Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

As many of you know, our member Richard is enjoying his well deserved retirement and does not continue his fertilizer business.
Him and I have met last month and I have bought all his remaining Fruit Fuel fertilizer (16-8-24).
Not that I am planning on switching over to the fertilizer business, but it would be sad to see this awesome product disappear of the market. I love to use it on all my fruit trees, especially the bananas, with great success.
I am offering it to bananas.org members, charging the same price as Richard used to sell it for ($12 plus flat rate USPS shipping for a #5 bag).
USPS flat rate shipping prices:
(One bag will fit in a padded USPS flat rate envelope which is $6.8, two bags (maximum 3 bags with my ingenuity) will fit in a medium size USPS flat rate shipping box for $13.45). PayPal required.

Edited as of March 25 2017:
USPS rates went up since this post: padded USPS flat rate envelope now $7.2, two bags (maximum 3 bags with my ingenuity) will fit in a medium size USPS flat rate shipping box for $13.60

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

Is this the water soluble kind? I forget.

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

Yes it is.

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

Hey Crazy Banana,

So you're selling 5lbs bags of banana fuel for $12 + $6.80 for shipping($18.80 total)?

I just saw this post but already ordered a 2lb bag from Wellspring Gardens for $19 and change(with shipping). I want to order more for the years to come.

Also, the guy over at Wellspring Gardens also told me that their Banana Fuel is 15-5-30 and you say yours is 16-8-24. Not all Banana Fuel is the same Recipe?

Thanks for your help!

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

The "Fruit Fuel" formula was developed by our bananas.org expert member Richard and it is 16-8-24 with micronutrients and packaged by the Grow More company. It is phenomenal for bananas and all other fruit trees and does not compare to the product you have mentioned.
The price mentioned above is still current. I have talked to the Grow More Company and if there is enough demand, I am willing to continue Richard's legacy by offering "Fruit Fuel".
Just a little bragging on the side: I had 22 banana plants fruiting for me in 2015, my peach tree gave me more than 500 peaches last month and currently we have an abundance of tomatoes, strawberries and apples in a very small yard.

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

Crazy Banana, I would like to try it. I sent you a PM.

So is Wellspring Gardens a knock off of Richard's recipe? Has anyone else used the Banana Fuel from Wellsprings Gardens? The numbers look in the same ballpark so they should be similar(i'm a rookie)?

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

Most plants are not that picky. I don't know about micronutrients in Wellsprings, but assuming they both have similar amounts, they are otherwise so similar, I doubt it would make a discernible difference which one you used.

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

Where are you from ? Can you ship to Belgium ?

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

We are in California, USA.
Will have to check into shipping costs for a 5# bag to Belgium and will have to get back to you.

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

OK thx . Will iT make my musa blue Java able to flower in Belgium ?

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

It sure helps my Blue Java to flower and fruit every year in Southern California (see my avatar photo). :)

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

You need the climate first.

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

Just Google 16-8-24 Fertilizer, lots of options. I think for my 1st year to actually take care of my Banana plants, I will try to find some locally. I'll post what I find out about what's available.
https://www.google.com/search?q=Frui...-24+fertilizer

Mr. K

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

LOL! The sources below are on Alibaba ... and the suppliers are in China who only sell by the kilo-ton!! Further, you'll need to get an import license just to bring it into the U.S.!!!

Meanwhile, the product crazy-banana has is manufactured by Grow More in Gardena CA. If you really do want it in pallet quantities contact them directly.

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

2017 Update:

Price remains the same for 2017, but USPS shipping cost have been updated:
Edited as of March 25 2017:
USPS rates went up since the original post: padded USPS flat rate envelope now $7.2, two bags (maximum 3 bags with my ingenuity) will fit in a medium size USPS flat rate shipping box for $13.60 :woohoonaner:

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

are you on now?

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

Had to leave for freshly baked banana bread.

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

Hello, I am new to this site, but I would love to purchase 2 or 3 bags of the "Grow More" 16-8-24. I live in South Carolina & don't mind paying what ever it is you want for shipping. I don't know what it is about this particular product & formula, but It's amazing & I've used it on all my ornamentals. I've actually had ornamentals that looked sad & sick & this stuff puts the green right back in 'em. Please tell me how I can contact you & purchase some of this wonderful product. Thanks so much, ---Jay

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

Hello and welcome to bananas.org

I have sent you a PM.
Thank you for the nice comments about the "Fruit Fuel" fertilizer. I have never used it on any ornamentals, but have observed exceptional differences on all my fruit trees and plants.

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

New member here. Looking forward to trying your Banana Fuel.

PM sent.

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

Welcome to bananas.org
PM sent back :)

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

Hi,

PM sent!

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

PM answered via PM.

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

pm sent for 3 bags. :nanadrink:

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

Shippingcost to Sweden (2 or 3 bags)?

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

PM and email sent back.:waving:

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

Hello Daniel,

I would have to look into the detailed required custom forms to mail fertilizer to Sweden, but just to give you an idea:

one #5 bag of fertilizer to Sweden would be $12 plus $32.95 flat rate padded USPS envelope, TOTAL $44.95

two #5 bags of fertilizer to Sweden would be $24 plus medium size USPS flat rate Priority Shipping box $66.50 TOTAL $90.50

three #5 bags of fertilizer to Sweden would be $36 plus medium size USPS flat rate Priority Shipping box $66.50 TOTAL $102.50

Kind regards and welcome to bananas.org.

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

Thats to much... might get my brother who lives in us to take it with him to sweden though, i'll get back to you via pm if so. Thank you for fast reply!

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

Pm and payment sent. :08:

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

Got it, thank you. It is already on the way. PM with USPS tracking number sent.

:0519:

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

feedback left.Sorry for being a few days late but i tend to have to travel a lot due to work. All 3 bags were received in perfect condition and i cant wait to see the results this fert brings.

jody :bananas_b

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

Thank you.
I hope you will love the Fruit Fuel fertilizer as much as I do.

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

Possible to use fruit fuel in hydroponic systems, anyone tried it with good results?

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

Fruit Fuel 16-8-24 contains a significant amount of Urea Nitrogen and thus is recommended only for true soils -- not for hydroponics.

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

Pm and payment sent and for another 3 bags. My family keep robbing it because it seems to kick most any plant into high gear!

thanks
jody

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

Thank you. It will go out tomorrow morning.

And yes, I love it for all my plants. Besides 5 bunches of bananas so far this year, my tomatoes and strawberries have never looked and produced better than this year. Just finished an incredible peach and apricot harvest as well.
Great to hear that other people also have bountiful gardens.:banana_ba:banana_ba:2127::2204::2216::2140:

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

Received the package today. Now maybe i can keep some for my plants! Thanks again.:bananas_b

edit..feedback left.

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

Thank you for the kind feedback. It is always a pleasure to deal with you.

Happy successful growing!

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

I got the fruit fuel today. I should have happy plants soon.

Thanks Susan:nanadrink:

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

If growing my nanas in pots, should I complement my banana fuel with some Mg and Ca?
I keep reading articles that bananas consume a lot of Ca and also some Mg...

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

No, there's already enough in there. Check the label.

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

What Richard said applies to the Fruit Fuel manufactured by the Grow More company.
Other companies claim to have banana fertilizers (spikes, pelleted) that are not as well balanced than the Fruit Fuel.

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

Thanks for replying, no need to be rude though... I've read the lablel, says 0.3% Ca och 0,15% Mg.

According to this article (and others) frpm Haifa group the uptake by whole plants is (kg/ha):
N: 198 - 339
P2O5: 68 - 114
K2O:734 - 1268
CaO: 165 - 273
MgO: 92 - 155


Their suggestion for fertilization is (kg/ha):

N = 190 (22%)
P2O5 = 91 (10%)
K2O = 454 (52%)
CaO = 67 (8%)
MgO = 76 (9%)

8% and 9% are pretty far from 0,3% and 0,15%... that's why I'm asking. Maybe I'm missing something (this is not at all my expertise). If so, please explain (in a frieldy tone please).

I'm using Fruit Fuel, bought from Richard a few years back. So my question is releated to Fruit fuel.

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

Thank you for being a loyal Fruit Fuel user.
And thank you for the clarification as Banana Fuel (this what you were asking in your post #40) manufactured by a different company and Fruit Fuel manufactured by "Grow More" are two different products.

Do you have a concern with the Fruit Fuel? Are your plants not performing well?
This is what to look for:
Magnesium is contained in Chlorophyll and is vital to the green shade of a plant and its capacity to produce nourishment from sunlight. It is needed for sugar development, but it is also needed for the uptake of other nutrient, especially phosphorus. A lack of magnesium would result in mottled yellowing leaves, they may turn dark and die.
It is my understanding that too much magnesium does not directly affect plant production, but it can cause deficiencies in other nutrients like calcium or potassium causing limited fruit production or poor root development.
Calcium is needed for new root development and new suckers. It also assembles cell walls. An insufficiency of calcium can be seen if new leaves emerge deformed or start to shrivel at their tips.

Forgive me, I am just reading your link on my lunch break on a limited sized phone screen, but Table 25 shows Calcium percentage range 0.4% to 1.0%,
Magnesium percentage rate 0.2% to 0.36%. Both are close to the 0.3% Calcium and 0.15% Magnesium in the Fruit Fuel.
I have seen the Haifa studies before and they are referring to field grown commercial banana plantations under (almost) ideal growing conditions and not to growing "a" plant in a pot or plants I grow as a hobby gardener in a marginal climate.

Having said that, I highly recommend any gardener to do a soil analysis to take the guess work out of the game.
If you look at Table 23 of your link, it shows some significant differences in soil analysis between the Caribbean, Costa Rica, Martinique and Australia.

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

No intention of being rude. Your statement implied that neither were present in Fruit Fuel.

They are discussing initial soil ppm over a one year period using granular minerals. Their calculations also include leaching of minerals by rainfall in tropical banana growing regions.

Fruit Fuel is a water-soluble concentrate designed to feed the roots of plants grown in true soils on a monthly or bi-monthly basis. The quantities of fertilizer to achieve the same results is therefore different than granular minerals.

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

Having some problems with some of my bananas yes. Trying to eliminate some causes... My problems should be discussed in another thread and not contamination this one though.

A misunderstanding from my side, sorry. Probably my slumbering (since high school) english ;-)

Great answer! Thank you. Then I don't have to worry about Ca and Mg.

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

According to the label that Richard posted, you should "complement" with both Ca and S because 0.30% Ca and 0.16% S are grossly insufficient.

According to http://www.aensiweb.com/old/jasr/jasr/2006/470-476.pdf, S content should be 20% that of N, which for banana fuel would translate to 0.2*16 = 3.2%.

According to http://m.haifa-group.com/files/Guides/Banana.pdf, Ca content should be about 33% that of N which would translate to 0.33*16 = 5.3%.

For sulfur, you can add magnesium sulfate but you should not add calcium salts because it will form a precipitate of relatively insoluble calcium sulfate and calcium phosphate. Better to alternate fertilization with a calcium nitrate solution because then, at least, the precipitate will form within the soil near the plant roots.

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

According to the book, Agricultural Chemistry (MirPublishers, Moscow), ionic phosphates are immobile in soil, especially clay soil, and, when applied to the soil surface, remain near the surface until the soil is tilled under.

However, urea phosphate may penetrate soil because it is covalently bonded. To my knowledge, the only commercial fertilizer that contains urea phosphate as its only source of phosphorus is Peters Excel® 15-5-15 Cal-Mag Special. See

http://cdn.greenhousemegastore.com/d.../msds-1515.pdf

Although made for container plants, I have outstanding results on ground plantings using this product.

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

Mr. Aruzinsky (whose posts I ignore) should take up his issues with Dr. Ruehr.

http://www.bananas.org/f9/fruit-gard...ruit-5743.html

Re: Fruit Fuel - Banana Fuel UPDATE
 

Just an update on using the fuel. Good product! Banana plants have started looking better and bigger.

I put some on some potted bananas, and they perked up. I even tried some on a few potted dragon fruit and they went nuts! Better than the cactus food I was using. One dragon fruit stem I had just rooted, about one foot in length shot up to 8 feet in 3 months in the small pot and is a monster with mutliple stems. Don't know of it was the banana fuel but I am thinking so. It is a great product.

I will order more in the future.