How much fertilizer can a banana tree tolerate?
 

I have a Mekong Giant banana tree. Most yrs it grows about 8 feet tall in the summer, and then I bring a pup inside to plant out the next spring. Any Mekong Giant left outside will die during the winter. They are said to be a hardy banana, but most years it gets below 0 degrees and it is not hardy enough to winter outside.

Last summer was cool and overcast, and the tree stayed very small. So, instead of bringing a potted pup inside for the winter I brought in the entire plant.

This summer it is supposed to be hot and sunny, and I want to see how BIG I can grow it! That means being generous with the water and the fertilizer. But... how much fertilizer is too much?

Right now the plant is only 3 feet tall but it is healthy. It simply grew slowly last year because we did not get much sun: as result none of my tropical vegetables did well either. Salad plants loved the weather: the tropical hated it!

So, right now it is spring in Kansas, and the weather is mostly between 40 degrees and 90 degrees. It is overcast, as it is most springs. And, the banana was planted outside last week and it seems to appreciate the rain: leastwise it is putting out 2 new leaves.

Any comments on how much fertilization I can get away with?????? As rule of thumb, summer weather usually has highs of 90's and lows in the 60's and 70's!

Re: How much fertilizer can a banana tree tolerate?
 

I can tell you that it IS possible to overfertilize bananas.

Re: How much fertilizer can a banana tree tolerate?
 

Give about 9 oz (1 cup) of balanced fertilizer (10-10-10) every month and every 2nd month give 1 cup of potassium sulfate.

Look at the forum WiKi above for info on Fertilizer. Info:Fertilizer - Bananas Wiki
Mature banana plants need 1 lb of nitrogen and 1.5 lbs potassium, from this you can calculate how much is needed from the N-P-K ratios.

Re: How much fertilizer can a banana tree tolerate?
 

Some members of the forum may say "pour-it-on". The fact is high applications of commercial (chemical) fertilizers can and will harm the banana plant. Mostly, nitrogen burning burning the roots. ... Natural fertilizers and compost are less likely or will not harm plants. So, keep over fertilization within reason. Some excess wouldn't hurt but is usually a waste.

Re: How much fertilizer can a banana tree tolerate?
 

You can over-fertilize.

The only problem I have seen when over-fertilizing is that some varieties with a particular leaf-emergence style grow so fast that the leaves get tangled inside one another and don't emerge properly. Others show no issues that I have noticed, at concentrations/amounts that cause the leaf tangling on some varieties.



You are probably overdoing at about 1# of 15-15-15 on a mat/clump per 10-14 days.

There is not much point in fertilizing when bananas are dormant (nights below 55F or so).

Re: How much fertilizer can a banana tree tolerate?
 

Kansas and Ohios short grow seasons are very similar for zones 5-6.
If our zones were 8,9,10,we would have no issues

Our frost to frost dates are about 170+- which is too short for a plant like a Mekong Giant to ever reach its height potential.

I know of a few fellow growers in Kentucky zone 7 whom treat the plant like a Basjoo

Their plants are planted in very rich loose amended soil in full sunlight and heavily mulched for the winter.

Since we generally grow our plants for size and visual interest a general garden fertilizer such as 16-16-16- is used.
You can split hairs and use 10-10-10 or 12-12-12 and get similar results.
Like the fellas said in previous posts to much fertilizer is bad also.
Miracle grow will even work well, it depends on your budget.

With fertilizer more is not better......you could boost the soil with organics like peat moss or other prepared amendments.
Soil is a key foundation for our plants.

Sadly, we are still limited to trying to grow a plant in less than ideal conditions.

You could switch out your plant to Basjoo and get great predictable results without all the hassle, and I think they might even get larger, plus they multiply like rabbits and you can leave them in the ground all year.



What we really need is a big bag of extra sunlight and grow season.;)


Here is a photo of a benchmark mat of Basjoos in zone 6 for reference if you want to change out to a less maintained plant.
.

Musa Basjoo zone 6 by
Hostafarian,
on Flickr

Re: How much fertilizer can a banana tree tolerate?
 

I used to have a Basjoo: I am thinking of getting another one once folks have pups to sell.

But, right now I have a Mekong Giant: as soon as the soil is warm enough I will fertilize.

Re: How much fertilizer can a banana tree tolerate?
 

I don't know how much is too much because I never tried to do it. In general, I fertilize outdoor plants with a solution of soluble fertilizer 1 to 2 tbs./gal. or 1 to 2 pounds in a 32 gallon plastic trash can of water. If and when the plant grows fast, I repeat.

But, at this dilution, a fertilizer that is high in urea, will temporarily stunt a plant. Plants better tolerate high concentrations of nitrates than urea, but, a small amount of urea stimulates growth in ways that nitrates can't. I recommend fertilizer that is 10% to 20% urea. In my experience, at 1 tbs./gal. for ground plantings and 1 tsp./gal. for potted plants, 10-20% urea stimulates growth as no other form of nitrogen can.

Most soluble phosphates do not penetrate soil well, especially clay soils. When such phosphate solutions are applied to the soil surface, the phosphates stay near the surface until the soil is tilled. For that reason, when I fill a planting hole, I alternately fill the hole with fertilizer solution and soil, in, maybe, 3-5 steps. That way, phosphates will be in the vicinity of the roots. That worked especially well with the old 15-30-15 Miracle-Gro which you can't get anymore. I said "most soluble phosphates" because I strongly suspect that urea phosphate is an exception, i.e., it will easily penetrate soil, because it is covalently bonded.

Re: How much fertilizer can a banana tree tolerate?
 

All I know is a cupful of potassium sulfate sounds like too much. I used less than that on an established mat of Brazilians and other plants not so big and they just stopped growing for over a month. When they started up again they choked on coming out for a while, too.

Re: How much fertilizer can a banana tree tolerate?
 

I haven't seen any ill effects to my plants at 1 cup of potassium sulphate every other month. ... I just check, 1 cup is 10.1 oz while the recommendations I'm using is 8.5 oz. So about 3/4 cup would be OK too. At this rate 1 lb of potassium would be delivered to the plant in 4 applications in addition to that in the fertilizer.

Also, I'm using large granular ag grade potassium sulphate. It is slow to dissolve in the soil. Fine ground potassium sulphate (horticultural grade??) is available too. It is faster to dissolve in water and therefor faster acting in the soil. Probably monthly applications of the 'fast acting' at 1/3rd -1/2 dose/cup would be better. ...

So one needs to be aware of how 'fast-acting' the fertilizer being used is and long it would last in the soil for the plant. Then adjust the applications as needed.

Re: How much fertilizer can a banana tree tolerate?
 

I use a 15-5-30. As for amount..thats a bit differant. It is a water sol fert but i apply it dry 1 or 2 table spoons per plant every other week. I come back and water it in with the hose..and the rain takes the rest of it down in the mulch when it rains.

I have not had any ill effects but i have seen the choking on other plants when applied to heavy. I may go a bit OD with it but no harm has been done so far.

I say just watch your plant, see how fast its growing..leaf a week..2 leaves a week..and judge yourself..i will say they will handle ALOT of food before bad things happen. At least in my yard anyways

Re: How much fertilizer can a banana tree tolerate?
 

hummm ... 2 Tablespoons is approx 1 oz or 1/8th cup. So for zones 6/7, this would be about 5 month growing season or 22 weeks. Fertilized at every other week would be 11 applications. or 11 ounces of fertilizer. With 15-5-30 this would be 1.65 oz (11 oz X .15) of nitrogen and 3.30 oz (11 oz X .3) of potassium furnished.

Even if the tablespoons were heaping or double; this is far short of 6.67 lbs of 15-5-30 (NPK: 1 lb / .15) needed by a mature banana plant for 1 lb (minimum) of nitrogen and 1.5 lbs (minimum) of potassium ( 2lbs from 15-5-30). ... This would be about right for growing young potted banana plants before transplanting to the ground.

Re: How much fertilizer can a banana tree tolerate?
 

If your unsure. Dump tripple 10 down monthly and mound up chicken manuer

Re: How much fertilizer can a banana tree tolerate?
 

Exactly ... My trouble is the chickens want to eat the banana plants. Ever seen a chicken jumping to grab the leaves? .... funny!

Re: How much fertilizer can a banana tree tolerate?
 

Just as a general point of perspective, more fertilizer will not inherently result in faster growth. It's not like dumping more fuel on a fire. At best, adequate fertilizer will support the growth and allow the plant to maintain fast growth if the optimum environmental conditions are met which are the real drivers of fast growth, namely plenty of sun and warmth.

You don't need much fertilizer, especially if you're not trying to continually harvest large bunches of fruit, but you do need as much sun and warmth as you can get. In the Northern hemisphere, planting bananas on the south side of a brightly colored building with full sun all or most of the day can really get things cranking, some light and heat is reflected off the building during the day, and during cooler nights the building and foundation can maintain warmer localized temperatures. Match that with plenty of water, mulch and adequate fertilizer, and you can hope to maximize growth rate.

As others have stated, too much fertilizer is a real thing, especially when using high-potency synthetic fertilizers, and without the other important environmental conditions met more fertilizer will do nothing. I also fully agree with others that having a healthy soil high in organic matter and active with microorganisms is an important foundation that will greatly aid in growth and allow the plant to utilize whatever extra fertility you do decide to add.

Re: How much fertilizer can a banana tree tolerate?
 

Lol. I just buy the bagged manure and give a nice mound around each plant.
If you don't want to use 10-10-10, try "citrus-tone" I've had good results with it

Re: How much fertilizer can a banana tree tolerate?
 

Also throttle up gradually. My first feeding is usually manure only. 2nd is manure and 50% dose of fertilizer. 3rd is full strength.
It really depends on what your feeding. Organic is slower, but a lot safer on the plant. Chemical fertilizer is much faster, but easy to "nuke" the ground.
Whatever you decide on, I would recommend a product called "Superthrive" this stuff is magic

Re: How much fertilizer can a banana tree tolerate?
 

Using Superthrive every month usually helps when I'm trying to maximize growth. A few years ago I planted 3 plum trees. One didn't get anything, one got just fertilizer and the third got Superthrive and fertilizer. After one calendar year the Superthrive tree was almost double the size of the others.
Some people on here will argue the Superthrive theory, but it made me a believer

Re: How much fertilizer can a banana tree tolerate?
 

Every time I use something with SOP in it my plants stop growing for a week or two. It makes no sense. I used an organic mix for tomatoes with a ratio of 3-4-6 and they all stopped growing for a week or two. Paggi is still at a dead stop.
It was this stuff.. Sears.com (I got it for $5 at walmart)
I used about a half cup per plant then watered it in.

Re: How much fertilizer can a banana tree tolerate?
 

I use a lot of MOP. Murate Of Potash on mine. The good stuff 0-0-60. I mix it with urea for my normal fertilizer. I start the year with just a little. Then I move to 1/4 cup of the 50/50 mix once every 2 weeks. It pushes them hard and I have 1-2' mounds of sheep manure around the mat. I do get burns and some twisted leaves if it rains afterwards. I put it all around the plant/mat. I'm careful not to pour it all out in one spot. I hit it with the hose to wash it in but not too much. I try to let the rain finish washing it in. I've never had one stop growing. I have had burns, half leaves, deformed leaves, spiral leaves, and more than anything very thin New leaves and choking from the new roller pushing before the last leaf is out.

Be careful I have pure sand here I heard MOP is not good in clay. I hear it can build up and harden the soil.