Musa 'Super Dwarf Banana'™

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°F (21° C) or higher to minimize crop time. Soil temperature lower than 65°F (18°C) 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°F (23-32°C). Higher temperatures do not negatively affect plant growth if the moisture and nutrients are controlled well.

Light: Super Dwarf BananaTM 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.

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 1.5. 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.