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View Full Version : New banana plants, 1st timer


Orly
06-14-2017, 09:23 AM
This is my first attempt at growing bananas. It's been going good so far. My three plants (Hua Mua, Apple, Pisang Ceylon) have been in ground for about 2 months and have grown very fast.

One of the three is a slow grower compared to the other two but I can't recall which variety it is. I irrigate when there's not much rain but for the past few weeks it's rained a lot, and raining right now as I type this. I give them a monthly feeding of Banana Fuel and let them do the rest. Their next feeding is due in a few days.

Rear plant should be Hua Mua. Apple and Pisang Ceylon up front though maybe someone could help ID which is which.

Mid April:

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa289/odjtito/NKN_5990.jpg

Mid June (today):

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa289/odjtito/IMG_5250.jpg

Orly
06-23-2017, 06:36 PM
I'm starting to see this more frequently on new spear growths. Anything I should be concerned about?

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa289/odjtito/IMG_5263.jpg

Tytaylor77
06-24-2017, 01:18 AM
Looks like a hungry caterpillar!

Botanical_Bryce
06-24-2017, 01:25 AM
Excellent choices

Orly
06-24-2017, 09:17 AM
Looks like a hungry caterpillar!

Yep I flushed out the caterpillar last night.

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa289/odjtito/IMG_5273.jpg

edwmax
06-24-2017, 09:26 AM
You are using dye colored mulch. ... IMO, that is the worst mulch to use. It is UN-composted dye colored white wood. When the wood start to compost (aka: rot) it will rob nitrogen away from the nana plants.

Look at buying 'aged pine bark'. Pine bark doesn't compost per-sa, but if there is any 'white wood' with the bark, it will.

Further info & ref: https://www.angieslist.com/articles/colored-or-dyed-mulch-bad-my-plants.htm

Orly
06-24-2017, 10:08 AM
You are using dye colored mulch. ... IMO, that is the worst mulch to use. It is UN-composted dye colored white wood. When the wood start to compost (aka: rot) it will rob nitrogen away from the nana plants.

Look at buying 'aged pine bark'. Pine bark doesn't compost per-sa, but if there is any 'white wood' with the bark, it will.

Further info & ref: https://www.angieslist.com/articles/colored-or-dyed-mulch-bad-my-plants.htm

I don't like the red mulch myself either at this point. I was planning on going with brown mulch from this point on but may dyed as well.

From my initial search, aged pine bark appears to be quite expensive online. Maybe local sources, if available, could negate that. Cost is a concern of mine.

I do fertilize the nana's monthly with Fruit Fuel. That should help offset some of the negative effect of the mulch.

edwmax
06-24-2017, 10:33 AM
Dye mulch can be in several colors, even green, just depends on what your garden center carries. If pine bark is too expensive then check cost of pine straw or use your grass clippings; fall yard leaves.

OH. I can buy pine bark @ $20/c.yard

Orly
06-24-2017, 10:57 AM
Dye mulch can be in several colors, even green, just depends on what you garden center carries. If pine bark is too expensive then check cost of pine straw or use your grass clippings; fall yard leaves.

I'll be hitting the local Home Depot today see what else they have. I think they carry pine bark nuggets. Is that ok?

Grass clippings wouldn't be too hard since I mow weekly in the summer. I'd just need to attach the mower bag.

I've heard pine straw raises soil acidity.

mjc
06-24-2017, 11:10 AM
I'll be hitting the local Home Depot today see what else they have. I think they carry pine bark nuggets. Is that ok?

Grass clippings wouldn't be too hard since I mow weekly in the summer. I'd just need to attach the mower bag.

I've heard pine straw raises soil acidity.

Nuggets would be fine, if that's all you can get. Nuggets are usually larger pieces, so if you are putting it around in ground plants, it's not too much of a problem. But for potted plants, you may want to break it up some.

Grass clippings, as long as they are untreated...no herbicides, as the residue may impact the mulched plants.

Yes, pine straw will slightly acidify the soil, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing, as most food plants need a slightly acidic soil, in the first place. Bananas like it in the 5.5 to 6 range, so pine straw would be fine, in most areas...a soil test would be helpful.

edwmax
06-24-2017, 12:52 PM
...

Grass clippings wouldn't be too hard since I mow weekly in the summer. I'd just need to attach the mower bag.

...

A mowing or two for a thin mulch covering to hold moisture and keep the weeds down. But if you start composting the majority of the clippings most of the plants fertilizer requirements can be furnished by the clippings. Think of it as recycling the fertilizer you put on the grass to the nanas.

Another method is to plant the nana plant in a sort of circle then make a compost pile in the middle. This will keep feeding the nana as the grass brakes down. Just keep pilling on the clippings. The grown plants should hide the pile easily.

Orly
06-24-2017, 01:31 PM
A mowing or two for a thin mulch covering to hold moisture and keep the weeds down. But if you start composting the majority of the clippings most of the plants fertilizer requirements can be furnished by the clippings. Think of it as recycling the fertilizer you put on the grass to the nanas.

Another method is to plant the nana plant in a sort of circle then make a compost pile in the middle. This will keep feeding the nana as the grass brakes down. Just keep pilling on the clippings. The grown plants should hide the pile easily.

My nanas are planted in a delta pattern (triangle) I could simply pile the clippings in the center. Is that all that is required for composting the leaves, pilling them?

In the end, I'd like to get away from buying mulch. I also have lots of other stuff planted as landscaping in the yard, mostly palms. I'd prefer to have the areas just around the palms cleared in a circle. Mulching gets to tedious and costly.

sputinc7
06-24-2017, 01:47 PM
Grass clippings work great. Bananas love them. Problem with them is that in the dry season, like from Mid Sept thru mid May, they don't break down, they dry to an impermeable layer of straw. I usually pre - compost them a couple weeks first that time of year in a bag or bin. If you have a sprinkler system it may help prevent the drying, especially if you could make that one run a short run on the off days to keep the pile moist. Then you run the risk of corm rot because so much of the water runs down the PS.
I like the idea of the compost pile in the middle. I have begun doing that in the middle of my Brazilian mat.

edwmax
06-24-2017, 02:31 PM
My nanas are planted in a delta pattern (triangle) I could simply pile the clippings in the center. Is that all that is required for composting the leaves, pilling them?

In the end, I'd like to get away from buying mulch. I also have lots of other stuff planted as landscaping in the yard, mostly palms. I'd prefer to have the areas just around the palms cleared in a circle. Mulching gets to tedious and costly.

Yes, your plants will have pups which will help to fill in the sides as they grow. dead nana leaves & pstems will become your mulch to the outside.

There is much discussion and some pictures in other threads. Search for Banana Circle.

Orly
06-24-2017, 02:44 PM
Grass clippings work great. Bananas love them. Problem with them is that in the dry season, like from Mid Sept thru mid May, they don't break down, they dry to an impermeable layer of straw. I usually pre - compost them a couple weeks first that time of year in a bag or bin. If you have a sprinkler system it may help prevent the drying, especially if you could make that one run a short run on the off days to keep the pile moist. Then you run the risk of corm rot because so much of the water runs down the PS.
I like the idea of the compost pile in the middle. I have begun doing that in the middle of my Brazilian mat.

I installed a sprinkler system as I built up my garden/landscaping. I run it when rain is scarce.

What's this talk of corm rot and sprinklers? My plants have been growing vigorously. We recently had a straight week of heavy rain and no signs of any adverse effect. The soil here is pretty sandy so drainage is good.

Tytaylor77
06-25-2017, 02:16 AM
If you live in pure sand like me, you won't have to worry about any rot in the warmer months. We just had 16" of rain in less than 48 hours the other day. I walked outside right when the rain quit. There wasn't a puddle or drop of water on the ground. Looked like it had hardly rained!

edwmax
06-25-2017, 11:18 AM
...

What's this talk of corm rot and sprinklers? My plants have been growing vigorously. We recently had a straight week of heavy rain and no signs of any adverse effect. The soil here is pretty sandy so drainage is good.

This is usually not a big problem of nana plants in the ground, more especially if the ground has good drainage. Mature nana plants need and use A LOT of water.

Root rot is a bigger problem with potted nana plants when the potting soil is constantly wet by over watering. Small and young nana plants do not need a lot of water. The potting soil needs to dry out between watering.