Advantages of not relying on fertilizers
 

Using an excess of compost / organic material instead of fertilizers, can substantially reduce the time from plant to bloom.

This FHIA-3 should have bloomed at 9 to 10 months in Puerto Rico, but unexpectedly shot 200 days after planting a small tissue culture.

Plants grow faster, larger, produce heavier bunches and have more flavorful fruit by using copious amounts of compost.

Re: Advantages of not relying on fertilizers
 

Also, I have found that not using Fertilizer this year I didnt have to prop up anyone my plants this year. They were all strong enough to hold their own weight!

Re: Advantages of not relying on fertilizers
 

[quote=PR-Giants;255167]Using an excess of compost / organic material instead of fertilizers, can substantially reduce the time from plant to bloom.
Plants grow faster, larger, produce heavier bunches and have more flavorful fruit by using copious amounts of compost.


I have to have my organics trucked in ...my yard does not produce enough compost, plus it only produces it 120 days of the year.
Your fortunate with the resources that you have available to you.
I am working on bigger bunches this year....this year maybe five fingers.

How do the variegated plants like it.. are you able to post a photo....?

Re: Advantages of not relying on fertilizers
 

Wow, that is a very healthy looking plant and fabulous timing! So what is your "recipe" from the beginning? Dig a hole, .... then what? How much compost, where does it go (in the hole, on the surface?), and how long to the next application, etc.? Thanks for taking us to the next level!

Re: Advantages of not relying on fertilizers
 

I only use chicken manure for my bananas no commercial fertilizers. I like to go as natural as possible and my Ice Cream banana rewarded me with a bloom this month. All my bananas are kept in containers all year long because I live in WA state where we have cold and wet winters. If I knew how to post a pic I would all my pictures are in Picassa on my computer.
Sib

Re: Advantages of not relying on fertilizers
 

Sounds good! I have an old compost pile that has been cooking for years. When on the Amazon in Brazil I noticed all native homes and villages had Bananas all over the place. The the soil in the forest floor felt like a mattress, soft and approx. a foot thick with decomposing leaves etc. Thanks for the post.
Al

Re: Advantages of not relying on fertilizers
 

PR-Giants has shown several times in the past great results from using grass clippings. I now make it a standard practice to bag all my clippings and dump it on my mats. Great fertilizer and helps keep the weeds down.

Re: Advantages of not relying on fertilizers
 

Looking great!
PR-Giant, you grow commercially?

Re: Advantages of not relying on fertilizers
 

International Institute of Tropical Agriculture





"The banana was grown with 30, 40, 50 and 60 litres of human urine application with irrigation water along with graded levels of commercial potassium fertilizers. Application of 50 litres of human urine per plant with 75% recommended commercial potassium fertilizer recorded 32.1% more plant height, 25.6% more pseudostem girth, 71.5% more number of leaves and 68.8% more leaf area, 25% more leaf nitrogen concentration, 52.6% more phosphorus concentration and 6.5% more leaf potassium than normally grown banana plants without urine application."

Banana Research

Bangalore Urine-treated Plants Yield Bigger Bananas Study

Re: Advantages of not relying on fertilizers
 

208 days from planting to bloom.

Re: Advantages of not relying on fertilizers
 

Creating the forest floor is the key!!

Re: Advantages of not relying on fertilizers
 

Do you have millipedes in Tampa?

If "yes", few or many?

Millipedes make growing bananas easy.

http://www.bananas.org/f312/millicompost-19943-2.html

Re: Advantages of not relying on fertilizers
 

Hmmnn..not sure I do not recall ever seeing one in Tampa. So I would say few.

We do add tons of organic matter to the garden every year, as noted in this post:

The best fertilizer I ever used was 1,000 pounds of Shrimp Shells (I got for free from a local Shrimp processing plant)...the Sabas were 5 feet in Circumference and over 25 feet tall (I used to have the pics posted; but deleted them for personal reasons). Massive!....then I layered horse poo on top.

Following is a repeat of a post on another thread:

http://www.bananas.org/f2/praying-ha...tml#post135487

We focus on creating the "Forest Floor"...I have been in the same house for 21 years and growing bananas for over 40 years.....I have never used chemical fertilizers (and I am not knowledgeable enough on this topic to debate those that do..just stating my experience)....I have had some trial and error....one time I was sitting in the back yard and it was like someone came through with a saw and cut everything down...I had added too much horse manure too close to the mattes and everything just fell over..."Live and Learn"

We add about 5 tons of leaves a year

5 tons of tree mulch

5 tons of horse manure a year

and that is the bulk of it

..sorta speak:nanadrink:

And "We" keep the rodent population in check:
Squirrel Patrol:


Rat Patrol:


Mosquito Control:


Bug Control:


Lil' help from Mrs. Rmplmnz



Check out Gene Joyner's Forrest Floor:
In 1992 I visited Gene Joyner’s Unbelievable Acres. Gene had a location for tree services to drop loads (with a big sign “No Black Olive Mulch”.
Unbelievable Acres Botanic Gardens - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Check out this video:
SeeThrough Tree Gene Joyner Unbelievable Acres Palm Beach Rare Fruit Council - YouTube
Gene Joyner Unbelievable Acres Rare Fruit Council - YouTube
A Botanical Hidden Gem: Gene Joyner's Unbelievable Acres

If you're in West Palm Beach and craving a relaxing afternoon walk through a quiet, secluded botanical rainforest, then Gene Joyner's Unbelievable Acres Botanic Garden is for you. Located at 470 63rd Trail North, this private, non-profit, man-made reproduction of a rainforest is a wonderfully "hands on" way to learn about and experience a real rainforest.

Gene Joyner began the Garden from an empty pasture containing only two pine trees and all plants currently seen in Unbelievable Acres were planted since July, 1970. No trees were over 6 feet tall when first planted and Gene personally wheelbarrows in mulch and new plant specimens because the paths are too narrow for a tractor. You can sense and appreciate this personal touch as your guide describes the natural wonders found here, Unbelievable Acres is truly an accomplishment.

During the tour our friendly guide pointed out countless species of plants, trees and fruits while sharing a sometimes amusing history of them along with ways some species can be used in food preparation. Praying bananas trees, angel trumpets, sausage trees, starfruit… the sights and smells are sure to please the senses. If you are interested in a rainforest experience where you can nibble on lemony hibiscus flowers or spicy allspice leaves while taking in the beauty and wonder of nature, Unbelievable Acres is the place to go.

The tour runs every second Saturday of the month in groups of ten and the cost per person is $10. For more information please call 561-242-1686.
A Botanical Hidden Gem: Gene Joyner's Unbelievable Acres - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com

Re: Advantages of not relying on fertilizers
 

This is the second time you used that term in this thread.

What you're saying is contradictory to what I think you're trying to say (mulch), but if I'm wrong please correct me. "Forest Floors" are actually some of the worst soils on earth and the term is often used as a marketing gimmick. Grassland "Floors" make some great soils, forests do not, and Tropical Rainforests (which I have) are even worse.

Re: Advantages of not relying on fertilizers
 

Mulch, mulch, and more mulch! That's the floor of his forest. An excellent garden to go see in person. I think the term is being applied losely here. Most people just toss some mulch in a fairly neat clump in a garden bed. In this case it's spread out every where.

Re: Advantages of not relying on fertilizers
 

I wish I could still get manure by the turck load like that.

Re: Advantages of not relying on fertilizers
 

I think if I got a load of Manure, I would probably be violating a City Ordinance. My Neighbors give me the evil eye when I get a truck load of straw for my bananas.:nanadrink:

Re: Advantages of not relying on fertilizers
 

Does not smell much if any (usually the Horse Manure we get has been sitting for a while and is well along the composting path). It is mixed with sawdust from the stable and we typically cover it with mulch (we get for free from local tree services).

Fortunately we live 2 miles (5 minutes) from the stable. This compares to hauling it to a composting site 45 minutes away. Unfortunately they stopped the free delivery. We can take our truck to the stable and they will load for free (way less poop).

Re: Advantages of not relying on fertilizers
 

That's great. I should see if I can find a contact close to my house. My Banana Plants would probably like a mixture of the straw and poop. :0519:

Re: Advantages of not relying on fertilizers
 

I did not realize I was limited to using a term once within a thread? In any case I can delete the posts if you feel they are not adding value to the thread. Whatever you are doing keep doing, your pictures and posts are amazing!

I disagree with your statement ""Forest Floors" are actually some of the worst soils on earth and the term is often used as a marketing gimmick. "

We love our forest floor!

I understand the term and we go way beyond "mulch" (leaves, coffee grounds by the bucket, newspapers, horse poo).

The forest floor, also called detritus, duff and the O horizon, is one of the most distinctive features of a forest ecosystem. It mainly consists of shed vegetative parts, such as leaves, branches, bark, and stems, existing in various stages of decomposition above the soil surface. Although principally composed of nonliving organic material, the forest floor also teems with a wide variety of fauna and flora. It is one of the richest components of the ecosystem from the standpoint of biodiversity because of the large number of decomposers and predators present, mostly belonging to invertebrates, fungi, algae, bacteria, and archaea. The major compartments for the storage of organic matter and nutrients within systems are the living vegetation, forest floor, and soil. The forest floor serves as a bridge between the above ground living vegetation and the soil, and it is a crucial component in nutrient transfer through the biogeochemical cycle. Much of the energy and carbon fixed by forests is periodically added to the forest floor through litterfall, and a substantial portion of the nutrient requirements of forest ecosystems is supplied by decomposition of organic matter in the forest floor and soil surface. The sustained productivity of forests is closely linked with the decomposition of shed plant parts, particularly the nutrient-rich foliage. The forest floor is also an important fuel source in forest fires.

The amount of material in the forest floor depends on the balance between inputs from litter production and outputs from decomposition, and amounts also reflect the site's disturbance history. Both litter production and decomposition are functions of the site (e.g., wet versus dry; cold versus warm; nutrient rich versus nutrient poor) and the vegetation that occupies the site (e.g., conifer versus broadleaf). A site's forest floor is determined by its areal weight, depth, and nutrient content. Typically, forest floors are heaviest and deepest in boreal forests and mountain forests where decomposition rates are slow. In contrast, the lightest and thinnest forest floors usually occur in tropical rain forests where decomposition rates are rapid, except on white sands where nutrients could not be supplied from mineral weathering.

Forest floor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia