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Ohio'sBest
07-06-2009, 07:04 PM
I didn't see much so far when doing a search. Is there a graph somewhere that breaks down the time frame of fruiting for each strain of banana?

Gabe15
07-06-2009, 07:11 PM
There are some general ranges and some varieties that will fruit sooner than others in the same conditions, but its as influenced by growing conditions as it is genetics, so you can't really say how long a particular variety will take to flower without considering its environment. This especially true for this community where we have growers all over the world in many different climates and growing conditions wondering how long it will take their plants to fruit.

That being said, most edible varieties will take anywhere from 9-18months to flower the first time, some sooner or later though. In a container indoors its usually 2-3X longer given that the container is large enough and there is enough light and warmth.

Ohio'sBest
07-06-2009, 07:20 PM
So the second fruiting of the shoots are shorter?

I am wondering also some help as to what the best commercial strain would be? Total poundage of nanners?

I am thinking in a stress free environment.................what the timeline would be?

Gabe15
07-06-2009, 07:50 PM
Each shoot only fruits once, but the plant creates multiple shoots which will grow along side the first one, when the first shoot is done flowering, it dies back and the other ones are already partially grown the so the time between bunches from the same whole plant shortens.

'Gran Nain' is the dominant commercial variety, but not necessarily the best for production in all growing conditions. In Hawaii, in part shade, without much fertilizer and crummy soil, mine took 15 months from planting to flower, and will take another 4 months or so for the fruit to develop, but again, this time will vary depending on specific growing conditions.

What are you trying to do exactly, and where are you located? This will help us answer your questions better and give other helpful suggestions.

Richard
07-06-2009, 07:55 PM
So the second fruiting of the shoots are shorter?

It is very rare to have a second fruiting. The corm puts out 30 to 40 leaves. The leaf stems are what forms the pseudo-stem (pseudo tree-trunk). Somewhere typically 30 or 40 leaves in the growth, the corm sends up a flower bud. After the fruit has formed, the corm puts little to no energy into the maintanence of that "stalk".

I am wondering also some help as to what the best commercial strain would be? Total poundage of nanners?

Commercial strain to grow where? The recommendation for Ohio will be quite different from southern Florida. Also there is a wide varieties of tastes to consider. Some are fruity, some are fragrant, some are super sweet, some are excellent cooked, ...

Bob
07-06-2009, 08:06 PM
O.B. I think what you are asking and Gabe is trying to tell you is that in Hawaii( ultimate, ideal conditions 12 months a year) a banana using the Gran nain as an example will take 19 months to produce an edible fruit. I have not yet even had a flower but have to assume that same Gran Nain (not one I'd choose) might take 3 -4 years to flower if at all. This is an educated guess based on variables that include but not limited to: potted vs. inground, overwintering method dormant vs greenhouse for example, average temperatures during growing season, if overwintering in greenhouse can you keep it growing actively( tough to do unless you have unlimited resources for heating $) fertilization, variety(super important to do your homework here), watering and all the other cultural practices.

lorax
07-06-2009, 09:47 PM
Equally, I who am in Ecuador, can take a Gran Nain from pup to fruiting in just under 15 months, with 3 more for ripening, in ideal conditions 12 months a year (no floods, etc.) The much tastier Gros Michel Improved takes 18 months and 4 more to ripen.

It's very dependant on the cultivar and your conditions.

buckeye5755
07-06-2009, 09:49 PM
When you guys are talking "Perfect Conditions", do you feel that growing indoors under a 600 Watt HID lighting system, better or worse than conditions in say Florida or Hawaii?

I am growing a Gran Nain and 2 Dwarf Cavendish, and the Gran Nain has really taken off, putting out a new leaf every 3-5 days. I am in Central Ohio, but will be keeping them inside under Grow Lights 12-14 hours a day, 75 degrees, with added humidity. In your estimation, are these conditions under Artificial Lighting, better than outdoor situations in Tropical Areas?

Personally, I am hoping for fruit in 12-16 months. I am currently worried about the size of Pots I should use as they grow. Any suggestions from the experts?

Richard
07-07-2009, 12:04 AM
40 gallon pot -- "squat" shaped each.
1900 gross Watts equivalent of T5 lights per plant, distributed in multiple fixtures.
1 lb net Nitrogen, 1/4 lb net phosphate, and 1.5 lb net potash per plant per year, divided up into monthly doses and attenuated for younger plants, plus micronutrients. The most cost effective way to achieve this is with a commercial water-soluble product. Small doses of Seaweed extract will help root development in young plants.
Humidity not to exceed 75% unless you are willing to have serious countermeasures for fungi.
Temperature range of 75 F to 85 F year round.
Non-alkaline water.

NANAMAN
07-07-2009, 01:17 AM
In S.Fl. (my backyard) , every variety I have grown has produced a bunch of fruit in under 12 mo., with 3 to 4 more mo. to ripen. Most of them were around 10 mo. They are watered regularly and fertilized heavily, most get full sun. The soil is mostly sand, so I add a lot of organic amendments and mulch heavily. Most of them were TCs about 1 1/2' to 2' tall when planted, and some were sword suckers about the same height. So far I have tried 25 varieties, with no real noticeable difference, except D. Brazilian took about 6 mo. to ripen its fruit!

bepah
07-07-2009, 08:46 AM
When you guys are talking "Perfect Conditions", do you feel that growing indoors under a 600 Watt HID lighting system, better or worse than conditions in say Florida or Hawaii?




Just in principle, plants in pots do not seem to do as well as those in the ground. While the root system may have some room to grow, to will be constrained. When we dig up even small well rooted plants here, we cut roots that are deeper and wider than the drip line.


I am growing a Gran Nain and 2 Dwarf Cavendish, and the Gran Nain has really taken off, putting out a new leaf every 3-5 days. I am in Central Ohio, but will be keeping them inside under Grow Lights 12-14 hours a day, 75 degrees, with added humidity. In your estimation, are these conditions under Artificial Lighting, better than outdoor situations in Tropical Areas?

How tall are the plants getting? Can you accommodate a 15 foot tall plant?


Personally, I am hoping for fruit in 12-16 months. I am currently worried about the size of Pots I should use as they grow. Any suggestions from the experts?

I am no expert. I wish you the best of luck, it is hard enough to do it in the ground!

Bob
07-07-2009, 11:37 AM
When you guys are talking "Perfect Conditions", do you feel that growing indoors under a 600 Watt HID lighting system, better or worse than conditions in say Florida or Hawaii?

I am growing a Gran Nain and 2 Dwarf Cavendish, and the Gran Nain has really taken off, putting out a new leaf every 3-5 days. I am in Central Ohio, but will be keeping them inside under Grow Lights 12-14 hours a day, 75 degrees, with added humidity. In your estimation, are these conditions under Artificial Lighting, better than outdoor situations in Tropical Areas?

Personally, I am hoping for fruit in 12-16 months. I am currently worried about the size of Pots I should use as they grow. Any suggestions from the experts?

Like a lot of us you're providing an excellent habitat for your naners. 600 watt system is great. Don't forget humidity and air circulation easily provided with a room humidifier and small fan. Just that you cant replicate the tropics entirely. For myself I started collecting more of the dwarf and faster bearing varieties after just buying desirable cultivars for the tropics. Look in to Ca. Gold, Ca. Cold hardy, Dwarf Nam wah, super Dwarf Cavendish( I'm sure your D. Cavendish are as good a choice), Veinte Cohol. These are some that I've determined will give me a chance at a flower and of course I hope fruit if the time of flowering is ideal.
Interesting observation here that all my potted plants outgrew those in the ground until about last week when almost imperceptibly those in the ground caught up or overtook the potted. Good luck, were all learning what works.

Richard
07-07-2009, 11:50 AM
Interesting observation here that all my potted plants outgrew those in the ground until about last week when almost imperceptibly those in the ground caught up or overtook the potted. Good luck, were all learning what works.

That is likely due to the night-time low temperatures increasing into the summer range several weeks ago.

fergus banana
07-07-2009, 02:16 PM
When you guys are talking "Perfect Conditions", do you feel that growing indoors under a 600 Watt HID lighting system, better or worse than conditions in say Florida or Hawaii?

I am growing a Gran Nain and 2 Dwarf Cavendish, and the Gran Nain has really taken off, putting out a new leaf every 3-5 days. I am in Central Ohio, but will be keeping them inside under Grow Lights 12-14 hours a day, 75 degrees, with added humidity. In your estimation, are these conditions under Artificial Lighting, better than outdoor situations in Tropical Areas?

Personally, I am hoping for fruit in 12-16 months. I am currently worried about the size of Pots I should use as they grow. Any suggestions from the experts?

i am growing my bananas under 600W HPS. The plants are growing extremely well.

i give them a liquid fertilizer every other day that i pH and ppm. I have all this equipment because of a failed attempt at growing a bananas hydroponically.

i have them on a 16hr on and 8 hr off grow light cycle. if i grew them outside they would freeze in the winter, so i am having fun keeping them indoors.

i dont know about pot size, but they seem to get root bound about every two weeks under these conditions. i just bought 14" azalea terra cotta pots. these pots are wider and shallower than standard pots. i am gonna mix up a hydroton and rockwool growing medium for them. i will keep an update on their progress. For now, they are growing big and strong!

ur indoor setup is going to allow ur bananas to grow quick and healthy. it will be hard for u to keep up with pot size. my bananas dont seem to mind being root bound and continue to grow and produce leaves. i am switching to bigger pots because i noticed today that the roots are starting to grow out of the drain hole.

grow on!

ewitte
07-07-2009, 02:44 PM
i dont know about pot size, but they seem to get root bound about every two weeks under these conditions. i just bought 14" azalea terra cotta pots. these pots are wider and shallower than standard pots. i am gonna mix up a hydroton and rockwool growing medium for them. i will keep an update on their progress. For now, they are growing big and strong!

Thats like 10gal. Outside I'm using 45gal for the smaller and 65gal on the ice cream. Plus the ones I use automatically root prune.

fergus banana
07-07-2009, 03:28 PM
word up, yo!

where da hydro banana pics?

ewitte
07-07-2009, 03:41 PM
Didn't get a chance to take pictures. Still my latest pics. Its a good deal bigger now

http://www.bananas.org/f311/update-my-hydroponic-raja-puri-7632.html

BTW I fixed the Procyon 100 myself.

Richard
07-08-2009, 12:21 AM
40 gallon pot -- "squat" shaped each.
1900 gross Watts equivalent of T5 lights per plant, distributed in multiple fixtures.
1 lb net Nitrogen, 1/4 lb net phosphate, and 1.5 lb net potash per plant per year, divided up into monthly doses and attenuated for younger plants, plus micronutrients. The most cost effective way to achieve this is with a commercial water-soluble product. Small doses of Seaweed extract will help root development in young plants.
Humidity not to exceed 75% unless you are willing to have serious countermeasures for fungi.
Temperature range of 75 F to 85 F year round.
Non-alkaline water.

About a month ago I consulted for a grower with several 20,000 sq.ft. greenhouses that was converting a few of them to fruits and vegetables. One was for bananas. We concluded that 200 plants would be entirely feasible. There seems to be consensus in the literature that during the onset of bud development and then fruiting, musas will utilize photo energy at an average rate of 1000 W to 1200 W peak. Both of us being engineering/science types, we then back-calculated to units of gross wattage of T5 lighting fixtures -- since many where already installed at the facility. We took into account the distance of the fixtures from the plants, incident angle, and expected humidity. This lead us to the figure of 1900 gross-fixture-Watts per plant. The greenhouses are standard type with 12-foot vertical walls and a hemispherical ceiling. The outer material is 40% opaque and 80% diffuse. The lighting fixtures are placed so that they will block only a minimum of sunlight during daylight hours, and during night-time and darker days can provide light from above and from the sides at 20-degrees off horizontal. The fixtures are regulated by electronic photo-gates so that the number of fixtures on + any available sunlight ~= 1200 Watts incident on the plants during the critical growth stage. For young plants, the threshold is half that.

Ohio'sBest
07-08-2009, 10:11 AM
You would be surprised on what you can grow in a controlled environment. I am looking at a commercial strain that produces well so it offsets the total grow costs. So a fast well endowed fruiting is what I am looking for.

The most efficient lighting that I use is HPS, because of wattage used versus lumens produced. LED is just too expensive ATM, but it is the future. Running the lights vertically on light movers would be the way to go. From my reading I understand that Bananas are heavy feeders, so Hydro would be very beneficial to them since your supplying everything to them. In other plants that I've grown, the root mass stays relatively smaller due to supply being so close. Also in Hydro the total time frame to mature is cut by 20-25%. I am guessing a 55 gallon medium would suffice even when suckers are present and growing. I am still doing some more reading, but if you have something you can add....just post it. :03:

Richard
07-08-2009, 12:10 PM
You would be surprised on what you can grow in a controlled environment. I am looking at a commercial strain that produces well so it offsets the total grow costs. So a fast well endowed fruiting is what I am looking for.

You will find them documented here: http://195.220.148.3:8013/mgis_2/homepage.htm
The best way to utilize the data is to provide an empty search string in "Accessions" and obtain the entire listing, then send the data to your computer by cut-and-paste, or "printing" to a PDF file, etc. The MGIS database does have search options for particular attributes but (1) it is poorly implemented and (2) the actual data is not input in a consistent manner -- so you will accidentally miss some entries.

There are about a dozen cultivars that will produce 150 lbs (gross) of fruit per inflorescence in a sub-tropical or near-tropical environment, with about the same gestation period given equal environmental factors. Among these, it is a matter of customer preference and taste.

The most efficient lighting that I use is HPS, because of wattage used versus lumens produced.

Many commercial growers choose not to use HPS because it is too directional and more expensive per lumen in the long run than an array of T5 tubes.

From my reading I understand that Bananas are heavy feeders, so Hydro would be very beneficial to them since your supplying everything to them.

Hydroponics does give you a lot of control over variables, but at some point the monitoring process and maintenance of supplement systems becomes time-intensive -- even with automated systems. It is more tractable to maintain the Ca, Mg, and Zn levels in a partial soil media -- for example 60% coir and 40% mix of mineral and organic soil materials.

In other plants that I've grown, the root mass stays relatively smaller due to supply being so close.

Bananas are a corm, with networks of rhizomes and roots. At maturity, a semi-dwarf variety can burst the seams of a 1/2 barrel -- soil-less media or otherwise. Keep in mind that in bananas and other large fruits, fruit production is proportional to the volume of root structures.

Also in Hydro the total time frame to mature is cut by 20-25%.

Perhaps in Ohio. There are plenty of counter-examples here in San Diego CA and elsewhere in the world.

fergus banana
07-08-2009, 02:14 PM
T5 is too expensive.
HPS is tried and true and cheap -can't really beat it.

If you grow hydroponically, all you have to do is mix specially formulated nutrient for the bananas - everything is in there, you dont have to worry about adding a bunch of supplements. There are plenty of high quality hydroponic nutrients out there.

bottom line: hydroponics and HPS will kick sunlight (never enough of it out here) and soils butt everytime!

Richard
07-08-2009, 03:09 PM
T5 is too expensive.
HPS is tried and true and cheap -can't really beat it.

I can understand it for retail prices and a growing a few plants indoors. But the opposite of what you say is true for a commercial operation that buys lights by the truckload and has 10's of 1000's of square feet of growing space.

bottom line: hydroponics and HPS will kick sunlight (never enough of it out here) and soils butt everytime!

Commercially, hydroponics is a water-delivery and collection system. The media can be soil-less or soil-full.

buckeye5755
07-08-2009, 04:23 PM
40 gallon pot -- "squat" shaped each.
1900 gross Watts equivalent of T5 lights per plant, distributed in multiple fixtures.
1 lb net Nitrogen, 1/4 lb net phosphate, and 1.5 lb net potash per plant per year, divided up into monthly doses and attenuated for younger plants, plus micronutrients. The most cost effective way to achieve this is with a commercial water-soluble product. Small doses of Seaweed extract will help root development in young plants.
Humidity not to exceed 75% unless you are willing to have serious countermeasures for fungi.
Temperature range of 75 F to 85 F year round.
Non-alkaline water.


When you say the 1900 Watts of T5 Lighting for plant, how does it equate into Lumens? I am looking at a 600 Watt Metal Halide and HPS Conversion system, the Metal Halide bulb using 88,000 Lumens, and the HPS using 95,000 Lumens of light. Do you consider this sufficient for 3 Plants?

I have gotten the Grow More 20-5-30 Fertilizer from your store, and am using it at every third watering. The temperature and Humidity will not be a problem either.

Richard
07-08-2009, 05:14 PM
When you say the 1900 Watts of T5 Lighting for plant, how does it equate into Lumens? I am looking at a 600 Watt Metal Halide and HPS Conversion system, the Metal Halide bulb using 88,000 Lumens, and the HPS using 95,000 Lumens of light. Do you consider this sufficient for 3 Plants?

There are some design considerations. I believe your ceiling is 11 foot high and consequently the light source will be very close to the plants. Hence, there is less attenuation to consider. If you are growing in a household room with white walls, then there will be more reflectance and less absorption by non-plant media. You also have issues with placing multiple systems in the room so that the output can dispersed vertically throughout the plant structures. Also, halide and HPS systems are about 10% more efficient than T5's in terms of power-output / operating-power in the majority of the bulb lifetime.

For a 10 ft by 15 ft room, I would start with two of your HPS systems for your young plants. As the plants increase to 5 foot pseudostem, I would want to increase the number of systems to 4 -- unless placement would make this unfeasible.

buckeye5755
07-08-2009, 06:03 PM
There are some design considerations. I believe your ceiling is 11 foot high and consequently the light source will be very close to the plants. Hence, there is less attenuation to consider. If you are growing in a household room with white walls, then there will be more reflectance and less absorption by non-plant media.

Your right about limited space. I only have 11 ft vertically at my highpoint. I am going to be purchasing the Reflective Mylar coating to maximize light reflectivity and absorbtion for the plants.

As for light sources, I was lucky enough to convince The Wife to let me get one, not so sure she would let me get 2 or 4 considering the Energy Costs associated.

What I have looked into is a Rail system to move the light to effectively get all angles of the plant, as well as constructing a mover to set the plants on, and move them 2-3 times daily to get the different angles. I have a few months to make a final decision before I need to start growing them under it, so hopefully I figure it out.

Also I was told my another member, that if the plants I have (Gran Nain, now with two small Pups, and 2 Dwarf Cavendish) become too large to have the light source above them, that with the right reflective hood, I could provide the light to them from an angle, beside, or below the plant.

Richard
07-08-2009, 06:51 PM
What I have looked into is a Rail system to move the light to effectively get all angles of the plant, as well as constructing a mover to set the plants on, and move them 2-3 times daily to get the different angles. I have a few months to make a final decision before I need to start growing them under it, so hopefully I figure it out.

The rail system will actually reduce the amount of light your plants receive. You are better off with a diffuse reflection surface. Don't move your plants either.

The mylar is a great option: be aware that you might need a way to exhaust excess heat.

buckeye5755
07-08-2009, 07:05 PM
The rail system will actually reduce the amount of light your plants receive. You are better off with a diffuse reflection surface. Don't move your plants either.

The mylar is a great option: be aware that you might need a way to exhaust excess heat.

Yea, the heat is something I worry about in a confined small space, but we are using our garage, which we just insulated this year (Old House), and doesn't have heat ducts. I am going to be using a Space Heater to heat the room, so the light heat may have a desireable effect. In terms of energy costs, I have actually found it cheaper personally, to use Space heaters where I need them, rather than let the older Furnace System run continously and displace excess heat where I don't need it.

The thing that worries me is where the excess heat will go. As is said, he rises, and if I have the lights running 1 ft from the ceiling, which considering it is an older garage, older wood, and insulation (No drywall or plywood), I may be forced to use an exhaust fan to reduce risk of a fire.

I am looking at different reflectors as well. Generally, the closed in ones offer a vent to cool the unit. Do reflectors that do not have vents, such as a Lightwing or Sun Soaker reflector dissipate the heat enough to justify no fan, or is the light lost just not worth it?

Here's a link to some reflector's I am looking at. Got a favorite for my situation? Personally I like the Sun Soaker, just worried about the heat.

High Tech Garden Supply (http://www.htgsupply.com/products.asp?categoryID=5)

fergus banana
07-08-2009, 07:53 PM
When you say the 1900 Watts of T5 Lighting for plant, how does it equate into Lumens? I am looking at a 600 Watt Metal Halide and HPS Conversion system, the Metal Halide bulb using 88,000 Lumens, and the HPS using 95,000 Lumens of light. Do you consider this sufficient for 3 Plants?

I have gotten the Grow More 20-5-30 Fertilizer from your store, and am using it at every third watering. The temperature and Humidity will not be a problem either.

get a 600W HPS grow light. it works like a dream. i am growing 4 banana plants under it and 1 colocasia gigantea. they are growing like crazy.

i run them on for 16hrs and off for 8hrs. i feed them hydroponic nutrient every other day and they love it.

forget T5.

HPS is tried and true.

Richard
07-08-2009, 08:16 PM
HPS is tried and true.

In a "small space", yes. For 10's of 1000's of square feet, the hardware and replacement costs over a 5 year period are about 4 times less with T5. This is due in part to the outrageous retail pricing of T5 bulbs.

Yea, the heat is something I worry about in a confined small space, but we are using our garage, which we just insulated this year (Old House), and doesn't have heat ducts.

Personally I would attach a small network of 4-inch PVC pipes horizontally to the ceiling. Perhaps a 10' by 10' square with two side pipes leading off somewhere -- to the floor? In the square section, drill 1/2 inch holes in the bottom about 18 inches on center. At the two "exit" locations, mount two computer fans. Get them from a computer repair shop or recycling center -- they usually last much longer than the electronics.

I like aluminum reflectors with baffles.

ewitte
07-09-2009, 09:59 AM
I've always found EVERYTHING retail is outrageous.

Richard
07-09-2009, 11:03 AM
forget T5.

I guess that a 600W HPS would be great for a few pot plants in a modest size rectangular closet. There is a prominent hydroponic retailer in southern California who has performed numerous trials with growing medical marijuana (under the CA license) indoors and outdoors, typically 1/2 dozen to a dozen plants. They have looked at many aspects, including the kind of hydroponics (e.g., static, soil-less immersion, etc.), nutrient brands, lighting, and so forth. The studies have been respectable in that they use control groups. All other things being equal, they repeatedly obtain "better" results with T5 lighting. The main explanation given for this is the diffuse nature of the light and the original (un-shifted) generated spectrum. If you are an electro-optic geek, then we can discuss it further.

These folks have demonstrated that T5 should be given some consideration when choosing artificial lighting for plants. Of course cost of materials available to you is also a major factor.

fergus banana
07-09-2009, 11:09 AM
I think this is being way too nit-picky. there are too many variables to say what produces the best growth - CO2, nutrients, medium, etc...

The less complicated the better and you can't dispute HPS for for indoor growing. It is obvious that you can obtain excellent growth results with HPS.

Richard
07-09-2009, 02:40 PM
I think this is being way too nit-picky. there are too many variables to say what produces the best growth - CO2, nutrients, medium, etc...

These are extensive trials, and I meant it literally when I said "all other things being equal".

The less complicated the better and you can't dispute HPS for for indoor growing.

I'm not disputing it, I'm endorsing it. At the same time, I think you are mistaken to tell people to forget about T5.

fergus banana
07-09-2009, 02:44 PM
Thats kewl.
Grow on.

Peace.

Ohio'sBest
07-11-2009, 09:46 AM
Here are some illustrations from a friend I met on line in '04. Putting the bulbs in between the plants instead of above them. Please disregard what he grew, but proof is in the pudding with his madness.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=19188&cat=500&ppuser=5663

Patty in Wisc
07-11-2009, 11:20 AM
I think this is being way too nit-picky. there are too many variables to say what produces the best growth - CO2, nutrients, medium, etc...

The less complicated the better and you can't dispute HPS for for indoor growing. It is obvious that you can obtain excellent growth results with HPS.
True! The question that Ohio's Best asked is about timeframe for fruiting & not getting technical about lighting.
Last winter, I had a 12 ft IC in a south facing 6 1/2ft window w/ another big window top of that in a 18ft celing room. On a table next to it we had a 500 watt halogen shining up at it from 3pm till 7:30pm. It grew 12 big healthy leaves from Nov till April. Beacause of the growth, I fert'd every 7 - 10 days w/ Banana Fuel. The winter before, I did Frank's (Bigdog) method of putting it to sleep.
Ave. nanas need 12 - 18 months of almost tropical weather to fruit. Now, I take away those months of it being dormant (or add those months to its growing time to fruit).
I think growing 12 leaves during winter here w/ only few hours of 500 watts is pretty good!
And, lights (no matter what you use) don't always have to be directly above the plant.

fergus banana
07-11-2009, 11:27 AM
Banana Fuel? Where did you get it? How did you like it - or how did ur plants like it? Thanks.

Richard
07-11-2009, 11:48 AM
True! The question that Ohio's Best asked is about timeframe for fruiting & not getting technical about lighting.

Oh, way down in the thread Buckeye asked about lighting here:

When you say the 1900 Watts of T5 Lighting for plant, how does it equate into Lumens? I am looking at a 600 Watt Metal Halide and HPS Conversion system, the Metal Halide bulb using 88,000 Lumens, and the HPS using 95,000 Lumens of light. Do you consider this sufficient for 3 Plants?

Patty in Wisc
07-11-2009, 11:49 AM
Me and my plants LOVE it. It's formulated for nanas... is 15-5-30 w/ all the micro's. Only need 1/2 to 1 tsp per gal. & I fert every 7 -10 days when acvtively growing. I have 11 plants, & one 3 lb bag lasts about a year or more for all. I'll get you link to site but I think this'll work Wellspringgardens.org

Richard
07-11-2009, 12:13 PM
Well, Banana Fuel is actually formulated for fruiting Bananas in the tropics. It is a great fertilizer but if you use it outside a nitrogen-rich environment (like the tropics), it is recommended you also use a 5% Nitrogen-only supplement -- matched in weight to the amount of Banana Fuel you use.

Patty in Wisc
07-11-2009, 12:22 PM
Recomended by whom?? You??
I have nitrogen rich soil.

Richard
07-11-2009, 12:47 PM
I have nitrogen rich soil.

Great!

Recomended by whom?? You??

University studies from Yale, U of Florida, U of California, U of Hawaii, Tamil Nadu ...

The potash is only utilized to the extent that nitrogen is present, in the ratio 1.5 parts potash to 1 part nitrogen (by weight). So if a person has no other inputs of nitrogen, then 15-5-30 banana fuel plus 5-1-0.5 fish emulsion in equal amounts is an excellent combination. Another possibility would be 15-5-30 banana fuel plus a 1/2 portion of 10-0-0 blood meal -- since the blood meal has twice the percentage needed.