Re: A banana fungus among us?
 

I've decided to try again with Goldfinger (Musa AAAB group). I'll grow it in a pot for a while. Then I'll plant it on the other side of the house from where the diseased plant was.

I've read that implements and tools don't transmit the virus, but, just in case, how do I clean (disinfect) my garden tools--bleach? alcohol?

Re: A banana fungus among us?
 

Wash with bleach. The corm can also be disinfected with bleach too before planting. This helps to prevent transfer of fungus from one field/plot to another.

Re: A banana fungus among us?
 

Certainly you mean diluted bleach, like a capful in a couple gallons or some such... I just don't want this poor guy to dump pure bleach on his corm and kill it. :D

Re: A banana fungus among us?
 

Yes, diluted. Two tablespoons to the gallon is about 200 parts/million. Good for washing vegetables before selling or eating.

Disinfection of banana corms using bleach at 10% - 20% (100ml/200ml per L). Rinse with clear water. AgriGuide - AgriGuide ... Hot/boiling water can be used too.

Disinfection of garden tools: How to Disinfect Gardening Tools: 3 Steps (with Pictures)

Re: A banana fungus among us?
 

WOW!! 2 cups of bleach to a gallon? Seems like way too much to me. Especially is you are going to soak them 10 minutes...

Re: A banana fungus among us?
 

I think that was two bleach bottle caps of bleach per gallon, or about 2 TBSP. You can also just wipe your tool blades with undiluted bleach and let them air dry.

Re: A banana fungus among us?
 

The 'undiluted' bleach (household) is only 5% to 6% (standard) to 8.25% concentrated.

Re: A banana fungus among us?
 

How can I disinfect the soil where the infected banana plant was? Or shouldn't I even try?

Re: A banana fungus among us?
 

Similar to preparing a garden. Not all fungi is bad, some are good. I have done this to garden beds:

1. Dig and break up clods to about 6 inches depth, or more, where most fungus will live. Do this for all the area you want to plant in and an additional few feet around the infected area.

2. Dig a trench around the edge of the area. Or use bricks or something to hold plastic down flat around edge of area like rocks, bricks, etc, whatever is easiest for you.** Sometimes I lay bags of mulch around. I also do this to kill weeds. :ha:

3. Spread some heavy duty clear plastic (you can get a roll from a hardware store) and cut to length. Spread another layer across that and cut. If your hardware store has some clear plastic sheeting used for lining car trunks, try to get several long sheets free if they will let you have some (also depends on size and area to cover).

4. **Push gently into trench and cover trench with soil you previously removed.

5. Let set a couple of months. Here in SW Florida, through the end of August should do it since we are coming up on April now you may just want to let it go dormant from April through July or August. You can use a soil thermometer to check the temperature, which should reach 115-120 deg F here and if you want to ensure fungi die. Just leaving plastic on the soil for a couple of months during our hot, wet season should do the trick.

6. Remove plastic, or leave on soil and punch some holes in it with a garden fork or put nails through a piece of board and attach a handle and stamp holes in plastic to allow water to perc through and keep weeds down (does the same trick as weed fabric and I have done this in banana beds. If pups push up, just slice a hole for them to come through. My bananas and plantains in Central Florida loved this.

7. Option: I also add a 3-in-1 Organicide drench to the soil before planting again.

8. Add some good, clean disinfected garden soil and compost on top of the disinfected soil or just leave plastic on it as mentioned above and you should be ready to go. Use Mychorizal and disinfecting seeds if planting seeds will also help.

9. Now plant! Remember, the bad fungus you had was spread by an insect, right? Control them! If the bananas planted there have the same problem in the future, it is likely the insect causing it.

And...Yes, I have done this! It also can kill weed seeds. Good when changing a garden bed to new crops during hot part of year in Florida (we have a different growing season than up North of course).

I hope this works for you! Not hard to do unless ground is hard to break up.

Don

Re: A banana fungus among us?
 

I had the plant and corm removed about two months ago--or so I thought. I noticed that a new stem has just emerged from the spot of the plant that was removed. I guess a piece of the corm survived and produced a new stem. Now my question is, is this stem likely infected with banana streak virus, too, as was the previous plant?

Re: A banana fungus among us?
 

This solution was the perfect fix for my problem. The fungus has stopped growing and my bananas seem to recovering.

Re: A banana fungus among us?
 

...:woohoonaner: .... :goteam: ... :drum: ...

Re: A banana fungus among us?
 

You can find 10% chlorine bleach at Walmart sold as Pool Chlorinating Liquid.

Re: A banana fungus among us?
 

The NPK value for banana skins is 0.6-0.4-11.5. ... The NPK of fresh banana peels is 1/5 of that, making an NPK of 0.1-0.1-2.3. The difference is water in the peel. So how much peels do you need? .... One or 2 peels for a pot is good. BUT, if you needs 100 lbs of fresh peels to get 2lbs of potassium I think you would be better off buying fertilizer or the potassium as needed.


Grandmas are not always right or helpful. They are for loving as Grandmas.

Re: A banana fungus among us?
 

the spammers are getting sneakier
making a post and then editing later to include spam
or in this case it seems relevant but the signature is full of spam links

Re: A banana fungus among us?
 

Edwmax,

I understand what you're saying but what else can I do with all the peels I have from my bananas? I agree that fertilizers have a higher NPK and macros. We got 2 pods last yr and hopefully I will have a little more this yr. I bury or compost our kitchen scraps.

Re: A banana fungus among us?
 

If you have nana peels, use them. But they are not a replacement for fertilizer. .... Grass clippings are much higher in nitrogen; use that too.

Re: A banana fungus among us?
 

Some times I cut a bunch greens from the garden to feed my chickens. Then the little ladies will distribute chicken manure all over the yard. So not only do I get some free fertilize. I don't have to spread it. ....:bananas_b

Re: A banana fungus among us?
 

I also use grass clippings and leaves around my plants with fertilizer.