Simple and Effective, but not Elegant.

PR-Giants · 03-04-2013, 12:18 PM

This is a simple and effective way to grow bananas.

My plants produce larger bunches and do it more quickly using this system.

No fertilizer was used, only grass clippings and water were added to the barrel.

With the roots being so concentrated it was relatively easy to maintain proper moisture levels, even during a severe drought.

I've experimented with banana leaves and pseudostem pieces, but the root development was not nearly as good.

The container was lifted for the next two photos

dec 11

These bananas were all planted around this same barrel of grass.

dec 13 - Harvested feb 1

Harvested feb 24

A 50 oz & 51 oz - Bloom to harvest 59 days.

mar 3

mar 4

mar 3

mar 8 - The Bloom directly above

servatusprime · 03-04-2013, 01:25 PM

Did you anchor the barrel somehow or did you place it in the ground? I would be a little concerned with it tipping over, but I think that this pretty impressive with grass only. Did you see any symptoms of nutrient deficiency? Are you going to go for a second crop with the same barrel? And one more dumb question - any effect on the taste? Thanks.

raygrogan · 03-04-2013, 09:49 PM

Very cool! Please give more of a recipe ... how do you start, do you keep adding grass clippings, etc.

Lagniappe · 03-04-2013, 10:07 PM

Awesome! I need to know more about this. Do you use only dried grasses? What else goes in the mix? Would you be so kind as to post more pics? Have you grown other plants this way?

Thanks!

dinker · 03-05-2013, 07:29 AM

hay that is great keep up the good work and let us know what happens ok

dinker · 03-05-2013, 07:30 AM

I have been told that if you grow bananas that you have to smoke them for them to be eaten is this true or is the person full of him self??????????

Dalmatiansoap · 03-05-2013, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lagniappe

Awesome! I need to know more about this. Do you use only dried grasses? What else goes in the mix? Would you be so kind as to post more pics? Have you grown other plants this way?

Thanks!

Welcome back man!

Lord Snooty · 03-05-2013, 11:49 AM

They're whoppers! What variety are they?

Hammocked Banana · 03-05-2013, 06:52 PM

Those are african rhino horns, a very large plantain.

Keith do u just grow out pups in the pots and then plant in the ground? What would happen if u dug a huge hole filled it full of grass clipping and planted the mat-to-be in that? There could be epic yields from those ARHs!

Lord Snooty · 03-05-2013, 07:06 PM

Well named. Although a better name might be elephant tusks!

raygrogan · 03-05-2013, 07:10 PM

I bet we hear that "huge hole filled it full of grass " would collapse, as the grass would shrink to 10% of its original size. I think the vision we are about to have explained for us is a way to get around that problem, by letting the trash can provide the support, and a way to keep packing more grass in, while the banana matt has a stable environment to live in. When we see the whole picture I think the brilliance of the method will be clear.

momoese · 03-05-2013, 07:51 PM

From what I understand the banana plants are not grown IN the grass compost. The covered grass compost pile sits next to the banana plants. The roots search for nutrients, moister etc and once they find the grass they grow up into the pile (can) where they feed.

momoese · 03-05-2013, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PR-Giants

Notice the p-stem at the top right. That plants roots have grown over to the grass pile and made their way up into it. After removing the can you can see the roots growing in the grass.

PR-Giants · 03-05-2013, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by servatusprime

Did you anchor the barrel somehow or did you place it in the ground? I would be a little concerned with it tipping over, but I think that this pretty impressive with grass only. Did you see any symptoms of nutrient deficiency? Are you going to go for a second crop with the same barrel? And one more dumb question - any effect on the taste? Thanks.

The barrel is held in place by gravity and will not tip over.

There is more than enough nutrients in the grass to feed 8 large plants.

My best guess would be well over 20 lbs of N & over 10 lbs of K.

I have never noticed a problem with excess nutrients, and have been using this for over 14 years.

Quote:

Originally Posted by raygrogan

Very cool! Please give more of a recipe ... how do you start, do you keep adding grass clippings, etc.

It really is as simple as it appears.

A barrel with 2 open ends, placed in the center of 8 plants.

If you were to look at it as a grid, the barrel would be in the center section or where the ninth plant would be.

The pot of dirt on top is used to compress the grass and lower the oxygen content, in order to reduce the

temperature, more grass is added when space is available.

Lord Snooty · 03-05-2013, 08:20 PM

Mitchel, I think you've hit the nail on the head. It all becomes clear now.
I tried a similar thing a few years ago to grow pumpkins, except I used comfrey leaves and horse manure instead of grass. I can see that it works a lot better with bananas as their roots are longer and stronger.

Lord Snooty · 03-05-2013, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PR-Giants

I've only used green grass and try to maintain a high moisture level.

Grass and water only, I suppose fertilizer could be used but I have not seen a need.

There are more photos here, but they are all basically the same.

What Is Better ? & More Importantly Why ?

Well it's certainly effective. I'm very impressed.

PR-Giants · 03-05-2013, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hammocked Banana

Those are african rhino horns, a very large plantain.

Keith do u just grow out pups in the pots and then plant in the ground? What would happen if u dug a huge hole filled it full of grass clipping and planted the mat-to-be in that? There could be epic yields from those ARHs!

I can grow a banana in only grass, but the first month or so is slow.

I can also grow a banana in only coffee grounds, but it is very slow.

It is best to keep the corm surrounded by coarse sand and only allow the roots to grow in your preferred medium.

I believe the corm should be dry and the roots very wet.

Digging a hole in the center and filling it with grass will work, but the roots will enter from the top of the sides

and will be damaged as more grass is added and compressed.

With the barrel, the roots enter from the bottom and are only compressed not stretched or broken when more grass is added.

Lagniappe · 03-05-2013, 09:44 PM

This has the ol wheels turning once again. I'm thinking one could have a nice composting keyhole bed without all of the work of building up a bed around the composting hole.

caliboy1994 · 03-05-2013, 10:13 PM

I wonder if the high moisture levels would lead to root rot in the winter?

Hammocked Banana · 03-06-2013, 03:04 PM

Ahhh ok makes more sense now. Maybe I will try this this season to see if it can speen up growth a bit

03-04-2013, 12:18 PM	#1 (permalink)
PR-Giants Commercial Grower Location: Florida & Greater Antilles Find me on the map! Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 4,616 BananaBucks : 7,402 Feedback: 16 / 100% Said "Thanks" 2,927 Times Was Thanked 12,649 Times in 3,693 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 3,215 Times	Simple and Effective, but not Elegant. This is a simple and effective way to grow bananas. My plants produce larger bunches and do it more quickly using this system. No fertilizer was used, only grass clippings and water were added to the barrel. With the roots being so concentrated it was relatively easy to maintain proper moisture levels, even during a severe drought. I've experimented with banana leaves and pseudostem pieces, but the root development was not nearly as good. The container was lifted for the next two photos dec 11 These bananas were all planted around this same barrel of grass. dec 13 - Harvested feb 1 Harvested feb 24 A 50 oz & 51 oz - Bloom to harvest 59 days. mar 3 mar 3 mar 4 mar 4 mar 3 mar 8 - The Bloom directly above __________________ PR-Giants Photo Gallery 15,000+ Varieties Last edited by PR-Giants : 03-08-2013 at 06:01 PM.

03-04-2013, 01:25 PM	#2 (permalink)
servatusprime Find me on the map! Zone: 10A Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 476 BananaBucks : 100,731 Feedback: 2 / 100% Said "Thanks" 446 Times Was Thanked 912 Times in 262 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 24 Times	Re: Simple and Effective, but not Elegant. Did you anchor the barrel somehow or did you place it in the ground? I would be a little concerned with it tipping over, but I think that this pretty impressive with grass only. Did you see any symptoms of nutrient deficiency? Are you going to go for a second crop with the same barrel? And one more dumb question - any effect on the taste? Thanks.

03-04-2013, 09:49 PM	#3 (permalink)
raygrogan raygrogan's Photo Gallery Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 250 BananaBucks : 10,480 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 125 Times Was Thanked 314 Times in 166 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 17 Times	Re: Simple and Effective, but not Elegant. Very cool! Please give more of a recipe ... how do you start, do you keep adding grass clippings, etc.

03-04-2013, 10:07 PM	#4 (permalink)
Lagniappe Lagniappe's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 2,111 BananaBucks : 250,416 Feedback: 22 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,378 Times Was Thanked 1,402 Times in 558 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 535 Times	Re: Simple and Effective, but not Elegant. Awesome! I need to know more about this. Do you use only dried grasses? What else goes in the mix? Would you be so kind as to post more pics? Have you grown other plants this way? Thanks!

03-05-2013, 07:29 AM	#5 (permalink)
dinker home grower Location: i live in yucca az. Find me on the map! Zone: i am in 9 Name: valarie Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 57 BananaBucks : 5,950 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,026 Times Was Thanked 16 Times in 10 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 18 Times	Re: Simple and Effective, but not Elegant. hay that is great keep up the good work and let us know what happens ok

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03-05-2013, 07:30 AM	#6 (permalink)
dinker home grower Location: i live in yucca az. Find me on the map! Zone: i am in 9 Name: valarie Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 57 BananaBucks : 5,950 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,026 Times Was Thanked 16 Times in 10 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 18 Times	Re: Simple and Effective, but not Elegant. I have been told that if you grow bananas that you have to smoke them for them to be eaten is this true or is the person full of him self??????????

03-05-2013, 11:49 AM	#8 (permalink)
Lord Snooty Location: North Wales, Great Britain. Find me on the map! Zone: ? cool, damp & windy Name: Paul Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 67 BananaBucks : 13,580 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 32 Times Was Thanked 54 Times in 26 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 56 Times	Re: Simple and Effective, but not Elegant. They're whoppers! What variety are they?

03-05-2013, 06:52 PM	#9 (permalink)
Hammocked Banana Relaxin Under the Nanners Location: Toronto, ON and Peterborough, ON Find me on the map! Zone: 6a and 5a respectively Name: Brady Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 958 BananaBucks : 54,376 Feedback: 2 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,178 Times Was Thanked 1,156 Times in 555 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 30 Times	Re: Simple and Effective, but not Elegant. Those are african rhino horns, a very large plantain. Keith do u just grow out pups in the pots and then plant in the ground? What would happen if u dug a huge hole filled it full of grass clipping and planted the mat-to-be in that? There could be epic yields from those ARHs!

03-05-2013, 07:06 PM	#10 (permalink)
Lord Snooty Location: North Wales, Great Britain. Find me on the map! Zone: ? cool, damp & windy Name: Paul Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 67 BananaBucks : 13,580 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 32 Times Was Thanked 54 Times in 26 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 56 Times	Re: Simple and Effective, but not Elegant. Well named. Although a better name might be elephant tusks!

03-05-2013, 07:10 PM	#11 (permalink)
raygrogan raygrogan's Photo Gallery Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 250 BananaBucks : 10,480 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 125 Times Was Thanked 314 Times in 166 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 17 Times	Re: Simple and Effective, but not Elegant. I bet we hear that "huge hole filled it full of grass " would collapse, as the grass would shrink to 10% of its original size. I think the vision we are about to have explained for us is a way to get around that problem, by letting the trash can provide the support, and a way to keep packing more grass in, while the banana matt has a stable environment to live in. When we see the whole picture I think the brilliance of the method will be clear.

03-05-2013, 07:51 PM	#12 (permalink)
momoese Banana grower momoese's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Zone: zone 10 Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 7,590 BananaBucks : 787 Feedback: 9 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,754 Times Was Thanked 10,888 Times in 3,311 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 729 Times	Re: Simple and Effective, but not Elegant. From what I understand the banana plants are not grown IN the grass compost. The covered grass compost pile sits next to the banana plants. The roots search for nutrients, moister etc and once they find the grass they grow up into the pile (can) where they feed.

03-05-2013, 08:20 PM	#15 (permalink)
Lord Snooty Location: North Wales, Great Britain. Find me on the map! Zone: ? cool, damp & windy Name: Paul Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 67 BananaBucks : 13,580 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 32 Times Was Thanked 54 Times in 26 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 56 Times	Re: Simple and Effective, but not Elegant. Mitchel, I think you've hit the nail on the head. It all becomes clear now. I tried a similar thing a few years ago to grow pumpkins, except I used comfrey leaves and horse manure instead of grass. I can see that it works a lot better with bananas as their roots are longer and stronger.

03-05-2013, 09:44 PM	#18 (permalink)
Lagniappe Lagniappe's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 2,111 BananaBucks : 250,416 Feedback: 22 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,378 Times Was Thanked 1,402 Times in 558 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 535 Times	Re: Simple and Effective, but not Elegant. This has the ol wheels turning once again. I'm thinking one could have a nice composting keyhole bed without all of the work of building up a bed around the composting hole.

03-05-2013, 10:13 PM	#19 (permalink)
caliboy1994 <div style="font-style: italic;"><div style="font-style: italic;"></div></div> caliboy1994's Photo Gallery Location: SFV, California Find me on the map! Zone: USDA zone 10a; Sunset zone 18/19 Name: Andreas Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 2,301 BananaBucks : 260,953 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 1,474 Times Was Thanked 2,196 Times in 1,148 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 236 Times	Re: Simple and Effective, but not Elegant. I wonder if the high moisture levels would lead to root rot in the winter? __________________ "The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings." ~ Masanobu Fukuoka Find me on linktree here as Solarpunk Farmer: https://linktr.ee/solarpunkfarmer

03-06-2013, 03:04 PM	#20 (permalink)
Hammocked Banana Relaxin Under the Nanners Location: Toronto, ON and Peterborough, ON Find me on the map! Zone: 6a and 5a respectively Name: Brady Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 958 BananaBucks : 54,376 Feedback: 2 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,178 Times Was Thanked 1,156 Times in 555 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 30 Times	Re: Simple and Effective, but not Elegant. Ahhh ok makes more sense now. Maybe I will try this this season to see if it can speen up growth a bit

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