Q8tropicalmoe

Hello, would you recommend using high nitrogen or high potassium fertilizer for banana plants?

smeash

For just general purpose, a balanced 13/13/13 or 10/10/10 will work fine. You can supplement the potassium with MOP, potassium sulphate etc. In the fruiting phase, many people feed potassium only. hope this helps

edwmax

These tend to be more expensive fertilizers with fewer suppliers thus extra charge of shipping. Whereas in large quantities as used by plantations the custom blends could be just as economical as the cheap fertilizers.


For hobby banana growers, if you have the money & don't mind spending it, then go for it. ... But by understanding the the needs of banana plants, one can buy the locally available cheaper fertilizers (& on sale in our case) very economically to make your own blend ; or simply apply the nitrogen & potassium as needed during the growing season per the size & age of the plant as stated above. ... For instance, small young banana plants don't need high K fertilizers but do need P (contrary to many references) for root development. .... Banana plants store N, K, and nutrients in the corm, pstem & leaves then when the plant blooms/fruits most of the root uptake of NPK & nutrients stop. The plant then lives on its stores while the fruit matures. ... In most parts of the US this where a problem arises. When the plant dies back during winter just before blooming in the spring, it will loose a large part of its NPK stores. When the plant blooms in the spring foliar feeding (think IV injection) of the plant is now helpful to replenish the lost nutrients needed for bigger bunches and fast maturing of the nana.


Economics is a big part of fertilizer management as well as timing of application and minimizing of losses from runoff & leaching.

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ammoun

When is the exact period that the plant would need the total of 1lbN/1.5lbK please?

Q8tropicalmoe

Thank you all for your response.

edwmax

This is TOTAL for the growing season. Just divide the TOTAL by the number of applications during the growing season: be it weekly, monthly, every 2 months or 3 months.


The 1lbN/1.2lbK recommendation is for economical best practice for banana plantations. ... As a hobby nana grower with a short growing season, I apply more than the recommendation. This is to push the plant to bloom and the mature the fruit sooner. The extra fertilizer cost is not that much for a few plants. ... Just watch for rapid growth with twisted leaves, then you know you've found the maximum amount of fertilizer to use; ... then back off a little.

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ammoun

Thank you, and do you fertilize at all your in ground plants during this time please? Also when does growth pick up again next year?

edwmax

Yes and in the Spring. Unless we have a mild winter then the the plants put out a new leaf when the temps are above 50 deg F. until frost hits again.

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Soluent

So edwman, I live in the Phoenix Arizona area and the temperatures here are in the 60s and low 70s during the day and in the 40s at night. So should I be fertilizing my bananas? I know that this one is putting out a new leaf right now. Don’t mean to hijack this thread; just brought that question to mind from one of the answers.