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In order for the banana harvest to be successful, the plant must be optimally supplied with nutrients. We show what is important when fertilizing bananas.
Actually, bananas (Musa) only grow in warm climates without frost. Under the right site conditions, however, they also thrive here and spread an exotic flair in the garden or in the house. To ensure that your banana tree thrives and stays he althy, you should take good care of your darling. Optimum care and, above all, needs-based fertilization are crucial for success. After all, under optimal conditions, a banana tree grows about an inch a day and forms an average of one new leaf per week. In order to achieve such feats, the banana must constantly absorb new nutrients from the soil. But the supplies in the substrate will eventually run out. Therefore, in this article, we will explain to you how you can optimally supply your banana plant with nutrients through regular fertilization.
Although bananas are originally native to subtropical and tropical areas, there are some varieties that are relatively hardy and can be cultivated not only in the house but even in the garden. We will explain below when and with what to best fertilize your bananas in the bed and in the pot.
When are bananas fertilized?
In general, you should fertilize your banana plant regularly but in moderation during the growing season. Some banana species can reach a height of up to 2.5 meters. For the growth and formation of the large, green leaves, the tropical plant must above all be supplied with sufficient nitrogen.
Fertilize bananas in the pot
If you want to cultivate bananas in a pot, you should ensure good starting conditions right from the start. Special citrus or Mediterranean plant soil is very suitable as a substrate. In principle, however, any commercially available potting or garden soil can also be used. However, make sure that the soil is permeable to avoid waterlogging. In addition to regular watering, from now on you can also fertilize regularly in order to cover the banana's nutrient requirements and enable it to perform at its besthelp From March to October you can add a liquid fertilizer such as our Plantura Organic Citrus & Mediterranean Fertilizer to the irrigation water every week.
To avoid over-fertilization, it is advisable to use a primarily organic fertilizer and to follow the quantity recommendations on the package. During the dormant phase in winter, you should definitely reduce the amount of fertilizer and only fertilize every six to eight weeks. Depending on the growth of the plant, you should also repot the banana tree every one to two years and exchange the substrate for a fresh one in order to provide the plant with new nutrients.
When are bananas fertilized in the pot?
- Use suitable substrate
- Fertilize weekly during the growing season
- During the dormant phase, only fertilize in smaller quantities every 6 to 8 weeks
- Replace the substrate every 1 to 2 years
Fertilize bananas in the bed
Winter-hardy banana varieties, such as the Japanese fiber banana (Musa basjoo), can be planted in the bed (by August at the latest). To ensure that the plant is not damaged over the winter, however, special protective measures should be taken - you can find more information on this in this article on bananas overwintering. To improve poor soil, you can work in a shovel of mature compost or rotted manure outdoors when planting. In order to optimally supply the banana plant with nutrients, an organic fertilizer with an organic long-term effect such as our Plantura organic universal fertilizer is ideal. This is incorporated into the top layers and then slowly decomposed by microorganisms in the soil so that it gradually becomes available to the plant. As soon as the perennial starts to grow significantly in spring, you should fertilize regularly with liquid fertilizer or mature compost.
When are bananas fertilized in beds?
- Incorporate compost or manure when planting
- Administer fertilizer with organic long-term effect for optimal nutrient supply
- Fertilize weekly from spring with liquid fertilizer or compost
What is the best way to fertilize bananas?
Regardless of whether you want to grow your bananas indoors or outdoors, there are different methods of fertilization to choose from. What are the arguments for using primarily organic fertilizers and what other options are there?we will introduce you below.
Fertilize bananas primarily organically: Application recommendation
In order to cover the high nitrogen requirement of bananas, organic natural fertilizers such as compost or rotted horse manure can be used. Since decomposition via microorganisms takes some time, it is also advisable to use organic fertilizers in liquid form, because the nutrients they contain can be absorbed more quickly by the plant in dissolved form. From a sustainable point of view, however, there are many advantages to using an organic long-term fertilizer.
What are the advantages of an organic long-term fertilizer?
- Reduced risk of over-fertilization due to slow decomposition via microorganisms from the soil
- Promotion of active soil life and improvement of soil structure
- Particularly gentle on plants, people and animals in the garden due to the absence of chemicals
Our Plantura organic universal fertilizer fully meets all of these criteria. The production from predominantly organic plant residues from the food, feed and semi-luxury food industry is particularly resource-friendly. The high nitrogen content promotes plant growth and the formation of leaves in your banana tree, especially at the beginning of the growing season. Sufficient phosphorus in turn stimulates root growth and flower formation. The potassium it contains also strengthens the immune system and improves the winter hardiness of the plant. A sufficient amount of this nutrient is also required by species that form small fruits in the course of their development. In order to meet the nutritional needs of bananas and not damage the plant through over-fertilization, it is important to apply the optimal amount of fertilizer. So that you can supply your perennial with the right amount of nutrients, we have prepared precise fertilizer instructions for you below.
Organic Long-Term Fertilization: Instructions & Dosage Amounts for Bananas
- Before planting: Lightly work 100 - 150 g/m² (8 to 12 heaped tablespoons) of our Plantura organic universal fertilizer into the soil
- Water the freshly planted banana tree well so that the granulate can loosen
- Fertilize about 80 - 120 g/m² (7 to 10 heaped tablespoons) every spring (March)
- A second fertilization in June provides optimal support for your banana tree
Fertilize bananas with minerals
Blue grain and mineralLiquid fertilizers are often used to fertilize bananas. The nutrients it contains are in their pure form and can thus be directly absorbed and converted by the plant from the soil solution. Due to the easy solubility of the nutrients, however, there is also an increased risk of over-fertilization with mineral fertilizers - they are therefore only suitable for the fertilization of bananas to a limited extent. If used improperly, the high s alt concentrations can cause the perennial to droop or even drop its leaves. In addition, artificial fertilizers can be more easily washed out into deeper layers of soil and lead to contamination of the groundwater there. In contrast, primarily organic fertilizers are much gentler on the environment and, if used correctly, support the development of your banana tree more sustainably.
Fertilize bananas with home remedies
Perhaps you have also heard that banana trees should be fertilized with cut up banana peels. In fact, these are rich in potassium, magnesium and phosphate. To speed up the decomposition process, it is best to break up the shells and work them into the substrate either fresh or dried. In order to cover the nitrogen requirement, however, banana peels should only be used in combination with other fertilizers. In addition, it is better to only use the skins of organic bananas, otherwise the fruits are sometimes heavily contaminated with pesticides.
Make banana fertilizer yourself
You can easily make your own liquid fertilizer from cut or chopped banana peels. To do this, boil around 100 grams of the banana peel pieces with one liter of water. Then leave the brew overnight and strain off the remains of the peel the next day. Before use, it is best to dilute the brew in a ratio of 1:5 with water and water the plant with it. Incidentally, this banana fertilizer is also ideal for other indoor plants, flowering perennials and especially for roses (Rosa). It promotes the he alth and flowering of the plants and, with its high potassium content, also ensures that they get through the winter better. Over-fertilization is hardly possible due to the low nitrogen content, which is why you can fertilize your plants with banana peels throughout the season without hesitation.
So that you can ensure optimal conditions right from the start, we will show you in this specialArticle on how best to plant bananas and what else to consider when caring for bananas.