ESTABLISHING THE MICROCUTTING

Tissue cultured microcuttings of 'Super Dwarf Banana'^®  should be planted into media containing 50% peat moss and 50% perlite with a starting dose of fertilizer and a pH of 5.8 to 6.5. Plants should be planted deep, placed in the high humidity environment (90%) with soil temperature no lower than 75^oF (24^oC) and grown under light levels of 400-900 footcandies (4300-7500 lux). Light intensity higher than 1200 fc (13000 lux) negatively affects the growth of plants. During rooting, soil cannot be dry. Plants are rooted after 2-3 weeks from planting and grow very rapidly. Fertilize weekly and during the summer twice a week with liquid fertilizer @ 150 parts per million (ppm) -Nitrogen (N). After 6-8 weeks, 3-5" (7.5-12.5cm) plants are ready to be planted into larger containers.

GROWING-ON CULTURE

Soil

Bananas require light, well drained soil with high water holding capacity (60% peat-20% perlite-20% vermiculite; 60% peat-25% fine bark-15%sand). Bananas can be grown in straight long fiber peat moss if it is not compressed in the potting container. When planting, do not compress potting soil. Plant young plants in soil cavities and gently cover roots.

Temperature

The soil (root) temperature is one of the most important factors affecting the growth of bananas and growers should try to maintain 70^oF (21^o C) or higher to minimize crop time. Soil temperature lower than 65^oF (18^oC) will extend crop time, plants will develop shorter 'internodes'. Lower temperatures may be used to extend shelf life and your selling window. Bananas should be grown with air temperature of 74-90^oF (23-32^oC). Higher temperatures do not negatively affect plant growth if the moisture and nutrients are controlled well.

Light

Super Dwarf Banana^® will tolerate a wide range of light intensities but grow best under lower light conditions of 400-1200 footcandles (4300-13000 lux). Under higher light levels (2,000 footcandles or 22000 lux) plants are harder, more compact, develop leaves with red spots and it becomes more difficult to control the moisture and nutrient levels.

Water

Bananas require a lot of water for growth. Do not allow the soil to dry. When roots reach the bottom of the pot, plants start to grow very rapidly and require more water and nutrients from the soil.

Nutrient level in the soil & leaf

At the sixth or seventh leaf stage, plants require liquid feeding with Nitrogen (N) @ 300ppm and Potassium (K) @ 400ppm. The frequency of liquid feeding at the beginning can be once a week, later (toward the end of the crop cycle) increased to twice a week. The chart below lists the four most important nutrient elements and the recommended level to maintain for both soil and leaf analysis.

Nutrient	Soil Analysis	Leaf Analysis
Nitrogen (N)	150 ppm	3.0%
Potassium (K)	300 ppm	3.8-4.0%
Manganese (Mn)	10 ppm	200 ppm
Boron (B)	1 ppm	30ppm

Soluble salts in the soil at the beginning of the culture should be about EC 1.0 and later after the stage of the seventh leaf EC 15. In this stage it is very important to maintain high levels of N, K, B and Ca in the soil. Additional foliar feeding may be necessary to keep young leaves dark green.

Insects

Main insect problems are Spider Mite and White Fly. Do not apply ORTHENE (Acephate, 0,S-Dimethyl! acetylphos-phoramidothioate) or LANNATE (Methomyl, S-methyl N-/(methylcarbamoyl)oxy/thioacetimidate on bananas. Thiodan (Endosulfan) can cause leaf burning.

Disease

Bacterial leaf spots caused by: Pseudomonas, Erwinia and Xanthomonas may occur when spacing is too close and leaves stay wet for long periods of time.

This text is a recommendation only, it is not an endorsement of any products or acceptance of any liability as a result of usage.