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MightyGrow
04-21-2014, 12:45 PM
I am interested in learning how to best fertilize bananas using organic fertilizers. My company, Mighty Grow Organics, manufactures pelletized poultry litter fertilizer in SW Alabama. I just shipped 22 tons of my 3-3-3 fertilizer to Belize to a banana grower. I travel down there this weekend to outline a trial on using my products to grow bananas.

Anyone that has ANY experience on using chicken manure to grow bananas would be the person I want to talk to.

I can be reached via email at: mike@mightygrow.com

Michael LaBelle
Mighty Grow Organics

MightyGrow
04-21-2014, 05:27 PM
Thanks for the welcome. I've grown plantains here in LA - (Lower Alabama) for several years but have never actually grown them to the point where I can harvest fruit. I am looking forward to learning from all the experience on this forum.

Michael

kubali
04-21-2014, 05:55 PM
Welcome aboard ,
pull up a chair and have some fun learning.

crazy banana
04-22-2014, 12:11 AM
Welcome to bananas.org.
I am by far no expert in using fertilizers, but I do have chickens and use their manure on my banana plants with great success all the time.
Apparently chicken manure is supposed to be aged for most other plants, but I do have an experiment going since October growing a banana plant on a pile of chicken manure with some fresh one added on a regular basis. Will keep everyone posted on how it goes.

MightyGrow
07-14-2014, 03:55 PM
Welcome to bananas.org.
I am by far no expert in using fertilizers, but I do have chickens and use their manure on my banana plants with great success all the time.
Apparently chicken manure is supposed to be aged for most other plants, but I do have an experiment going since October growing a banana plant on a pile of chicken manure with some fresh one added on a regular basis. Will keep everyone posted on how it goes.

Thanks for the info and the update.

Michael

MightyGrow
07-14-2014, 03:58 PM
I appreciate all the welcome wishes and information. That is one of the great things about farmers and those in agriculture. By and large we are not selfish with our insight.

Just to give you guys an update on the success I am having with using my fertilizer to assist a farmer in growing bananas. I have shipped a total of 44 tons of my AgBlend 3-3-3 to Belize. I just got a report back from the farm owner who said they are starting to see improvements in the treated plants and has ordered another load of 22 tons.

I will be in Belize the week of Aug. 18, so if any of you on this forum are in Belize, please give me a shout out and maybe we can meet up.

Thanks again for your warm welcome and advice.

Michael LaBelle
CEO
Mighty Grow Organics

www.mightygrow.com:bananas_b

sunfish
07-14-2014, 07:16 PM
I would broadcast on the ground

MightyGrow
07-15-2014, 08:38 AM
I would broadcast on the ground

What my grower in Belize is applying 4 pounds of fertilizer per plant. At 850 plants per acre he is spreading 1.7 short tons per acre. This will be applied 2-3 times during the year. Along with some conventional fertilizer, the plants are beginning to respond, with more hands on the stem and more fingers per hand.

I will keep you guys updated as things progress.

Michael

Mighty Grow Organics

crazy banana
08-24-2014, 01:52 AM
Thanks for the info and the update.

Michael

Michael: sorry for not updating.
But here you go: I am still convinced that chicken manure is very beneficial to fertilize banana plants. The reason for not updating is that the chickens were eating the experimental plant. :(

Have a good trip to Belize.

Jose263
08-24-2014, 07:29 AM
I wish I had a good source for chicken poop - When i grew roses - the plants loved it. This chart indicates that chicken poop is a bit low in Potash so probably need to supplement. My understanding is nanas do best with low phospherous and high potash - i.e. 25-5-30


N P K
Material Nitrogen Phosphoric acid Potash
Alfalfa hay 2.45 0.5 2.1
Apple fruit 0.05 0.02 0.1
Apple leaves 1 0.15 0.35
Apple pomace 0.2 0.02 0.15
Apple skin (ash) - 3.08 11.74
Banana skin (ash) - 3.25 41.76
Banana stalk (ash) - 2.34 49.4
Barley (grain) 1.75 0.75 0.5
Bat guano 6 9 -
Bean and pod 0.25 0.08 0.3
Beet waste 0.4 0.4 3
Beet waste (root) 0.25 0.1 0.5
Blood meal 15 1.3 0.7
Bone (ground and burned) - 34.7 -
Bone meal 4 21 0.2
Brewer's grains (wet) 0.9 0.5 0.05
Brigham tea (ash) - - 5.94
Cantaloupe rind (ash) - 9.77 12.21
Castor bean pomace 5.5 2.25 1.13
Cattail reed & water lilly 2.02 0.81 3.43
Cattail seed 0.98 0.39 1.71
Chicken manure 1.63 1.54 0.85
Coal ash (anthracite) - 0.125 0.125
Coal ash (bituminous) - 0.45 0.45
Cocoa shell dust 1.04 1.49 2.71
Coffee grounds 2.08 0.32 0.28
Coffee grounds (dried) 1.99 0.36 0.67
Corn (grain) 1.65 0.65 0.4
Corn (green forage) 0.3 0.13 0.33
Corncob (ash) - - 50
Corncob (ground, charred) - - 2.01
Cotton seed 3.15 1.25 1.15
Cotton waste 1.32 0.45 0.36
Cottonseed meal 7 2.5 1.5
Cottonseed-hull (ash) - 8.7 23.93
Cow manure (fresh) 0.29 0.17 0.1
Cowpea, green forage 0.45 0.12 0.45
Cowpes, seed 3.1 1 1.2
Crab (common) 1.95 3.6 0.2
Crab (king, dried and ground) 10 0.25 0.06
Crab (king, fresh) 2.3 - -
Crabgrass 0.66 0.19 0.71
Cucumber skin (ash) - 11.28 27.2
Dog manure (fresh) 1.97 9.95 0.3
Duck manure (fresh) 1.12 1.44 0.49
Egg 2.25 0.4 0.15
Eggshell 1.19 0.38 0.14
Eggshell (burned) - 0.43 0.29
Feather 15.3 - -
Felt hat factory waste 3.8 - 0.98
Field bean (seed) 4 1.2 1.3
Field bean (shell) 1.7 0.3 1.3
Fish scrap (fresh) 6.5 3.75 -
Fish scrap (red snapper) 7.76 13 0.38
Gluten feed 4.5 - -
Grape leaves 0.45 0.1 0.35
Grapefruit skin (ash) - 3.58 30.6
Grapes (fruit) 0.15 0.07 0.3
Greasewood (ash) - - 12.61
Greensand - 1.5 5
Hair 14 - -
Hare and rabbit waste 7 2.4 0.6
Hoof meal and horn dust 12.5 1.75 -
Horse manure (fresh) 0.44 0.17 0.35
Incinerator ash 0.24 5.15 2.33
Jellyfish (dried) 4.6 - -
Leather (acidulated) 7.5 - -
Leather (ash) - 2.16 0.35
Leather (ground) 11 - -
Lemon cull 0.15 0.06 0.26
Lemon skin - 6.3 31
Lobster (refuse) 4.5 3.5 -
Lobster (shell) 4.6 3.52 -
Milk 0.5 0.3 0.18
Molasses residue (brewing) 0.7 - 5.32
Moss 0.6 0.1 0.55
Mud (fresh water) 1.37 0.26 0.22
Mud (harbour) 0.99 0.77 0.05
Mussel 0.9 0.12 0.13
Mussel mud (dried) 0.72 0.35 -
Oak leaf 0.8 0.35 0.15
Oats grain 2 0.8 0.6
Olive pomace 1.15 0.78 1.26
Olive refuse 1.22 0.18 0.32
Orange cull 0.2 0.13 0.21
Orange skin (ash) - 2.9 27
Oyster shell 0.36 10.38 0.09
Paint processing waste 0.02 39.5 -
Pea pod (ash) - 1.79 9
Peach leaf 0.9 0.15 0.6
Peanut (seed & kernel) 3.6 0.7 4.5
Peanut shell 0.8 0.15 0.5
Peanut shell (ash) - 1.23 6.45
Pig manue (fresh) 0.6 0.41 0.13
Pigeon manure (fresh) 4.19 2.24 1.41
Pigweed (rough) 0.6 0.16 -
Pine needle 0.46 0.12 0.03
Potato (leaf and stalk) 0.6 0.15 0.45
Potato (tuber) 0.35 0.15 0.5
Potato skin (ash) - 5.18 27.5
Poudrette 1.46 3.68 0.48
Powderworks waste 2.5 - 17
Prune refuse 0.18 0.7 0.31
Pumpkin (fresh) 0.16 0.07 0.26
Pumpkin seed 0.87 0.5 0.45
Rabbit brush (ash) - - 13.04
Ragweed 0.76 0.26 -
Redtop hay 1.2 0.35 1
Rhubarb stem 0.1 0.04 0.35
Rockweed 1.9 0.25 3.68
Rose (flower) 0.3 0.1 0.4
Salt mud 0.4 - -
Salt-marsh hay 1.1 0.25 0.75
Sardine scrap 7.97 7.11 -
Seawood 1.68 0.75 4.93
Sheep manure (fresh) 0.55 0.31 0.15
Shoddy and felt 8 - -
Shrimp head (dried) 7.82 4.2 -
Shrimp waste 2.87 9.95 -
Silk mill waste 8.37 1.14 0.12
Silk worm cocoon 9.42 1.82 1.08
Silt waste 9.5 - -
Sludge 2 1.9 0.3
Sludge (activated) 5 3.25 0.6
Sludge from sewer beds 0.74 0.33 0.24
Soot from chimney fllue 5.25 1.05 0.35
Starfish 1.8 0.2 0.25
Sugar (raw, residue) 1.14 8.33 -
Sunflower seed 2.25 1.25 0.79
Sweet potato 0.25 0.1 0.5
Sweet potato skins (ash) - 3.29 13.89
Tanbark (ash) - 0.34 3.8
Tanbark ash (spent) - 1.75 2
Tankage 6 5 -
Tea grounds 4.15 0.62 0.4
Tea leaves (ash) - 1.6 0.44
Timothy hay 1.25 0.55 1
Tobacco leaves 4 0.5 6
Tobacco stalk 3.7 0.65 4.5
Tobacco stem 2.5 0.9 7
Tomato fruit 0.2 0.07 0.35
Tomato leaves 0.35 0.1 0.4
Tomato stalk 0.35 0.1 0.5
Wheat grain 2 0.85 0.5
Wheat straw 0.5 0.15 0.6
Wheat, bran 2.65 2.9 1.6
White clover (green) 0.5 0.2 0.3
White sage (ash) - - 13.77
Wood ash (leached) - 1.25 2
Wood ash (unleached) - 1.5 7
Wool waste 5.5 3 2

Richard
08-24-2014, 10:56 AM
Ditto. Chicken manure on its own has insufficient Potash in relation to Nitrogen. You could increase the Potash content by mixing in naturally occurring Sul-Po-Mag. The goal is to have in percentage by weight about 1.5 times Potash in comparison to available Nitrogen.

Here's an example of an organic fertilizer that takes that approach and is designed for fruiting plants, including bananas. See the link for application rates: Grow More Organic Fruit Fuel, 4.5-pound pail (http://www.plantsthatproduce.com/gm-organic-ff-pail.html)

MightyGrow
08-26-2014, 08:04 PM
Richard, thanks for the ratio.

I just returned from Belize and here is what actually happened. I ended up taking a friend with me who is a VERY experienced agronomist. While at the farm we actually collected over 30 different soil tests, which will be sent back to the US for analysis. The soils in this area are very tight, so adding additional magnesium is a non-starter.

The idea is to use my 3-3-3 chicken litter fertilizer and add some 0-0-5 SOP, along with some zinc, boron and copper. I really won't know what we will be suggesting until the soil reports come back.

In the meantime the fields where my fertilizer was applied are doing better than where it wasn't applied. Soil compaction was reduced in two fields and non-existent in one test plot. The followers in one treated field were actually LARGER than the mother plant.

So, thanks for all the good advice and I will keep you in the loop. If there is anyone on the forum that has an interest in using my products, then drop me a note.

Michael

Ditto. Chicken manure on its own has insufficient Potash in relation to Nitrogen. You could increase the Potash content by mixing in naturally occurring Sul-Po-Mag. The goal is to have in percentage by weight about 1.5 times Potash in comparison to available Nitrogen.

Here's an example of an organic fertilizer that takes that approach and is designed for fruiting plants, including bananas. See the link for application rates: Grow More Organic Fruit Fuel, 4.5-pound pail (http://www.plantsthatproduce.com/gm-organic-ff-pail.html)

Richard
08-26-2014, 11:54 PM
... If there is anyone on the forum that has an interest in using my products, then drop me a note. ...

The concentration is so low it's hard to imagine. 3% nitrogen in your product verses 16% nitrogen in 16-8-24 Fruit Fuel is quite a spread. How much do you charge per pound?

Kat2
08-28-2014, 05:48 PM
The concentration is so low it's hard to imagine. 3% nitrogen in your product verses 16% nitrogen in 16-8-24 Fruit Fuel is quite a spread. How much do you charge per pound?Maybe I'm off but isn't chicken poo high in nitrogen? How do you get that number so low?

Richard
08-29-2014, 12:58 PM
Maybe I'm off but isn't chicken poo high in nitrogen? How do you get that number so low?

chicken manure is higher in Nitrogen compared to cured compost, but very low compared to naturally occurring mineral sources or atmospheric extraction.