sirdoofus

So I have used Hugelkultur style beds for young trees with good results, but I don't really know if it will be beneficial for bananas or just a bunch of extra work.

Does anyone else have any experience with this planting technique for bananas?

Whatever the case may be I thought I would share the process I go through of building one if anyone is interested. This is where my basjoo will be going.

First cut the turf away



sift the rocks out



The finished hole dug below grade



Some of the stuff that will go into the hugel bed



The first layer of logs, partially rotted maple and some alder



Layer of partially composted alpaca dung tossed on



Then native soil and watered in so the nooks and crannies fill in



A layer of charcoal and wood ash



Another layer of logs - this time very rotten fir and then some native soil on top and watered in



A shot from above showing what came out of the hole - all the dirt in the pile with the pickax sitting on it and all the rocks in the little trailer



Then the riser/grass barrier goes on. The water table in this part of the yard is at ground level in the winter so the entire plant needs to be sitting above it.



Add some grass clippings and other green organics



Then a layer of 4 mix (native soil mixed with municipal compost, aged fir, charcoal and wood ash)



Watered in to fill the nooks and crannies



Then a layer of smaller sticks, dry but not rotted and on top of that a layer of dried leaves collected last fall



Another layer of 4 mix



I decided to add another riser to the box so I can add an adequate amount of compost and mulch and still keep the plant sitting on top of the surrounding grade.



That's it for today but to be continued......

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Akula

I recommend skiping that last layer of sticks. I think it might make it very difficult to separate/remove pups, old corm, etc. in the future.

Removing those rocks and stone is an excellent idea...of course being from Florida I have only read about rocks in books and blogs...haha.

I think I would retain a zone from surface to about 1' 1/2' depth free of sticks, wood, etc. so the roots can move around and grow without being impeded. There is a greater risk from excess moisture causing rot in colder zones especally during the winter and fall months when the plants are not growing so be mindful of that issue. My plants are in slightly elevated beds and they do great so your setup should work taking into account moisture issues and root rot.

sirdoofus

The primary reason I did it this way was to hopefully decrease the frequency of watering. I know bananas are relatively shallow rooted but I am assuming they do put some roots down in search of water? That's where the rotten wood comes in, acting like a sponge to hold water for the plant. Although maybe because of where they evolved, deeper roots weren't necessary?

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sirdoofus

And done - had to put the netting around it to prevent my ducks from rooting around in the bed and my geese from stripping the leaves off.



Go baby go

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cincinnana

Sweet...
Well done.
Once the grow system aligns itself .....your good to go for many seasons.

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sirdoofus

Thank you, I certainly hope so. Looking forward to seeing what happens with it and if it will in fact decrease irrigation requirements.

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