Hello! Is sterilizing compost for potted bananas a must?
 

Greetings from Poland.:pinwheelnaner:

I'm going to transplant my bananas into larger pots tomorrow. I want to use some of my garden compost. I compost stuff like kitchen scraps, cardboard, rotten wood, plant remains, almost anything that can biodegrade. My garden plants seem love it.

Is it in common practice with the potted bananas to sterilize the compost? I'd rather not do that but I will if I have to.

Thanks!

Re: Hello! Is sterilizing compost for potted bananas a must?
 

Welcome!


I don't.

Re: Hello! Is sterilizing compost for potted bananas a must?
 

I don't either. ....

Re: Hello! Is sterilizing compost for potted bananas a must?
 

Dzien dobre!

Welcome aboard the Banana Express. :nanerwaveytrain:

I would think that sterilizing it would kill a lot of the helpful things in the compost. I mean, you may get some gnats or something, but they're easy enough to get rid of. I'd leave it alone.

Re: Hello! Is sterilizing compost for potted bananas a must?
 

If those are the material you have to work with
....yes microwave the mix...
There are some good youtube videos which have some good takeaways.

Also Poland has a pretty healthy garden forum .

Re: Hello! Is sterilizing compost for potted bananas a must?
 

I've never considered sterilizing the compost. I would think that unless you know there might be some sort of pathogen or pest (nematodes?) in the mix, I'd not worry about it.

Re: Hello! Is sterilizing compost for potted bananas a must?
 

True. However, bananas are not a common garden plant here, so I reckon they'd say "purge it for the good measure".

Re: Hello! Is sterilizing compost for potted bananas a must?
 

Actually it would be bad to sterilize the compost. The reason is soil has many forms of bacteria and yeast in it, and is considered "living". These microorganisms are very important to the soil, as they help liberate the minerals from an unusable state that plants cannot uptake to a form that they can then use. If you sterilize the soil, the plant will use up all water soluble forms, and then that cycle will stop, and the plant will develop deficiencies.
If your growing with pure chemicals it might not matter, but if your like me and grow completely natural, you actually want soil rich in microbes. Its a good thing.

Re: Hello! Is sterilizing compost for potted bananas a must?
 

I sterilize because I do not want to bring introduce unwanted insects or other organisms into the grow area. That is if I use compost.

While compost is great as an amendment/filler bringing it in an indoor environment with other plants can and will possibly spread disease and insects.

I do not do this with the soilless mix's I make because all ingredients are 'Clean"
I also innoculate certain plants with safer commercial biologics to enhance root growth and function. Mychorrizae is a fantastic tool to make your soilless mix biologically alive and it is very safe.


Outdoors compost it is fine and very natural and running wild like it should.

For fun get on your hands and knees and root through your compost pile with a magnifying glass....That is the kind of stuff that nests in your ears when you sleep:)

Re: Hello! Is sterilizing compost for potted bananas a must?
 

Yeah, I usually think along these lines too but I feared that the microbiome in my compost, due to the colder climate, might be different from what banana plants are used to and that the "pathogenic element" may gain the upper hand, especially in a confined and not very natural environment of a pot. There are a lot of finnicky plants out there and this is my very first batch of bananas. Well, I've already repotted them using "raw" compost in the mix. Apart from penicilium colonies and weeds sprouting there's nothing out of ordinary to be seen. And if there is any trouble because of it in future, I'll consider this a lesson. Thank you!

Re: Hello! Is sterilizing compost for potted bananas a must?
 

I spend too much time already examining my compost pile, thank you :). I don't mind the crawlies, they are mostly harmless. Not mentioning that earbugs and centipedes in your pot are super-beneficial for the plant. If they want to live in my ears, they are always welcome, however, I think they're good where they are.

Re: Hello! Is sterilizing compost for potted bananas a must?
 

Awesome plan....
Post some photos if you can!

So why did you ask the forum?

Re: Hello! Is sterilizing compost for potted bananas a must?
 

You might find this of interest.
Do an internet search with Stalewiak as a keyword.
He operates the best European tropical forum I have seen yet and some great takeaways.
Also a great place to source your bananas in Europe.
Here is a link to his youtube channel.
He also has a few threads in the forum

https://www.youtube.com/user/stalewi...p=11103#p11103


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