Just picked up a banana tree "pup"

12 years ago

Ok, so my local nursery buys 15 gallon pots for $1. They had a banana tree for $5 and I had 4 pots. So I paid essentially $1 for the banana tree.

I'm new to bananas, and don't want to kill this banana my first time round.

I have no idea what variety it is. They're supposed to be small/small-medium and be really really delicious. They are said to have a few seeds(?)

I am in riverside 92508, zone 9(?) so I hope that can help limit the options.

My questions are:

Full sun or part shade
What type of soil? I have clay and decomposing granite.
Lots of water, or light water? (Infrequent deep watering?)

I was told that after this one fruits, then I need to cut it down and the "pups" grow and provide the next batch. Any truth to this?

I'm sorry if these questions have been posted to death. I have very little free time to really read and research.

Thanks in advance for all help :)

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Comments (3)

lomodor
12 years ago
good deal farmer kevin!!!
welcome to wonderful world of nanners !! :)
where you are at..u will probably be able to leave them out
all yr round..luck you !
almost all bananas like full sun, good soil,well draining,and heavy feeding..and good water..good luck with the watering out there in cali..i feel for u all
from my reading on fertilizing..moderate nitrogen levels, low phosphate,and high pottasium
i now make my own fertilizer..i use so much..
alot of very good mixes out there..
a good banana fertilizer would be somewhere in area of
10 nitrogen, 5 phosphate, and 20 potash
im sure u see a ratio there..
2 parts N, 1 part phosphate, 4 parts potash..
bananas suck up potash..
and make sure there is a good balance of micro nutrients..there are alot of good banana fertilzers on market..
?? are you going to leave nanners potted..or in the ground? there i would think in the ground..
prep soil well with compost,peat..dig in..
plant water well..
sun.. most nanners like full sun.. they will grow bigger for u..if thats what u have..
my esetes,sabas (if i fertilize well) can get over 12 ft tall
and thats in utah..im lucky if i get 5 months for growing..
pupping..depends if yours are the pupping species..
ensetes dont pup.. darn!!! LOL yes..after a banana flowers if it pups,it will.. last yr..my sabas,and kandarains pupped alot.. yea !! more plants !!!
good luck.. hope ya post pics of you new additions.. let us know how u r doing !!
good deal again !!
farmerkevin
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks lomodor.

I do plan on putting her in the ground. I'm taking out some honeysuckle and making a row of bananas on the southeast side of my house and then eventually on the southwest.

After talking to my friend from the nursery, and doing a bit of Internet research, he believes the variety is burro banana. Otherwise known as Orinoco(?)

Anyone have experience with these bananas?

My soil is mixed decomposing granite and clay. I actually dug a hole for a papaya, and it drained extremely slow. It took all day to drain the first fill. So that's where I'll plant the banana. If they are heavy waterers, then the water retention will be handy. There seems to be a strip of clay on the southeast and southwest parts of the property. Those spots seem to be decently fertile. I have a pomegranate in the southwest corner that I never water and it's doing great.

I compost almost everything here. I was reading on how when the leaves die, to layer them around the tree for mulch(?). Would that be sufficient?

Oh and I collect rainwater. I wouldn't attempt to grow half of what I am growing if I didn't. That water bill would be outrageous. I already pay ~$45 a month which I think is too much. It used to be $20.

And yes I plan on having as many bananas as I can :D so my next question.

Do I need more than one type of banana for cross fertilization?

When can I plant my pup? It was pulled out of the ground a couple days ago, so can I put it back in the ground right away? I was hoping to make sure it stayed alive first before I put it through the shock of another transplant. The soil that it was growing in is the same soil I have. The nursery is right down the street, and the pup was from the banana tree already growing there.

Sorry for the novel, but I want to do this right. I love having bananas in the morning, so homegrown would make me happy :) since I've noticed that the flavor of store bought bananas seem to have gotten a "watered down" taste to them over the past few years.
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Beach_bums
12 years ago
Pups usually have few if any roots. When you plant will depend on root development. The soil in the pot looks very tight. You might consider repotting in a 5-1-1 mix, that will give you an opportunity to check out the roots. Fertilize lightly after a new leaf emerges. Put it in the ground when roots fill the pot.