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View Full Version : the "normal" number of bananas per bunch


paradisi
03-06-2009, 02:45 AM
I seriously doubt if there is a "normal" or "average" bunch size, but maybe comment scan be added

I've recently picked a bunch of lady finger banans - the plant was nearly 8m tall and at least 50cm about a metre off the ground. There are 50 bananas and a couple of tiny baby bananas in that bunch.

Another plant - 3m away is only 4m tall and had about20 banans on the bunch. A further 2m away is a banana about 3.5m tall with over 80 bananas on the bunch.

All bananas came from the same pup source - the second described plant had very little "chook poo tea" - - I collect chicken poo each morning along with some straw from their coop - - and most get a fortnightly-three weekly dose of that mixed with water. The 8m plant was near the coop and had roots under the actual floor of the coop so would have had most of the fertiliser.

So any thoughts???

Gabe15
03-06-2009, 02:57 AM
It varies by health and age of the plant, theoretically if all the plants are clones of each other, and they were getting the exact same care and growing in the same conditions and are of the same age, then the bunches should be pretty consistent. But, the growing conditions and nutrition could be varying enough by location to affect the bunch size.

Richard
03-06-2009, 11:12 AM
In a commercial plantation, each plant (corm) is fed 1 lb net of nitrogen and 1.5 lb net of potash per year, along with a trace amount of phosphorus -- although it is hard to find a cost-effective fertilizer with low phosphorus. The potash can be applied bi-annually. It is most effective to apply the nitrogen monthly since it will otherwise breakdown and leave the soil as nitrogen gas before the plant has the capacity to use it. Constant-feeding is the most cost effective -- simply use a water soluble and inject it into your irrigation water.