Comments on: Build a Banana Circle

By: Reville

Reville — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 01:29:18 +0000

Hi Tyra – this answer is a year too late i know!
You want a banana that doesnt grow too big. 2-3m.
You can use any size banana but the size of the circle will increase proportionately. you can plan it on paper using mathematics. if the reccomendation is to plant bananas 2.5m apart in a grid pattern. then you use pi to determine size of circle so that bananas are about 2.5m apart.
u use circumference =2 pi r. so 3m diameter circle would have nearly 10m circumference fitting 4 clumps in area 3 x 3m. planting at clock position 11. 2. 5. 8. it gives a central point for addition/ recycling of banana trash, application of fertilizer and a central point of watering
the soil is excavated from the centre out to form a crater. the centre of the pit is filled with weeds, banana trash, coconut waste, ash, charcoal – any mix of organic and mineral matter you can find. especially things that are fibrous and cannot be easily composted.
these feed an ecology of beneficial wood decaying fungi, earthworms and insects that slowly turn it to soil humus. It acts like a water sponge to reduce effects of drought.
Woody debris supports growth of fungi like trichoderma which is a natural biocontrol agent of banana diseases like Fusarium (panama disease)
when banana stem is cut it is thrown to the centre to recycle nutrients. it is good way to keep the areas outside the banana circle free of debris so traffic is easier.
Banana pests do build up in soil over time and eventually the bananas will have to be replaced/ rotated with another variety or another crop. this could be papaya for example.
The banana circle becomes a site for concentrating soil fertility that can be used later by other crops.
I dont think sweet potato is the best plant to mix in. To harvest sweet potato needs excavating soil which disturbs banana roots. I think a better mix is Pinto peanut (Arachis pintoi) for nitrogen fixation, or beans like Lablab (dolichos lablab). Pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) is a good plant to encourage in the middle.

By: tyra

tyra — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 15:38:30 +0000

hello there…very good information..actually,i’m a university student from malaysia,equator climate..my group decided to work on banana circle as our biosociety project..but,the problem is, as a leader, i do not know how to start it..the really way to do it..what is the best type of banana should i use? is it i have to make several circle around the rim? is it the center should be fill with water or what?
please help me on this..

By: Marty Dorman

Marty Dorman — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 05:41:18 +0000

When is the best time to remove the banana flower? Is it good to remove the dead leaves or does it matter except for appearances?
Anybody?

By: Simon

Simon — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 09:19:55 +0000

It is nice to find this idea written somewhere. This is a scheme that I have been using for my bananas, though without the complimentary plants.
I throw my scraps in the middle and let my chickens work the scraps. The chickens then break down most of the scraps and add their manure to the mix. It grows very well.
When the suckers are comming I need to remove the chickens otherwise they strip them bare.
The only issue that I sometimes have is getting my new sucker to come up exactly where I want it for my circle to keep walking. If I sacrifice enough suckers eventually I get one where I want it.
I also think, and am told, that it looks great. People say that they always thought bananas were messy. Using this system maintains good appearance because there is no overcrowding. I also ensure that I remove all but the top 6 or so leaves which opens up the system, keeps it tidy and and I read puts energy back into fruiting.

By: Erin

Erin — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 22:17:16 +0000

I would like to adapt this idea of gray water treatment to the highlands of Guatemala… where the climate is temperate. What plants would you suggest to use instead of Banana trees?

By: John I.

John I. — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 01:34:31 +0000

I like the idea of a banana circle partially because it will help to provide a micro-climate in Melbourne that will increase my chances of obtaining fruit. However I’m concerned about unwanted pest (mice, rats, or snakes) building a home in the pit. Can anyone provide advice on how this might be prevented? I was thinking of using a large compost bin in the circle so I can throw my garden waste into it and close it with a lid.

By: wendy

wendy — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 09:18:29 +0000

a drawing or photo of the process would be helpful.
great idea, though. I am going to give it a try. Hopefully I have understood the directions. (ie which ‘rim’ are you talking about? the rim of the mound or the rim of the inner dugout circle? )

If i have understood the directions, then it sounds like you plant the bananas on the mound of soil around the hole in the middle.
Wouldn’t that mean that when you water the bananas, the water would run off away from their roots?

By: Cam Wilson

Cam Wilson — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 22:31:42 +0000

60cm is very close to plant the bananas, and will cause them to lean out considerably. Banana plants are filled with water, hence they are very heavy and can have a tendency to topple over if leaning too much. I have found it best to plant suckers at 3,6,9 & 12 o’clock on your circle. If you stick a bunch of sweet potato cuttings in your newly planted mound, this will hold, protect and improve the soil below.

The ongoing management of the stand is important too. You want to encourage the plants to walk around in a clockwise circle. Each of the original suckers you plant should eventually consist of a Grandma (full size plant with fruit formed) A Mother (medium sized plant which will take Granny’s place, as you must hack her down once she’s fruited, adding her body to the pile in the centre) and a Baby (one new sucker, again in a clockwise direction). All other suckers should be removed and replanted elsewhere or thrown into the centre if you’re already up to your eyeballs in bananas.

As Jan mentioned, you should always keep the pile in the centre heaped. If you follow these simple steps, you will have some very productive bananas on your hands (much more so than the sad looking bunch in he photo by the way)

By: MelJimAdelaide

MelJimAdelaide — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:59:06 +0000

sounds great but what climate limitations are there? i’m looking for a way to grow banana’s, pineapples and mangos in SA and dont think i have a snowballs chance.

By: ewan quirk

ewan quirk — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:27:55 +0000

well if there is no reuser or scavengers to recycle them they break down into the elements that made them and return to the food chain. instead of being an eyesore and or hazard. though I think that was a bit sarcastic the original suggestion.