View Full Version : want to buy a banana seed germinator, where to buy one
beam2050
10-14-2016, 02:49 PM
I am thinking to get an incubator, relatively cheep. I would like to know what not to buy as well as what to buy. thanks
RobG7aChattTN
10-14-2016, 07:48 PM
Basically the cheapest styrofoam incubator should make a good getminator. The difference between a really good, expensive incubator and a cheap piece of junk is really just the difference of a degree or so and perhaps a bit more fluctuation. With eggs the difference can be a big deal but plants are a lot more forgiving. This is a good time to find one (fall) used on Craigslist. Brand new you can get them at Tractor Supply for about $42 without an egg turner or a fan (which you don't need). A used "Little Giant" or "Farm Innovations" should cost about $20. Double check the temperature because even brand new the thermometers might be way off, but the thermostat should be fine. Use a good thermometer and then adjust the thermostat accordingly. If you manage to find a really old one with a wafer thermostat but perhaps the wafer has gone bad as long as you can get it for $10 or so you can either order a new wafer on-line or pick one up at a co-op or maybe even a hardware store for $10 and it just screws right on. Once you get it up and running if you want to include a cooling period you can just put the whole thing on a timer so it shuts off for 4-6 hours or whatever you choose. It will cool down to room temperature and then when the power kicks back on then it will heat right back up. I haven't actually used an incubator to germinate seeds but I've certainly thought about it for needle palm and pindo palm seeds since they both need a lot of heat and needles like a cooling period. I actually have a spare to experiment with now that I have upgraded my incubators but I stay pretty busy hatching chickens. Maybe this winter I'll germinate some seeds.
beam2050
10-14-2016, 10:14 PM
dang. thank you. but I am going to have to study this for 2 days to figure out what you wrote. thanks for the info
cincinnana
10-16-2016, 07:31 PM
I am thinking to get an incubator, relatively cheep. I would like to know what not to buy as well as what to buy. thanks
Google shoe box.....Walmart....
They have the best high tech Incubators on the internet.....
Now.....google growing bananas from seed.....
Watch as many youtube videos as possible...
You now have 95 percent of what you need to know.....
Rob in Tenn explained the other 110 %....of the details.
Actually many folks on the forum seem to be using disposable cups, a good soilless mix and fresh seed.......nothing expensive or high maintenance.
beam2050
10-17-2016, 12:11 PM
actually I have seeds in bags with lite water and paper towels. its been 2 months and have not seen any growth. I also have about 20 seeds in pots and have had 1 snow banana germinate and a Burmese blue, which the Burmese stalled for some reason. then when it got going it produced a leaf and died. both seedlings came up in about a month. I think it was the potting mix. so its coming on winter and I figured I would try some kind of heated germinator and do another 50 or so seeds. today I am going to pot 40 seeds in jungle growth and see how that turns out. thank you folks for the info.
beam2050
10-17-2016, 02:24 PM
thanks for all your help. I ordered an Apollo germinator off e-bay. along with rockwool cubes and another germinator for the seeds I have in pots, no heater yet, next month. I went on youtube and I believe I found out the problem with my seeds in bags, to much light. thanks again.
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