stumpy4700

I have a Ice Cream that started flowering on 8-7-10. Do I continue to fertilize as normal, stop fertilizing, or increase it. I have searched posts and found all the above anwsers. Let me know from those who have been fortunate enough to harvest which they thought would be best. Thanks..

P.S. I will post pics when I relocate the dang camera cord..

imclueless17

I would just keep fertilizing it as normal and let it do its thang. Oh and Congrats!

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sunfish

I keep fertilizing mine when they flower.

Bob

I've read somewhere not to fertilize when it's flowering but , if you're going to keep a pup on it to keep the line going after its done it seems it would only serve to strengthen the mother corm so... why not?

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planetrj

Congrats on a perfect timing for fruit! For me, it often happens during November, then they get grazed by our frost in January right before they are plump, so I often have to throw out the top hand.

The demands of nutrients apparently don't change DURING fruiting, according to several books I've read over the years. When the plant needs the most nutrients is from 2 months before fruiting up until the flag leaf emerges. This is when the Musa is storing up all of the energy for fruiting. The available nutrients, water, warmth and sunlight are most crucial at that point.

The bottom line: When the plant is in fruiting process, it's simply releasing all of the energy stored up in the form of flowers and fruit material. So - you can continue to fertilize it to help nurture any/all of the pups that tend to emerge before the fruit set has completed.

Good Luck!!!!

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stumpy4700

Thanks for the input. They will be able to ripen on the plant until the middle of October. I'll have to figure out what to do then.

chasbear

I'm in agreement with Bob, who's logic gives the best reason for continued fertilization. Within the first minute of Dr. Scot Nelson's video Growing Bananas Part 4 on YouTube, , you'll see tractor-applied fertilizer being given to virtually everything in the commercial field.

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Greenie

.....keep feeding it!

stumpy4700

I'll give her a good dose after the sun comes up today. Thanks for all the input.

Richard

Use a water-soluble. The nutrients in organic fertilizers will not be available to the plant for weeks or months.

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Bob

....of course if you'd been using organic fertilizers and well made compost all along there would be a steady supply of nutrients enriching the soil as well as enocouraging the natural microbial activity that benefits the roots and long term plant vigor. It works for me! Both methods work just fine but, to each his own.

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Richard

Bob, you are correct that if you have been using organic fertilizers all along then the plants are now receiving the nutrients that were put down weeks ago. Therefore, if the soil is going to be changed in October, there is no point in putting down more insoluble organic fertilizer now. You could however give the plant a fast-acting certified organic potash supplement in water-soluble mineral form, such as Potassium Citrate (liquid) or Sul-Po-Mag (soluble granular).

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jjjankovsky

Great video...

The point here seems to be that the farmer feeds his field, not his individuals. That gets tougher when you have a field of one. I'd bet dollars to banana doughnuts that the fruiting plant needs nothing more, but I'm not going to try to do the experiment...I have too tall grass to mow during our rainy season.

Of note, here in the tropics, the bananas grow pretty much no matter what you do, and when they fruit there are soooooo many more than we can keep up with, fertilizer seems to be a quaint concept.

yeah, i'm not a farmer...just have to keep the 'nanner patch from encroaching into the other orchards.

And, today was a green letter day...bought a new tree...Annona Reticulata...'Custard Apple'...stay tuned for pics

Richard

Inkcube, a plant scientist from Yale with banana plantations in the tropics occasionally visits these boards. Those plantations are fed regularly to maximize production. The per-plant inputs are 1-lb Nitrogen, 0.5 ounce Phosphate, 1.5-lbs Potash.

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