NASD90's Big Banana & Organic Pumpkin and Tomato Grow (PICS).

Ok, so we bought this house and the previous owner was a master gardener and now that I have some time on my hands, I said... This is the year.


First, the bananas. I am not sure what strain of banana we have (I'll have to ask the previous owner), but the plants get huge... a good 35-40+ feet in the air. They are a sight to see when everything is pumping. But now they are chopped, and just in the last week I've seen amazing growth.

I have a lot, that's about 8 feet x 80 feet, full of bananas. In fact, I had to kill a few because there were just too many. Every year but last year we got fruit off them. Last year, they either got hit with some frost or due to my neglect. I had too much going on and didn't do anything to them all year. They got pretty big, but no fruit. Oh well... again, this is the year.

For it's initial fertilizer treatment on about say... 40 banana plants, give or take. I am using:

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~50 lbs - Ammonium Nitrate (pic below)

~50 lbs - Soluble Potash (pic below)

~A couple hundred pounds of ASH... super high in Potassium. (this works out to about 2 big shovels full of ash PER banana plant... Pain in the...)

~Probably a few thousand pounds of the previous years banana plant choppings, interlaced between the plants. (big below)

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Now, I applied the ASH in 2 separate installments, about a week apart, while HEAVILY watering each banana plant. Deep soaking each plant with probably 20 gallons of water every other day for the past week. I'm working on an irrigation system but don't have the funds to dump on this at the moment. So, a straight hose coming from our very deep well does the trick and doesn't really cost us anything aside from the electricity needed for the main well pump.

I put a couple of pics of the banana plants, and one with my hand on the stalk. Lets just say my hands aren't small, so you can see how fat these bitches are...

So, with all of these nutrients currently soaking on the banana plants, hopefully in a couple of months they will shoot up to the sky...

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TOMATO: Ferry Morse Organic 'Beefsteak' Tomato Seeds.

PUMPKIN: Ferry Morse Organic 'Big Max' Pumpkin Seeds.

(Identical path from germination of seed to ground)

I started these in rockwool, in a closet... Moved them to a mini-ebb-n-flow hydro system, a few at a time.
Now they are transplanted in the ground.

For the soil mixture I used, an almost equal amount of:

- Fox Farm Organic Potting Soil (pic)

- Happy Frog Organic Gardening Soil (pic)

- Peat Moss (pic)

- Cow Manure (pic)

They've all been raised on the StealthHydro nutes that came with my Bubbler... some Botanicare Organic Pure Blend Pro... and some GH Diamond Nectar. Mostly mixed in a gallon jug and soaked every other day in my mini-hydro system for the seedlings.

Now that they are in the ground, I am using Fox Farm Peace of Mind Tomato Fertilizer for the tomatoes. Since these are going to be used for consumption, I'm going for ALL ORGANIC on these puppies. The pumpkins I just want to GROW BIG, that's all. I want a cool Halloween, that's about it. If I like growing pumpkins, I'll get some of the smaller, sugar-sweet-type of pumpkins and go from there. But again, I'm fairly new at this... But a quick study.

My guy at the hydro store, which is really a gardening center, said that pumpkins love soluble potash or ASH. I have plenty of ash... We have a pretty big fire pit and I really haven't gotten in there until last week to clean it so that is why I was able to put so much ash on the banana trees. I generally go through about 1/2 cord of wood when we have a party (next week just so happens so I had to clean it anyways), and occasionally a small fire when guests come over. So... lots of ash... lots of Potassium. So, if anyone knows about pumpkins and ash/potassium let me know. He also told me he was watching a special on some pumpkin freaks out there that go for over a thousand pound pumpkins, and he saw one guy who had a vat of soluble potash and would literally rub the stuff all over his plants just about every day... Insanity.


Well, that's about it. Some pics of the products I used, and the plants themselves.

Oh, and I also started some Organic Ferry Morse 'Genovese' Basil. Going well, in a pot with some Fox Farm Organic Potting soil and getting good nutes as well.


PEACE and Feel free to stop by and say hello... Good or bad, I can take it! I promise to throw you some REP too.


Thanks!

We'll say DAY 7 since I began watering the banana plants and planted the tomatoes, basil & pumpkins.

I took some pics of the amazing banana growth that comes out of the center of the stalk, for those that are not familiar. One has literally split the exterior stalk from so much water & nutrients. Average growth per new 'limb' is about 2 feet. Some have leaves already. I wish I could tell early on which one's will flower and which one's have previously... because I read that a banana tree will only produce 1 year of fruit. I'm not sure that's an accurate account; maybe someone knows ?? Please chime in if you can. REP will come to you like the tooth fairy.

The tomato seedlings I had put in organic MiracleGro soil has taken off. I added some FoxFarm fertilizer and about a gallon of 'old' nutrients from the reservoir of the bubbler indoor system, which contained Botanicare's Liquid Karma/PureBlendPro & General Hydroponics FloralNectar... Sprayed everything with DiamondNectar as well. I'm trying to make up for lost time... in years...

In one pic of the banana plants I put a hose nozzle to show the actual size.

That's it... Not as exciting as the MJ's, but it keeps me outside, and that's what it's all about, at least at this point in my life.


Cheers & Say hello if you like.

subscribed, I will enjoy this one.

misshestermoffitt said:

subscribed, I will enjoy this one.

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Hey man, I appreciate it. I'm trying to track down some of last years photos of the banana trees where I didn't even water them and they were huge. This year is going to be a far superior grow.

Peace & REP+ to you.

I'm very interested in the bananas. I've never got to watch a banana tree or a banana grow. I think it'll be fun.

misshestermoffitt said:

I'm very interested in the bananas. I've never got to watch a banana tree or a banana grow. I think it'll be fun.

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Cool Beans... It's nice to find people that like to watch plants other than MJ grow... Though MJ is my favorite...


In any case, I found a pic from last year, around July I think so they were at about 3/4 growth. And keep in mind I did nothing to the banana plants last year, absolutely nothing... didn't even water them.

So do you cut them back and they re-grow every year? In the first pics they looked cut.

looks great man,ill be followin this.

1 your basil looks like its ready to be cut up into many clones

2 what the fuck,why does the bannana plants look like that?it looks like a log was stuck in the ground

3 throw some gravel around the pumbkin,with a white gravel,you want it to have like a 30ft radius,with post suck in the ground so the plant can vine. the gravel will help deter slugs and when the pumkins form,it will help to keep them from getting that nasty brown spot.

4th and last, PLUS REP

misshestermoffitt said:

So do you cut them back and they re-grow every year? In the first pics they looked cut.

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Yes Mam... That's the process, so they can sprout back through the center and grow out. The time to chop them is after the last 'frost'. For me it was about a month ago, if that.

One true plus of chopping them is that you get the best fertilizer... Old banana choppings chock full of potassium.

1 your basil looks like its ready to be cut up into many clones

-- You know, that's a good idea... I just have to get some more pots to plant them in. It'll be good practice as the only thing I've tried to clone is a strawberry plant from Walmart and I failed.

2 what the fuck,why does the bannana plants look like that?it looks like a log was stuck in the ground

You gotta chop them every year so they re-flower, so to speak. I answered it above the 1st post, and for the Misses above.

3 throw some gravel around the pumbkin,with a white gravel,you want it to have like a 30ft radius,with post suck in the ground so the plant can vine. the gravel will help deter slugs and when the pumkins form,it will help to keep them from getting that nasty brown spot.

-- No kidding... That's the best advice I've heard about pumpkins. Seriously, thank you... that makes total sense.

4th and last, PLUS REP

-- Thank you & right back atcha Sir.

We're having some moderate storms down here near the panhandle and some of the plants took a beating. The BANANA plants on the other hand, are thriving with all of this rainfall.

2 of my 3 large tomato bushes have fallen so I ran to Home Depot this morning (before the freakin' crowd) and got some cheap $2.98 cages. I put them around all three, as I've found out that these are vine tomatoes. Remember, I'm a newbie.

So, here are some decent pics because it's still cloudy as all hell and the camera I'm using isn't the best (smartphone).

One thing I noticed was in the last pic, the different colors of yellow, green and pink. Very interesting to me as I've never really taken pictures of these babies, but this grow journal really helps.

And I think the worst beating was taken by the pumpkin plants, they were fine before the storm, no holes or anything and now... just look at 'em. Oh, well... The MJ is going well ! haha...


Peace and feel free to comment.

All that stuff should be taking of about now right? Isn't now the season for growth for you in Florida? I'm on the west coast and the spring blooms are getting under way here.

drynroasty said:

All that stuff should be taking of about now right? Isn't now the season for growth for you in Florida? I'm on the west coast and the spring blooms are getting under way here.

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Yeah, it's going fairly well. we did get a lot of rain lately so the banana plants are ready for some serious sunlight.

I'll have to get out there and snap some pics...

Spring blooms are going well... just the weather has been chilly at night, almost too chilly. Bring on the heat! LOL.

Peace.

Looking forward to seeing that jungle man.

I was at a festival today (Topanga Earth Day) and saw a guy walking around in an outfit like the character in TS Hunter's book "Fear and Loathing..." and your avatar

drynroasty said:

Looking forward to seeing that jungle man.

I was at a festival today (Topanga Earth Day) and saw a guy walking around in an outfit like the character in TS Hunter's book "Fear and Loathing..." and your avatar

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Very cool man... Yeah, I'll have some pics up shortly, just been super busy. Everything is coming along well and the banana's are getting taller.

Peace & REP bro...

Well, I was finally able to grab a few pics today...

Banana growth is pretty good, they need some good sun though, it's been hazy lately. Today is nice in the Gulf...


Lemme know what you all think!

Thanks-

They look like they want more light. I hope they get it. Great job getting them ready for the growth spurts.

Looking good. How old are those banana trees and where do you get seeds?