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Main Banana Discussion This is where we discuss our banana collections; tips on growing bananas, tips on harvesting bananas, sharing our banana photos and stories.


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Old 09-13-2010, 07:23 PM   #1 (permalink)
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Default Lesson Learned the Hard Way

So, I have had some great harvests earlier this year but yesterday the heavy rains finally caught up with me. Barely any of my bunches met the minimum diameter and I have several unfilled fingers per bunch (on the 2 distal hands). I'm a bit behind on my sucker management, but what I am really suspecting is that I have run out of potash. My soil generally holds nutrients pretty well it is a black clay-muck type soil that is 35% organic matter. I had fertilized back in January with 1lb of 0-0-60 per mat, but now I am wondering if maybe I should be dealing with my fertilizer differently and maybe even putting Nitrogen out even though I get about 300 lbs/acre from the soil. I am contemplating maybe even a bunch pruning program. I never had unfilled fingers at my old place, but perhaps that was because it was former lakebed.


So...What can I do in order to prevent unfilled fingers.
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Old 09-13-2010, 09:15 PM   #2 (permalink)
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Default Re: Lesson Learned the Hard Way

Undersized fruit and or bunches is a refection of a lack of inputs (fertilizer, water, sunshine). Anything that reduces those is detrimental, including pruning off any green portions of the plant, loss of leaves during winter just before flowering, disturbing too many roots during pup removal, soil that allows water and or nutrients to pass through the root zone too quickly, too many pants sharing resources in a mat, incorrect nutrient mix, etc. etc,

Sadly, only the on-site person can really assess the past history and current condition and then take appropriate action. When we grow them in non-tropical climates, getting it all right is more important, especially when you factor in the "hit" they take during dormancy in our winters.

Also, no soil is totally nutritious forever, even if it starts out over-abundantly fertile.

And sometimes there are factors that we just can't discern. Stuff happens.
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Old 09-14-2010, 07:29 PM   #3 (permalink)
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Default Re: Lesson Learned the Hard Way

Well, one thing I know for sure is that there is plenty of water, plenty of heat and plenty of leaves. The nutrition issue is another story and I know that bananas have an enormous demand for potassium when they bunch. I've had 3 individual rain events this year that totaled 16 inches, each of which I've had to pump off. So, I am almost sure that I need to fertilize and I have about 300 lbs of 0-0-60 sitting in the garage, so I guess I'll pull the trigger on it.
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Old 09-14-2010, 09:15 PM   #4 (permalink)
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Default Re: Lesson Learned the Hard Way

Fruit size and quantity is more influenced by inputs over the life of the plant, particularly at an early age, rather than by what is done when flowering begins. By the time you see the flower, it be what it be.
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Old 09-14-2010, 09:27 PM   #5 (permalink)
 
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Default Re: Lesson Learned the Hard Way

Hey Nick;
Mine have done pretty well here in Jupiter.
The stalk of Dwarf Namwah that came through the cold we had got stunted a little.
The rest have fruited very well.
I spread 0-0-20 once a month and throw down some more rounded fertilizer from time to time also. Mulch here is key because the sandy soil can evaporate and loose nutrients very fast.
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Old 09-14-2010, 11:03 PM   #6 (permalink)
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Default Re: Lesson Learned the Hard Way

I will say that these particular bananas got burned pretty bad after the freeze, but they produced 10 hand bunches and had 12 leaves at flowering and still look healthy. The fingers on the third hand should be about 34mm and the top (distal) hand should weigh 4.5 lbs. Instead, all the hands pretty much cut out at 30mm and some of the fingers in the distal hands didn't fill. If you saw my bunches you might not even know the difference, but I can tell and my buyer can tell. SO I've definitely got to implement some practices to ensure larger fruit. One of the practices used on plantains in Puerto Rico is bunch pruning so I may give that a whirl.
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