Quote:
Originally Posted by JCA433
I guess it is trial and error.
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It has been for me. I think if you look around, you can find solid estimates of how much of each nutrient a banana plant actually uses per year. From this, in theory, you should be able to figure out how much should be applied each time you fertilize -- provided you know how much of each nutrient is already present in your soil. That requires you do a soil analysis. And these estimates of nutrient use apply to plants of a certain size and probably differ a bit among cultivars.
My approach is to use lots of mulch and some organic fertilizer. I don't have anything against chemical ferts, except that they tend to provide very short pulses of nutrients, which can result in micronutrient deficiencies. I like the slower release of organics. With lots of mulch and some organic fertilizer, you can be pretty sure your plants are always getting some NPK, even if it is less than they might be able to use.
Guys like Nick and Keith can tell you a lot more about what works for growing commercially. Apparently, Keith doesn't follow any of the rules (I'm exaggerating), but he still gets impressive yields.