand to improve drainage. I'm considering switching to a 50% perlite/sphagnum peat moss mix with dolomitic lime, Mycorrhizae, and worm castings as supplementation.

Pots: They are in 8" pots, which I will upgrade to 20+" as growth dictates.

Fertilizer: At present they are getting a 24-8-16 mixture once every two weeks, or so. I will likely change this to a 20-20-20 mix. I'm not sure what brand would be best.

Watering: I wait until the soil is dry to 0.5" and then I water.

Additional Care: I have been misting them daily and keep standing water adjacent to the pots in the hopes of increasing humidity and hindering pests.

Thanks in advance for the advice and critiques!

Best,

Robin

04-19-2011, 12:14 PM	#1 (permalink)
Dentate Location: Northern California Find me on the map! Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 24 BananaBucks : 20,719 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 25 Times Was Thanked 14 Times in 7 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 5 Times	Novice discussion around banana soil, lighting, etc. Hi all, Thanks for having such a useful site devoted to the banana enthusiast! I am very new to the world of growing bananas and figured a discussion around my thoughts and plans would be useful for me; this will ensure my efforts are headed in the right direction. Thus, I would appreciate your critiques of my current game plan. In the last two weeks I received, via mail order, Musa acuminata 'Siam Ruby' and Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii' (Red Abyssinian) pups. They suffered pronounced damage during shipping, but each has put up one new leaf since planting and look okay to my eye. I'm currently planning on growing them exclusively indoors as I live atop a Northern California hill directly adjacent to a windy valley, so quite forceful winds can arise unexpectedly, and I'd rather not subject the plants to that treatment. I realize there may be a size problem for the Abyssinian, but we do have 11+ foot ceilings where it will be located and anticipate it will not grow to full height indoors... hopefully. Here are my thoughts/plans based upon data obtained from this site and other sources: Lighting: They are currently by north and west facing windows during the day (south facing is not a option) and under two 96 watt 6700k CF bulbs at night. Their planned final location has moderate indirect sunlight with only 1 hour or so of direct sun. I am thinking about obtaining a T5HO 40,000 lumen fixture as they mature with the possibility of adding another bank later. My real preference would be a 1000 watt MH, but my wife doesn't like the appearance, and you know who would win that argument. Soil: This seems to be a hotly debated topic. They are currently in Miracle Grow with 50% pebbles/coarse sand to improve drainage. I'm considering switching to a 50% perlite/sphagnum peat moss mix with dolomitic lime, Mycorrhizae, and worm castings as supplementation. Pots: They are in 8" pots, which I will upgrade to 20+" as growth dictates. Fertilizer: At present they are getting a 24-8-16 mixture once every two weeks, or so. I will likely change this to a 20-20-20 mix. I'm not sure what brand would be best. Watering: I wait until the soil is dry to 0.5" and then I water. Additional Care: I have been misting them daily and keep standing water adjacent to the pots in the hopes of increasing humidity and hindering pests. Thanks in advance for the advice and critiques! Best, Robin Last edited by Dentate : 04-22-2011 at 09:22 PM.