krismaskiss

Hello,

I'm looking for guilds or biologically beneficial companion plants for bananas, not just "pretty arrangements of plants" . (For those who don't know this permaculture term: a guild is "a harmoniously interwoven group of plants and animals, often centered around one major species, that benefits humans while creating natural habitats. They are an attempt to bridge the broad gap between conventional vegetable gardens and wildlife gardening by creating plants communities that act and feel like natural landscapes, that include humans in their webwork. They usually have these components: A central element...in this case bananas...with various other elements: 1.)grass-suppressing plants 2.)insect-and bird-attracting plants 3.)mulch plants 4.) nutrient accumlators 5.)nitrogen fixers 6.)soil fumigants and pest repellents 7.)habitat nooks. Guilds restores nature;s role as the gardener's partner, transforming a solitary plant into a plant community that immensely benefits all and lightens the human workload. By designing your gardens using guilds you weave a strong web that builds fertile soil and mulch, attracts pollinators and pest-fighting insects, reduces fungal disease, provides a diverse arry of food, flowers, and herbs, creates wildlife habitat, and reduces water and fertilizer use. These benefits stem not just from choosing the right parts-the right plants-but also from placing the guild's parts in the right relationship to each other." -taken from "Gaia's Garden A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture" by Toby Hemenway.)

So my question is: Does any one on the forum know any banana guilds?