What's the best fertilizer for basjoo musa banana??
 

Hi there! What a great site!! :woohoonaner:

We live in the Seattle, Washington area and planted Banana Boy about six years go. He's never disappointed and last summer (2008) he produced his first bunch of fruit. He grows probably 15'+ every summer.

In the past when we winterized him, we would cut the leaves off and wrap the stalks in bubble wrap and black plastic. It's worked for us and in the spring the new growth starts at the top of the trunk instead of at the ground. Recently we were told that that wasn't the best thing to do as it creates a hot house for these guys and mildew can build up and harm the plant. It was suggested that this year we don't cut the leaves and just let them drape over the trunk which creates protection? What is the rule?

Last winter, Seattle got hit very hard with wind and heavy snow. The wrapped trunks ended up falling over so we cut them down to the ground. We were pretty sure we had lost him and we lost about five dracaena palms due to the harsh weather. But lo and behold, Banana Boy is starting to spring forth again with some new babies...I think there are about 25 poking through.

My question is this: What is the best fertilizer to use on these guys to give them a jump start and throughout the summer? We have others planted in the yard and they're not poking through yet. We hope we haven't lost them. We were hoping some fertilizer might encourage them up. We've used Miracle Grow in the past but again, I don't think that's the key. Any help on winterizing and especially fertilizing would be great!!

Re: What's the best fertilizer for basjoo musa banana??
 

I plant mine in almost pure compost with horsemanure, and fertilize with cowmanure during the summer. Sometimes even with pure salpeter (NO3) a little to kickstart growth.
Good luck,
Remko.

Re: What's the best fertilizer for basjoo musa banana??
 

Thank you!! I appreciate the reply.

Re: What's the best fertilizer for basjoo musa banana??
 

How do we know we are getting maximum results from our fertilizer attempts...in our climate...i get about a new leaf every two weeks at peak season...I mulch my bananas with compost...home made....I dont know if that is average or very good....lets hear from some of you....how frequently do you see a new leaf on your M Basjoo????

Re: What's the best fertilizer for basjoo musa banana??
 

Hello, I use Palm tree fertilizer for mine with organic grass fertilizer. I'm in Washington and it works well. tons of leaves and new pups. Hope that helps.:03:

Re: What's the best fertilizer for basjoo musa banana??
 

Thank you! Is there a particular brand of palm tree fertilizer you use and where do you get it?

We just got some palm tree steaks at palmsnorthwest in Auburn. Home | Palms Northwest We use these on our windmill palms. Do you think these would be safe for bananas, too?

Re: What's the best fertilizer for basjoo musa banana??
 

You are welcome. I get it for Mclendon's hardware in Sumner Wa. Home Depot doesn't carry it. You can also order Palm Tree fertilizer on line. The brand is Lilly Miller. I think they also have a web site Mclendons.com

Re: What's the best fertilizer for basjoo musa banana??
 

I use 24-8-16 on my basjoo and any tropical you want nice leaves on. But I've found for inground plantings, the cheapest brand of lawn fertilizer works just as well. They're usually like 24-0-0 or something similar. Just don't use weed and feed by accident instead, that doesn't work NEARLY as well....lol...

Re: What's the best fertilizer for basjoo musa banana??
 

:ukkibannana:Great advice, Sandy!!!

Re: What's the best fertilizer for basjoo musa banana??
 

I use the cheapest fertilzer I can find. Its 10-10-10 for about 8 dollars for 40 lbs. The bananas seem to love it. I give them about a cup every three weeks or so.

Re: What's the best fertilizer for basjoo musa banana??
 

Hi Sandy, I use 24-8-16 as well for my two windmills and sometimes for my Basjoo...so far I've had great results, especially the Basjoo, as it pushes out about 2 leaves a week!! :goteam: What I usually use for the Basjoo is Sea Soil every 3 weeks, I just throw it all around the base. How much of the 24-8-16 should I use? That's the problem I always have, trying to figure out if I'm giving enough/too much.

Thanks! I always learn so much on here!

Heidi

Re: What's the best fertilizer for basjoo musa banana??
 

Its hard to give too much.

Re: What's the best fertilizer for basjoo musa banana??
 

Thanks!
Here's a picture to show how yellow the leaves are. Is this normal?

Re: What's the best fertilizer for basjoo musa banana??
 

it would appear to me your banana plants n eed some type of iron?

Re: What's the best fertilizer for basjoo musa banana??
 

Hey thanks shopgirl2, I'll look into that! Maybe I'll put out a new post about this.

Re: What's the best fertilizer for basjoo musa banana??
 

please google bbtv the picture looks like you might have a problem...

Re: What's the best fertilizer for basjoo musa banana??
 

thank you bradbub I will do that.

Basjoo Update
 

The banana has greened up very nicely since I added a handful of Potassium Sulphate 0-0-50 and watered in 24-8-16. I will continue adding sea soil every 3 weeks since first planted. I think it just needed more fertilizing than that.
Thanks everyone for your help!

Re: What's the best fertilizer for basjoo musa banana??
 

I started using Milorganite this year and am amazed at the results! You may want to give it a try.

Re: What's the best fertilizer for basjoo musa banana??
 

Milorganite is the brand name of an organic nitrogen fertilizer produced by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District. Popularized in the United States during the 1940s and 1950s, it consists of processed sludge from the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District Jones Island Wastewater Treatment Plant in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The fertilizer is made of treated biosolids that have nutrients from the sewage stream along with added iron, used to strip phosphorus from the waste water flowing into Lake Michigan.
The name Milorganite is a contraction of the phrase Milwaukee Organic Nitrogen, and was the result of a 1925 naming contest held in National Fertilizer Magazine.

-- from Milorganite - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The N-P-K of Milorganite is 5-2-0. A better choice for Musa basjoo is a subtropical or citrus formula with ratios 3:1:2 such as 12-4-8, 24-8-16, or 30-10-20.

Re: What's the best fertilizer for basjoo musa banana??
 

Sewage sludge should NOT be used on plants that bear fruit!!! The amounts of Metals that build up in the tissues can be hazardous to your health!!! The metals can biomagnify!!! The plant may look good but toxic metals that are concentrated in sewage sludge can be TOXIC!!! :2239:

Re: What's the best fertilizer for basjoo musa banana??
 

Wow, I sure didn't know this! I won't be buying any more then. I'll just use it on my ornamentals as a supplemental fertilizer. Thanks for bring this to my attention.

Re: What's the best fertilizer for basjoo musa banana??
 

That is probably the most important thing I learned in Ecotoxicology! :2239:

Re: What's the best fertilizer for basjoo musa banana??
 

Ok .. I am confused!!! I have read everywhere that basjoo does not get a fruit that is in anyway edible. If that is so, then why the worry/caution about using milorganite on a tropical plant grown just for size and appearance??? Now I get the point about not using it on your tomatoes, just in case, although there are those that say the chemicals in other vegetable fertilizers also could be harmful and impact our health, but now we have to watch out for P.C. fertilizer police here??!!

Re: What's the best fertilizer for basjoo musa banana??
 

Back to the subject, in the picture, the yellowish droopy leaves look like your banana had been kind of chronically underwatered. The watering is probably helping as much as the fertilizer. Mine tend to do that in the winter in the greenhouse when I run them really dry to avoid root rot.

Re: What's the best fertilizer for basjoo musa banana??
 

Hey thanks Sandy, I was actually wondering if I had overwaterd it, as we've had a long stretch without rain and I was watering it every 2 days or so with a full can. We're having another week of high temps and no rain. This has been unusual for Vancouver as we usually have tons of rain until July.
Heidi

Re: What's the best fertilizer for basjoo musa banana??
 

You are correct that there is no real worry unless the milorganite is applied to the ground for several decades and then someone grows an edible plant that also happens to uptake heavy metals.

Note that Miloganite is 5-2-0. For a basjoo or other non-fruiting subtropical, you would apply:

1-lb net Nitrogen divided by 5% ==> a maximum of 20 lbs of milorganite per plant per year.

However, you will be short on Potash (K). If you use granular Sul-Po-Mag (aka K-Mag) or liquid Potassium Citrate, you would also apply:

2/3 lb net Potassium divided by about 22% ==> a maximum of 3 lbs of either per plant per year.

Do not apply all at once. Instead, divide the yearly amount into monthly dosages during the growing season.

If your plant is in a very large container (tub), then half that amount is sufficient. For a 15 to 20 gallon pot, use 1/4 that amount, and for smaller pots use 1/10 of the dosage for plants in the ground.

Re: What's the best fertilizer for basjoo musa banana??
 

Hello Hilashes, I'm over on Vancouver Island and enjoying our early good weather too.

I'm wondering if all the rock around your banana is causing it to get too hot? I notice it is right beside a fence too so you might have a little micro climate going there.

I had a basjoo planted in a rock garden a couple years back and it did not do well at all.

Just some thoughts.

Re: What's the best fertilizer for basjoo musa banana??
 

Thank you SO much Sunsetsammy! That makes perfect sense, I love to hear everyone's experiences so I can avoid the same errors. I'll think of a possible relocation. Last year I had a banana at the front of my house in a rock garden where it did very well in the open. I could put it there (I lost the original one this past winter :( )

Heidi

Re: What's the best fertilizer for basjoo musa banana??
 

On th Milorganite, wasn't that the fertilizer that was allegedly used on the White House soil bed? I read that the First Lady was growing veggies but because of that fertilizer being used during the Clinton admin, the soil isn't suitable for edibles. Correct me someone?

Re: What's the best fertilizer for basjoo musa banana??
 

That would be it.