Minimum planter width for growing Tall banana cultivars?
 

Hello,

I would like to ask you what is the bare minimum planter width for successfully growing Tall banana cultivars to their full height. I want to make a narrow planter between the fence and the car parking area at the front of my house and it needs to be close to 30cm if possible but knowing this may not accommodate even the pseudostem width,i would like your knowledge on that and i will consider the proposed size.

Thank you very much in advance!:bananas_b

Re: Minimum planter width for growing Tall banana cultivars?
 

5 feet

Re: Minimum planter width for growing Tall banana cultivars?
 

Re: Minimum planter width for growing Tall banana cultivars?
 

Thank you very much for your reply Jon and Tony!

Jon,
I do understand that to keep a nice big mat you do need at least 5ft but couldnt they be planted in much less space if well managed and only 2-3pseudostems are left to grow? Length isnt a problem,they will have plenty of room to spread lengthwise but 5ft of width is not an option in this tight spot unfortunately.

Tony,
Hmm,i see 3ft which sound somewhat more promising but its still too much for my place.


Wouldnt 70cm width be plenty for a nice big mat(at areas that space allows me to make it that wide) and cant they be grown in even less say 50cm? Unfortunately i am tight on patio width as they are along walkways,parkings,etc...

Thank you very much in advance! :)

Re: Minimum planter width for growing Tall banana cultivars?
 

Make it as wide as you can,that's all you can do

Re: Minimum planter width for growing Tall banana cultivars?
 

Thank you very much for your reply Tony!

The narrowest patio was planned for 30cm width but i can maybe squeeze a 50cm wide one there if that means i can grow some more Tall bananas in there. Is it feasible to fit tall cultivars in a 50cm wide patio? Do their mature pseudostems fit there?

Thank you very much in advance! :)

Re: Minimum planter width for growing Tall banana cultivars?
 

Kofi in 18" pot. Ideal no will it work yes.

Re: Minimum planter width for growing Tall banana cultivars?
 

Thank you very much for your reply Tony! That helps a lot!
Mine will be in a planter in the ground so their root system wont be restricted,it will only be the hole in the cement at the soil surface that will be restricting them in case they grow too thick but your Kofi seems thin enough that a 20" planter will be ok. Do all Tall cultivars stay less than 50cm thick at maturity?

Thank you very much in advance!

Re: Minimum planter width for growing Tall banana cultivars?
 

Yuo m,ay have a problem with Saba

Re: Minimum planter width for growing Tall banana cultivars?
 

Is the goal to have "a" banana plant in too small of a space, which has insufficient root mass, and therefore looks poor, under-performs, and has stunted fruit production? I wouldn't bother.



This was a 5' space, and would have been difficult to mange long term.

Re: Minimum planter width for growing Tall banana cultivars?
 

Thank you very much Tony and Jon for your replies!

Tony,
Are the others ok such as Brazilian Tall,Mysore,etc?

Jon,
My goal is to ground plant all bananas i have and keep them happy and well,although in small mats,till i get a new property and give them the proper space to excel. The planter i am talking about will be in the ground so they will be able to expand their roots under it with good irrigation and i was hoping that beginning with a good,humus rich soil with lots of mulch on top and organic fertilizer,they would do well and grow close to their maximum height as my climate is warm most of the year and rainy for 9months with 1m of precipitation annually. I was hoping that with your expert advise,there would be a way to make this work great and have some nice tall bananas till i get a new property and i can give them the space they deserve.
As for the labor needed in tight space for pup removal,etc,i dont mind as long as i can keep the bananas happy and have them grow close to the maximum height possible for the variety.

Thank you very much in advance! :)

Re: Minimum planter width for growing Tall banana cultivars?
 

Nice thread. Hadn't really thought about how much room they would need. This is where I intended on putting a row of assorted types of banana trees.

Re: Minimum planter width for growing Tall banana cultivars?
 

Hmmm - just a few comments without actually answering your question ...

30 cm is about a foot wide, which as you say, is borderline or too small for a honking tall banana base. But ... plants are pliable - we have all seen flattened roots, branches squished, etc. And of course we have also seen the opposite - like sidewalks busted up by roots.

What would probably happen if you would try to contain the banana are two things:

1. The banana would probably blow up your container if there was any weakness. You may want to look into something along the lines of a "snap tie" used in concrete forming to prevent the forms from falling apart due to the immense pressures. (For you something like threaded rod and big washers maybe, but the idea is supporting the big surface areas across.)

2. If you successfully contain the pressure, then the banana would probably expand over the top of the container if the soil is close to the top. This may or may not be a bad thing for your design. If you leave a good space above the soil it should not be too pronounced.

Good luck, could be fun.

Re: Minimum planter width for growing Tall banana cultivars?
 

Kostas, my friend has a dwarf Brazilian mat planted in a space that is small, but not as narrow as you describe. One of the plants in the mats appears to completely over the concrete. Obviously, it's roots have to be in the soil, but when you look at the plant you do a double take. I wish I had a picture of it because you kind of need to see it to believe it. Anyway, my point is that bananas are pretty flexible. That said, lots of the tall varieties will be well over 30 cm at the base of their pseudostems. I've seen FHIA-3 that are over 45 cm (18") diameter -- and I don't think they are the widest of the cultivars.

Re: Minimum planter width for growing Tall banana cultivars?
 

You should be good there. Those roots will find their way in that space.

Re: Minimum planter width for growing Tall banana cultivars?
 

Thank you very much all of you for your replies! :)

Mark,
A picture would certainly be helpful if its not too much trouble,to get an idea. Sounds interesting to see anyway!

Out of interest,how wide do pseudostems of Mysore,Saba,Kandrian,Brazilian Tall,white Iholena and Misi Luki, get? To know what to expect and do my best at providing them a big enough space to sustain them.

Thank you very much in advance!

Re: Minimum planter width for growing Tall banana cultivars?
 

I had a hard time with IC in 110l pot last year, it lived but no serious growth.

Re: Minimum planter width for growing Tall banana cultivars?
 

I liked this picture so much it was my desktop background for a year, just changed it this month lol . I realised i planted my mysore and basjoo too close like 2 feet apart good thing im not getting fruit from them yet.

Re: Minimum planter width for growing Tall banana cultivars?
 

Thank you very much all of you for your replies!!! :)

Ante,
I have the same problem with keeping my bananas potted,they need lots of watering and dont put much vertical growth despite many growing 4 leafs a month...My Kandrian in the ground doubled in size while my Namwah Tall which i kept potted,just reached the size it had before having rot issues early in the spring.......Thats why i am desperate to ground plant them,even if it has to be in a tight place!


I would like to thank everyone for the info and help you gave me! I will consider all and do the best i can to fulfill my banana's space needs. We plan to start looking for a new property this Fall/Winter and if all goes well,my bananas will get to grow on a 10-20acre property soon. I really hope the planter i will make will suffice to get them big,happy and fruiting till a new space is prepared for them....

Could you maybe all mention the max pseudostem width of the Tall varieties you are growing? Just to get an idea of what to expect depending on the width i make it...

Thank you very much in advance! :)