Nanner fert question
 

I am fairly new to the banana growing thing. I have had bananas for the past 3 summers and have only fertilized this past spring with a slow release fert. What is the recommended NPK ratio for bananas and how often do you apply. Any advice on the proper way to fertilize bananas in Southeast Tennessee (z7a) would be appreciated....:weightliftingnaner:

Re: Nanner fert question
 

Stokes sells "special" banana fertilizer. Here's what they say..............

Stokes Tropicals Banana Blend- Controlled Released Fertilizer (3-month Formula) Analysis 6-2-12 w/minors. Uniquely formulated for best growth of Bananas

Re: Nanner fert question
 

I'm in Miami, Florida and took advice from Don at Going Bananas, I fertilize once a month and have had amazing results!

All 15 bananas I planted in the past 2 years have fruited!

Re: Nanner fert question
 

What fertilizer do you use?

Re: Nanner fert question
 

I buy my fertilizer directly from Going Bananas...you can contact them through their website at http://www.going-bananas.com/

Re: Nanner fert question
 

From what I have read, it should be 9-3-27. I was unable to tell a difference between that formula and 16-16-16 on my bananas, and the triple-16 is a whole lot cheaper. I fertilize every couple weeks from April to October, and sometimes every week.

Re: Nanner fert question
 

If you want a soluble fertilizer that's very inexpensive, try to find a supplier that carry the Peters and/or Champion brands. Peters has a 15-10-30 formulation, while Champion has 15-8-27. I bought 25-lb bags from McConkey Co.(McConkey has warehouses in Calif. and WA, I don't know if they have them anywhere else.) The Peters cost $11/25-lb 5 years ago, and I still have over 15-lbs left. The Champion cost me $8/25-lb last year, and I still have 6-1/2 bags. The reason I got the Champion super cheap was that they were the last batch that they had and they were closing them out.

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". Like the Miracle Gro Rose formula can easily burn your plant if you use it like you would, say, their All Purpose formula. Obviously, they do need some Phosphorus, because it is essential for root and bloom formation.

Re: Nanner fert question
 

Okay !!! Now I have a question...We grow all of our produce and other things organically.. I only used composted manure last year.. My roses are heavy Pot. feeders and I always bury banana peels around them to help feed.. Couldn't this be a way to help provide Pot. the Bananas?
Kylie