Bananas In Issan

[Foreverford]

We are having what I feel are very poor results with our banana crops around the homestead in Buriram. We have about 40-50 or so main trees (hundreds of trees growing at any time) growing and the crops are few and far between. They are grown in an area that has some places that have really not not been ammended much but is still basically good quality soil that has not been chem'd or depleted or used much before and has good structure and tilth. Half is irrigated by bath and wash water (semi-organic bio-degradeable soaps used in the wash water) the other (same plot on a slight slope) with well and rain water.

I had bananas in Mexico grown in almost the same situation and quantity and had bananas in all stages of harvest all the time. Here it is a rarity to see a bloom and setting of good fruit. Fruit is few and far between. We are in the process of removing many of the trees (mostly the cooking varieties) and transplanting the few that have given us some decent crops. I have introduced varieties that we purchased from the Ag Fair at Kasetsart University and they have grown enormously and quickly but after reaching close to 6 meters high with trunks well over 30 cm in diameter they just yellow up and die of old age not even a trace of flowering. We chopped them all down and let the abundant suckers (big trees now themselves) grow and only one has finally produced what looks like a nice bunch of fruit that may give us well over a hundred bananas. That is only one of the "best" nursery varieties that has even produced in the last almost two years.

Some get a lot of water all the time and some get less but they all grow well and look good in shape and color. We have manured and composted in some areas but not excessively by any means and not much luck. With the quantity of trees I would expect normally to have flowering on a weekly basis. It is getting very close to removing almost all of them but a couple and introducing all new varieties and starting over. I expected that we should have been able to have nearly at least a few hundred if not nearly a half a thousand at this point for transplant and expandsion in and around the various farms but with nothing worth transplanting so far i haven't wasted our time or money.

Does anybody out there have a name of any any good eating (non-cooking) varieties that would be easily found amongst the nurseries that produce good bananas here in our area of Issan. I don't think it wopuld be wise to go to Chumpon (banaana capital of Thailand) to purchase there since different varities might do better there than here in Issan.

Peurto Limon was the name of the bananas that did the trick for me in Mexico. geat producers of under a hundred small to medium sized bananas on a tree not much over 4 meters high at the most with good shelf life strong skins and superb peachy sweet flavor. A superb quality for eating and baking. Hopefully there is a banana mana or womana out there that can clue me in to the banaana secrets of issan. Clueless in Lavia on a Ford Forever

[oldestswinger]

For me, the best tasting banana is the nam wah. Extremely common variety that we never have any trouble growing in Isan.

[krauti]

Hi there,

to introduce myself: I am selling a product called SUPERGREEN. 100 % organic (made of Dolomite, a kind of Limestone), in US and EUR approved for usage in organic farming. The product is milled in a High Tech mill so the particles are in a size of 6 micron in average.

We tested the product since 1 year in Thailand and got unbelievable results. SUPERGREEN is diluted in water and sprayed on to the leaves, it is a socalled foliar fertilizer. The particles are so small that they can enter the leaves trough the stomata (pores). Within the leaf, the CaC)3 splits into CO2 and CaO. C)2 is together with sunlight the motor of photosynthesis.

Anyway, I would like to send you some samples to be tested at banana trees. Honestly, we did not test the product at bananas. Usualle, plants react about 7 days after spraying. Horticultural plants start to get blossoms within about 14 days. So, if your banana tree does not get blossoms, SUPERGREEN might help.

Attached you find the detailed description of the product. If you want to test it (it is 100 % NON HAZARDOUS), please send me your name and address.

Have a nice sunday

Werner Kraeutler

MEGAGROW Co. Ltd.,

Nonthaburi

Thailand

You can call me anytime: 089 51 76 646

12 pages Information sheet SUPERGREEN.pdf

[Foreverford]

Hi there,

to introduce myself: I am selling a product called SUPERGREEN. 100 % organic (made of Dolomite, a kind of Limestone), in US and EUR approved for usage in organic farming. The product is milled in a High Tech mill so the particles are in a size of 6 micron in average.

We tested the product since 1 year in Thailand and got unbelievable results. SUPERGREEN is diluted in water and sprayed on to the leaves, it is a socalled foliar fertilizer. The particles are so small that they can enter the leaves trough the stomata (pores). Within the leaf, the CaC)3 splits into CO2 and CaO. C)2 is together with sunlight the motor of photosynthesis.

Anyway, I would like to send you some samples to be tested at banana trees. Honestly, we did not test the product at bananas. Usualle, plants react about 7 days after spraying. Horticultural plants start to get blossoms within about 14 days. So, if your banana tree does not get blossoms, SUPERGREEN might help.

Attached you find the detailed description of the product. If you want to test it (it is 100 % NON HAZARDOUS), please send me your name and address.

Have a nice sunday

Werner Kraeutler

MEGAGROW Co. Ltd.,

Nonthaburi

Thailand

You can call me anytime: 089 51 76 646

Hi Krauti

YOu know me differently than Forever Ford but my wife Rungnapa and the family here in Lavia, Buri Ram have been spraying the rice farms with Supergreen we bought a few months back and in the droughty farms the word is that the rice is looking good. We had nearly 30 days of drought (after almost a month non-stop of torrentuial downpours) so had three applications on one farm (Irrigated) and two applications on the others.

We can set up controls and start to spray suckers off the same cut down mother banana tree (maybe four off of one chopped down mother) spraying two and wrapping the others in plastic sheating to protect from over-spray and put them on a two week application and see what the results give us. They have been sprayed before but maybve only once just not sure. Definitely easy application. The transplants to the main farm will be much much easier to run controls and maybe I'll try 15% without the Supergreen. I'll keep you updated. Foilar Feeding on a Ford Forever

[Foreverford]

For me, the best tasting banana is the nam wah. Extremely common variety that we never have any trouble growing in Isan.

Thanks fopr the reply Old Swinger Guy.

I'll ask my wife if she recognizes this variety. Hoiw many rings of bananas do they produce on the average. Quantity at this point is really the last of my concerns I'm looking for a solid all the time producer that mature relatively rapidlly (none of this one plus plus year thing I'm seeing). How many trees do you have and how often do they flower and how tall are they and what kind of irrigation do you use, if any? and... and .....and thanks there Swinger Man. Future Flowering on a Ford Forever

[slapout]

krauti; How does your product compare price/coverage wise to the 'Miracle grow' manufactured by Scotts for the western market? The difference in nitrogen seems to be the one big difference. The referenced Scotts product has been around for several decades, thus my question on costs and any growth comparisons your group might have done.

[DavidARoss]

Hi I'm living between Udon Thani and Nong Khai and have many banana trees now growing and bearing fruit. Most of these trees just grew themselves from the soil that was brought in for fill about 3 years ago. We have different types of which I don't have the names for. We even have the larger sweeter bananas like Chiquitos which grow from a really small banana tree which have to be propped up when bearing fruit. They get plenty of water and I don't even fertilize them so I think it's the soil. On the other hand we planted bananas in the rice field which rarely gets water and they hardly grow at all. Some of these trees are very tall and the bananas are hard to get even with a step-ladder. My wife now cuts the green bananas, puts them in some kind of liquid,,fries them in oil,puts sugar on them and puts them into the sun to dry. Then she bags them and sells them to a local store. They never seem to get enough as they keep asking for more all the time. We also cut down the tree after bearing fruit and the suckers keep on coming up. It must be the soil and the large amount of water we give them. We didn't plan to grow bananas as most of them just started growing themselves and we'd dig up the suckers and replant them for use as shade trees.

[Foreverford]

Hi I'm living between Udon Thani and Nong Khai and have many banana trees now growing and bearing fruit. Most of these trees just grew themselves from the soil that was brought in for fill about 3 years ago. We have different types of which I don't have the names for. We even have the larger sweeter bananas like Chiquitos which grow from a really small banana tree which have to be propped up when bearing fruit. They get plenty of water and I don't even fertilize them so I think it's the soil. On the other hand we planted bananas in the rice field which rarely gets water and they hardly grow at all. Some of these trees are very tall and the bananas are hard to get even with a step-ladder. My wife now cuts the green bananas, puts them in some kind of liquid,,fries them in oil,puts sugar on them and puts them into the sun to dry. Then she bags them and sells them to a local store. They never seem to get enough as they keep asking for more all the time. We also cut down the tree after bearing fruit and the suckers keep on coming up. It must be the soil and the large amount of water we give them. We didn't plan to grow bananas as most of them just started growing themselves and we'd dig up the suckers and replant them for use as shade trees.

well done for you I wish I could find some of that magic dirt out my way. FF

[JungleBiker]

Hi ForeverFord,

I'm in Khon Kaen and also have several different types of bananas (sorry I don't know the names) including a dwarf variety only about 1m high (but normal sized fruit), a tall variety about 5 metres high, a commercial chiquita type about 3 - 4 metres high, the common nam wah variety, and so on. And they all give fruit without much care. I do trim off the older leaves with the leaf spot disease to reduce infection of the newer leaves. I also chop out some of the suckers sometimes to thin the numbers of stalks (it's best to have only three stalks (of different ages) per plant at a time - a grandmother, mother and daughter - to avoid overcrowding and to maintain a steady succession of bunches.

The nam wah types (the short stubby/chubby bananas, commonly seen everywhere in Thailand) are generally tough plants and the fruit can be eaten fresh or cooked.

I wonder if you have some sort of soil problem - perhaps nematodes (eelworms)? Or a hard layer not far below the surface (plough pan)?

JB.

[Foreverford]

Hi ForeverFord,

I'm in Khon Kaen and also have several different types of bananas (sorry I don't know the names) including a dwarf variety only about 1m high (but normal sized fruit), a tall variety about 5 metres high, a commercial chiquita type about 3 - 4 metres high, the common nam wah variety, and so on. And they all give fruit without much care. I do trim off the older leaves with the leaf spot disease to reduce infection of the newer leaves. I also chop out some of the suckers sometimes to thin the numbers of stalks (it's best to have only three stalks (of different ages) per plant at a time - a grandmother, mother and daughter - to avoid overcrowding and to maintain a steady succession of bunches.

The nam wah types (the short stubby/chubby bananas, commonly seen everywhere in Thailand) are generally tough plants and the fruit can be eaten fresh or cooked.

I wonder if you have some sort of soil problem - perhaps nematodes (eelworms)? Or a hard layer not far below the surface (plough pan)?

JB.

Well ol' Two Wheeler in the Trees thanks for the reply and i can't figure it much. The trees are extremely healthy looking and i think the only major type of concern may be towards half of them getting a bit too much water but in general good virgin soil that gets occasional organic amendments.The trees we bought went in individually and we never did pull out most of the suckers originally but will try some by being a bit more fastidious thinning and transplanting very early .That could be an issue especially with the taller (over 5 meter) stuff as the suckers can get a bit out of hand. I'm going to search the local nurseries for nothing but local nam wah as it is what I really prefer. I think I'll head towards Chumpon and try a few of their massive varieties that produce dozens of dozens. Yoou've inspired me to get much much more agressive towwards them; sometimes it's difficult to get Thai and even anyone to aggressively prune plants. we're looking to get hundreds if not thousands going but won't even think about doing more than experimental stuff at the nursery and on site until we get flowering at some sort of regular basis on one or two or more different varieties. Choke Dee Flaling on a Ford Forever

[rice555]

Hello FEF, the SIL rice has been flooded out the last two years, this banana grew out

by the old that sat in water for 3 weeks+. In one of the pic's you can see the cement

path, the water was over that 10 days. This 12 from Phi Mai

There is 2 other also coming up on their own.

This one stock of bananas was a lucky, they counted the number of fruit to get the

number for the u/g lottery.

The last pic is from the (3 days a week) by the side of the tracks market 5Km out

of downtown Korat. Bananas B.15 and fish B.20, from the next village over.

"She's been cheatingon you, while you've been cheating on her".

Can't get Taj out of my head.

rice555

[Foreverford]

nice photos those look like the kind of banaas that almost taste as sweet as a peach and have a very long shelf life. I like the fact that they appear to be able to take seaasonal flodding a bit. we got hit super hard a couple of times in the last 3 years as last year we eked out the big early drought with all oof our water reserves and was able to get the rice up and beautiful nearly head high and then got over two meters of water on top of it in the big floods that did in your SIL. His was from Khao yai ours came in torrents from the mountainds of Cambodia. Still we were able to bring in a smakll crop as it all survived but the yield was hideous.I got the levees up to about on the average of at least 1.5 meters high but still have alot more to move to get it high enough and right so we shouldn't be flooded in the 10,000 year floods as it seems we had the 100 year and the 1000 year floods in the last few years. . "Now they say Don't call us we'll call you if you something we need we'll get in touch with you" . Taj from "Like Never Before" CD FFFFF

Hello FEF, the SIL rice has been flooded out the last two years, this banana grew out

by the old that sat in water for 3 weeks+. In one of the pic's you can see the cement

path, the water was over that 10 days. This 12 from Phi Mai

There is 2 other also coming up on their own.

This one stock of bananas was a lucky, they counted the number of fruit to get the

number for the u/g lottery.

The last pic is from the (3 days a week) by the side of the tracks market 5Km out

of downtown Korat. Bananas B.15 and fish B.20, from the next village over.

"She's been cheatingon you, while you've been cheating on her".

Can't get Taj out of my head.

rice555

[Foreverford]

nice photos those look like the kind of banaas that almost taste as sweet as a peach and have a very long shelf life. I like the fact that they appear to be able to take seaasonal flodding a bit. we got hit super hard a couple of times in the last 3 years as last year we eked out the big early drought with all oof our water reserves and was able to get the rice up and beautiful nearly head high and then got over two meters of water on top of it in the big floods that did in your SIL. His was from Khao yai ours came in torrents from the mountainds of Cambodia. Still we were able to bring in a smakll crop as it all survived but the yield was hideous.I got the levees up to about on the average of at least 1.5 meters high but still have alot more to move to get it high enough and right so we shouldn't be flooded in the 10,000 year floods as it seems we had the 100 year and the 1000 year floods in the last few years. . "Now they say Don't call us we'll call you if you something we need we'll get in touch with you" . Taj from "Like Never Before" CD FFFFF

Hello FEF, the SIL rice has been flooded out the last two years, this banana grew out

by the old that sat in water for 3 weeks+. In one of the pic's you can see the cement

path, the water was over that 10 days. This 12 from Phi Mai

There is 2 other also coming up on their own.

This one stock of bananas was a lucky, they counted the number of fruit to get the

number for the u/g lottery.

The last pic is from the (3 days a week) by the side of the tracks market 5Km out

of downtown Korat. Bananas B.15 and fish B.20, from the next village over.

"She's been cheatingon you, while you've been cheating on her".

Can't get Taj out of my head.

rice555

[Foreverford]

Hello FEF, the SIL rice has been flooded out the last two years, this banana grew out

by the old that sat in water for 3 weeks+. In one of the pic's you can see the cement

path, the water was over that 10 days. This 12 from Phi Mai

There is 2 other also coming up on their own.

This one stock of bananas was a lucky, they counted the number of fruit to get the

number for the u/g lottery.

The last pic is from the (3 days a week) by the side of the tracks market 5Km out

of downtown Korat. Bananas B.15 and fish B.20, from the next village over.

"She's been cheatingon you, while you've been cheating on her".

Can't get Taj out of my head.

rice555

nice photos those look like the kind of banaas that almost taste as sweet as a peach and have a very long shelf life. I like the fact that they appear to be able to take seaasonal flodding a bit. we got hit super hard a couple of times in the last 3 years as last year we eked out the big early drought with all oof our water reserves and was able to get the rice up and beautiful nearly head high and then got over two meters of water on top of it in the big floods that did in your SIL. His was from Khao yai ours came in torrents from the mountainds of Cambodia. Still we were able to bring in a smakll crop as it all survived but the yield was hideous.I got the levees up to about on the average of at least 1.5 meters high but still have alot more to move to get it high enough and right so we shouldn't be flooded in the 10,000 year floods as it seems we had the 100 year and the 1000 year floods in the last few years. . "Now they say Don't call us we'll call you if you something we need we'll get in touch with you" . Taj from "Like Never Before" CD FFFFF

[oldestswinger]

Three in a row and a bonus point!

[Foreverford]

Three in a row and a bonus point!

Hey there you Swinger with the Oldest. I'm thinking what in the hell is this guy yapping about? Maybe a bit of being real old and losing it? I couldn't come up with a good clever repartee to your post but today i was going to try. Well Boom Baby Boom I had to crack up and start chuckling as I reviewed the entire topic and noticed that I had done a three-peat with my posting. Maybe I better get a mirror out if i want to look for the crazy man. FFFF (A Four in a row)

Edited July 30, 2011 by Foreverford

[Foreverford]

Hi ForeverFord,

I'm in Khon Kaen and also have several different types of bananas (sorry I don't know the names) including a dwarf variety only about 1m high (but normal sized fruit), a tall variety about 5 metres high, a commercial chiquita type about 3 - 4 metres high, the common nam wah variety, and so on. And they all give fruit without much care. I do trim off the older leaves with the leaf spot disease to reduce infection of the newer leaves. I also chop out some of the suckers sometimes to thin the numbers of stalks (it's best to have only three stalks (of different ages) per plant at a time - a grandmother, mother and daughter - to avoid overcrowding and to maintain a steady succession of bunches.

The nam wah types (the short stubby/chubby bananas, commonly seen everywhere in Thailand) are generally tough plants and the fruit can be eaten fresh or cooked.

I wonder if you have some sort of soil problem - perhaps nematodes (eelworms)? Or a hard layer not far below the surface (plough pan)?

JB.

Yo Two Wheel Vine Jumper. Just reread your post and now definitely understand your great help and advice. We definitely had way too many suckers as most of the trees were very old established groups and the new ones were abundant in their pushing of new suckers. Mother, daughter and grandmother description was completely missed by me but now is perfectly clear and a great way to describe good and proper cultivation methods for these tropical wonders. I think we're cool on all the rest of the growing aspects (lots of EM chicken manure, compost and water and now trying nano-calcium) as the super-stock from Kaesetsart had about three tons of mass in way less than a year only problems with the monsters was that we let about 8-10 suckers get to 10 feet when there should have been only one of those and and another one or two coming out of that sucker. Hot dog that has ggot to be it and you are now my hero forever so simple but so ignorant. Wow victims of the trees to tough to fruit. They are very very vigorous growers and if i had done it right right now we could be looking at having probably over a dozen flowing with fruit. The one with fruit now has well over a hundred bananas hanging and maturing how glorious to see dozens any who it'll be that way within a year i hope now. If so I'll bring you over a few of the suckers and let you give them A TRY. Finding the Facts with Fords Forever

[IsaanAussie]

Perhaps the problem with the bananas is getting the right sort of fertilisation, organic oddity or perhaps one of our members have a secret?

Didnt know whether to put this under bananas, strawberries or something related to pigs.

Apologies to RBH

IA

[Foreverford]

Perhaps the problem with the bananas is getting the right sort of fertilisation, organic oddity or perhaps one of our members have a secret?

Didnt know whether to put this under bananas, strawberries or something related to pigs.

Apologies to RBH

IA

I really think thinning and transplanting the suckers may have been the reason I wasn't getting more fruiting. Jungle Biker's "Grandmother, Mother and Daughter" idea of the trees is an excellent one though I'm going to opt to have two daughters and then thin a bit later to one or maybe see if i can get two to flower and fruit. Fruits Flowers Fords Forever

[rice555]

Hello FEF, this was a booth at a orchid show/contest(4 days) downtown Korat,

I saw this booth and took a look. I should have bough then, next day they didn't

have any more of the red ones.

rice555

[Foreverford]

Hello FEF, this was a booth at a orchid show/contest(4 days) downtown Korat,

I saw this booth and took a look. I should have bough then, next day they didn't

have any more of the red ones.

rice555

Got some hanging now with hundreds on. Grandma mom and baby (leaving three trees in a bunch and rmoving all others) I think is the key to getting them to set but still too short a time and not enough smart strong backs to get control of the jungle but we are digging and spreading them about and bedding in Issan Aussie's compost. Fords and Fingers of Fruit Forever

[andycrosby]

We have a few trees and I mean no more than 20 just for us at home and we end up giving loads away as there are always to many. Sounds like a soil problem. our trees are never watered or cared for the leaves are used for cooking and they just grow and fruit. I think there are 3 kinds one with a pit or seed in it I hate them. One thats a little larger that is sweet and a large type African banana that we brought from a man off a truck.

[JungleBiker]

Hello FEF, this was a booth at a orchid show/contest(4 days) downtown Korat,

I saw this booth and took a look. I should have bough then, next day they didn't

have any more of the red ones.

rice555

That must be the same guy who came to the ag fair in Khon Kaen in Jan. I did buy a sucker of the red banana, plus a couple of other types, but now all my bananas are under about 1 meter of floodwater. They must all be dead by now.

[rice555]

Hello JB, I think the Banana guy maybe having a 'flood sale',

his area seam's to be quite wet.

Between the storms passing threw Korat, I can sometimes

hear the faint sound of a song in the wind, I think it's FEF

humming 'The Banana Boat Song' over Surin way rusted to

the seat of a water logged ford.(Flooded On the Road Dead)

rice555

[Foreverford]

Hello JB, I think the Banana guy maybe having a 'flood sale',

his area seam's to be quite wet.

Between the storms passing threw Korat, I can sometimes

hear the faint sound of a song in the wind, I think it's FEF

humming 'The Banana Boat Song' over Surin way rusted to

the seat of a water logged ford.(Flooded On the Road Dead)

rice555

Day O dayyyayy oh daylight come and me gotta go home

We singing day ayye ayye ayyyyee ohhh daylight come and me wanna go home

Hey mista tally mahn tally me bannana

Daylight come and me wanna go home

Woman Sweet and she take your money

Daylight come an me wanna go home.

bannana ripe it taste like honey

daylight come and me wanna go home

Day oh Day aye oh........

Well anyway a banaana song for the soul

right now it feels like time to sing that Dead old "Ships of Fools" We are under about a couple of meters of water but the levee after three years work is still holding so floodwaters are passing us by so far and the rice is massive and all tha banaanas are high and dry for now. I wish everybody luck in quick relief and drier days. "Went to see the captain, strangest I have found..........I would slave to find a way, to sink your ship of fools" Fools 'n Flooded Fords Forever

[maidu]

Anyone know how I can get a 'start' for a red banana - preferably from someone in Thailand?

Am looking for the edible type, not the ornamental.

[rice555]

Hello maidu, the contact # in post #20 might be worth a call!

I've seen them around ag & related shows/fairs here in Korat

for 3-4 years now.

They were just here,(Muang Korat/'downtown') for a week show

the first week of Jan. I saw their display driving by, but didn't

make it back to look. I still want the red they had, see poor pic.

They have the fruit for you to see, and the plants for sale.

The link below is from the link in your other post, from Florida,

some of the same pic from Banana Tree, PA.

http://www.going-bananas.com/bananavarietycatalog.htm

They might be at the Ag Show in Korat at the end of Jan.(see

Pinned 'Ag fairs/shows' for more info. Call, might be coming to

a show/fair near you soon, or ask them if they have 'red' and can

ship/bus/EMS to you like everything else in LOS.

At the feet of the guy, white shirt left hand side, is a 8' long

'thousand fingers' banana, FL only gets 5' by their gallery pics.

rice555

[cobbler]

How much do they sell nam wa trees for up your way.Down here in Bangsaphan 1 hour north of Chumpon we can easily find finger bananas .But everything else have those big black seeds in them.I think the dentists would love them because for sure they remove fillings if you bite them too hard.

Cheers Cobbler

Edited February 24, 2012 by cobbler

[rice555]

Hello Cobbler, to buy, Bt.100-200 for nam wa without seed(s), hopefully.

rice555

[cobbler]

Thanks for that rice555.We managed to pick up 345 Nam Wa for 3Bhart each from a friend in Sukothai We are now looking for another 700.We only took 345 because thats all that we could fit in the back of the ford wildtrack pickup.

I have another question.we have been told by a couple of people''you can cut the banana stalks off at the bottom right next to the bulb.Then plant the bulb upside down,under the groundThe new banana will shoot out and turn and head to the right direction.''Any ideas if somebody has tried this or seen it???

If this works we can fit 700 in the back of the ford next time.Just bringing the bulbs home.