teamjbar

I planted this in regular potting soil with some tomato & vegetable food (5-10-10) mixed in, and put bark mulch on top to keep soil moist. I admit I don't know what I am doing. The grower who sold the plant to me told me that she uses Osmocote 35-35-35: 1 tablespoon every 2 weeks year-round to grow in this climate.

Not only could I not find this formulation of Osmocote, but I found no fertilizer in these high amounts. Also all the Osmocote looks like pellets...how do you add that every 2 weeks? Seems like a liquid fertilizer that goes in the water would be better. Any recommendations? And is there anything wrong with my planting method? Also...how often do I water this guy?

Thanks in advance!
Janet

sunfish

The Flying Dutchman: Dried Cow Manure and once in a week a liquid fertilizer(7+4+6)

MediaHound: I make a compost mixture with surplus material from the kitchen combined with most all organic waste from the yard. I'm now using use three UCT9.5 compost bins. I also use a variety of packaged commercial fertilizer and micronutrients. Seaweed, liquid fish, composted manure, etc. MediaHound 09:46, 24 April 2007 (EDT)

Patty in Wisc: Tomato food 18+18+21 because it has more K.

Pitangadiego: Triple 16 is cheap and effective

Chong: I find that since bananas are heavy Potassium feeders, any fertilizer that has the K component the highest, the N second, and P the least, would be advantageous since the majority of the banana make-up is Potassium. In any case, I don't think that the "P" component should ever exceed the "K". recommanded-15+10+30 or 15+8+27 E.g.

Joe Real: I use 6+27+27 XB with minors from BEST fertilizer brand. It achieves a nice balance of growth, pup and fruit production.

momoese: I use loads of steer and chicken manure as well as worm castings from my own red wigglers that have taken over the garden. I also use homemade compost and EB-Stone organic plant food 2-3 times a year.

Frankallan: I use aged rabbit manure

Rmplmnz: Compost tea wich is more or less a liquid version of compost. You take your solid compost, and soak it in water and let the mixture sit around for a few hours or a few days. Then you pour the liquid through a screen, or through cheesecloth or something similar to strain out the solid material into a bucket. What you have then is compost tea. Compost tea is great, because it is a very mild, organic liquid fertilizer that provides beneficial live organisms that improve the soil where you use it. It doesn't burn plants like store bought fertilizers can.If you can not find any of the above dump a bag of cow manure in the trash can and fill with water..

Bananimal: I use a custom fertilizer blend of 6-2-12 with minors. And especially important - I apply fert monthly. Up to 3 pounds when the plants are bigger and show real vigor.

FunSoCalTiger: I use a balanced granular slow-release such as Dynamite 13-13-13, Osmocote 14-14-14, Vigoro 17-17-17 or MiracleGro 10-10-10 every couple months or so and at planting. I also use any of several water soluable mixtures at 1-2 times the recommended doseage/frequency such as the balanced Peters Professional or MiracleGro Select 20-20-20 or the MiracleGro Tomato Food 18-18-21 (has slightly more K and also has some Magnesium). I also supplement with Epsom Salt each week to boost the Magnesium content at the rate of 1-2 teaspoon per gallon.

Nanaman: I use about 50% Jungle Growth potting mix, 40% composted cow manure, and about 10% added vermiculite, plus a few handfuls of Pre Plant Plus 7-5-7 organic fert. I fertilize about once a month with whatever I have on hand at the time, some times palm fert., some times 10-10-10, miracle grow, etc... I water them every day, sometimes twice a day if its really hot, which it usually is. In colder climates this mix may hold too.

Richard: 5 lbs of water-soluble 20-5-30 with micronutrients per maturing plant in the ground per year, applied monthly during the growing season.

PR-Giants

Nice list Tony,

It's kind fitting to see a list like that as we get close to the 100 year anniversary of the Bosch-Haber Reactor.

Ammonia Synthesis – The double-edged sword

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Snookie

Hummmm Think I'm going back to making Rabbit Turd Compost tea LOL

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teamjbar

Wow! Serious thank you! This is a lot of advice. Now which to follow...
At least we've got options to try.

caliboy1994

You don't want to fertilize year round in California, only during active growth periods. Here in SoCal, I fertilize from April to October. You probably have a shorter growing season up in the Bay Area.

If you want organic, I'm going to try using Milorganite. I'll see how it works.

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gtrplr71

I have a gros michel in Miloganite and it is growing like a weed!

teamjbar

So by "growing season" am I to understand the plant should eventually produce fruit annually? The grower said she fertilizes once a week year round and that the plant will produce fruit every 18 months, which makes it rather "seasonless" to me, and weird.

I'd rather it be annual, if it's possible. I just assumed she was referring to the plant's natural habits, but it does seem odd...an 18 month growth cycle. No matter where in the world you are, most plants don't act like that.

Thanks for the Cali and organic fertilizer tips. I would prefer organic, yes. It seems the Milorganite is extremely light on nutrients though, at 5-2-0. Do you fertilize more often with this?
Janet

sunfish

All depends on the location.

john_ny

Janet - You have to understand that the individual stem of the banana plant fruits only once, and then it dies but, in the meantime, it has put out pups, or suckers. These are what will fruit next. I think what the grower meant was that from the time the new pup appears until it is big enough to fruit is 18 months. As Tony said though, it depends on where you are and growing conditions, temperature, etc.

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Olafhenny

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PR-Giants

Milorganite video

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PR-Giants

Many of our country roads are littered with banana weeds, and banana weeds do grow like weeds under the correct conditions. Often times these weeds are bigger and more beautiful than bananas grown on a commercial plantation using chemical fertilizers.

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