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Primary Uses: |
Foliage |
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Planting: |
Most Banana species do not produce
seeds. Propagation is by planting suckers rising from the main
corm of a mature plant. Commercial plantations use plants
raised by tissue culture since they carry a virus-free guarantee. |
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Seeding Rate: |
Banana corms should be planted in a hole
18 inches deep and 18 inches wide. The seed corm is then placed
pointing upward in the hole and soil is packed tightly around the
corm and completely covering it. Depending on the variety of banana
being planted, the location and the type of machinery to be used,
various spacings can be used in banana plantings. The more common
spacings are 8’ x 12, 8’ x 10’, 10’ x 10’ and 10’ x
12’, and these result in about 400-600 mats (a clump of plants)
per acre. Bananas can be planted at any time of the year and can be
harvested 11-15 months after planting the corm. |
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Fertility: |
The banana is a fast growing plant that
quickly yields a heavy crop and thus requires repeated applications
of fertilizers. Fertilizer rates should be based on soil or tissue
analysis, but if this information is not available, a general rule
of thumb is to apply 2 lbs of complete fertilizer per mat every 2 or
3 months. Bananas require large quantities of potassium and thus
should be provided with a fertilizer high in potassium such as
10:5:22 or 10:20:20. Two to three months after planting, the
first application of fertilizers should begin and should continue
through flowering and throughout all ratoons (subsequent crops from
the same mat.) |
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Insects: |
Pests include Banana Aphid (Pentalonia
nigronevosa), Banana Corm Weevil (Cosmopolites sordidus),
Chinese Rose Beetle (Adoretus sinicus), and Banana Leaf
Roller (Erionata thrax). |
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Diseases: |
Several diseases affect banana depending
on the country where it is grown. Significant diseases include
Bunchy Top (Virus), Panama Wilt (Fusariam oxysporum f. cubense),
Black Leaf Streak (Mycosphaerella fijiensis), Sigatoka
Disease (Mycosphaerella musicola), and Moko Disease (Pseudomonas
solanacearum). |
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Harvest: |
The bunch is cut when near ripe.
The supporting stem is then cut and one of the suckers selected to
become the next fruiting stem. |
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Comments: |
Musa basjoo is a winter hardy
banana from Japan. When properly mulched in the fall it will
survive the winter in Ohio and regrow in the spring. The
fruits are not edible.
TCS |
