Morning all you STONERS!
So here we have it. Straight from the Nana's mouth. Rock hard evidence.
(proof of that is if any of you call my Nana a liar, we're gonna have problems!)
Bananas are good for your soil, and the plants growing with in it!
So class, please do pay attention.
I have many hours of research and trials in what I am going to share with you. Please steal and use this this info for your own benefit. If you have any questions regarding it, please refer them to Fuggzy's little happy trees!. No need to clog up LS, you guys keep it busy enough.
I personally am not a fan of fermented plant extracts/juice (FPE, FPJ) that use water. They take a long time to make, and have a horrible smell while the fermentation process takes place. As an organic gardener, and one who tries to be as natural as possible, FPE is necessary. However, I refuse to have that stagnant funk pot of glop and goo anywhere near my house. Ughh!
Now with organics, one thing you learn, and fast, is there are a 1,001 ways to do something. So I went to reading and testing. I found a waterless FPE, and I continued to test. Another thing you also learn as a organic or "natural" gardener is to make use of you surrounding. The best way to make a micro environment that will thrive in your environment... Is to use your environment to make it. This also greatly reduces the cost of nutrients, and helps ensure the micro-heard you are attracting will fit in so to say.
So banana plants are something I have a metric butt load of. Before my soil was a passion, the banana plants where a pain in my ass. I don't like them, they take a lot of work to keep them nice looking, and you typically (in my area) do not get any fruit. Now I hold them in one of the highest regards. Without any further QWERTY, I bring you ...
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Rather than relying on the water to create an anaerobic environment, we are going to rely on a osmotic pressure from brown sugar crystals to draw out the liquids of the plant materials. This method normally smells like w/e you put in it, and also much faster, taking only 10-14 days.
What you will need:
- Brown sugar (amount depends of plant amounts)
- Plant materials (banana in this guide)
- Cloth to cover the jar/vessel
I start by prepping my plant materials. Here I am just removing the outer layer of the flower, to expose the more meaty, wet core. The 2nd pic is the stem, and just to show the lose of color, the deeper it goes. I did not use this piece.
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When I get to the heart of the flower, I split it down the middle, then slice it like an onion. I get strips about 1/4" x 1". This particular batch I added a green banana. I simply cut it in ~1/2" cubes.
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Once everything is cut up, add the plant materials to the jar/vessel, and mix in some brown sugar. You want to use enough to generously coat the plant materials. We will be adding more sugar, so don't worry about going heavy handed. Once the sugar is well coated, mix everything for about 2 minutes. This is going to give the process a kick start. You will notice the sugar start to get wet, this is a sign the osmotic pressure is already working.
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After everything is well mixed, add about 1.5-2" layer of sugar on top. You want to evenly coat it, and make sure everything is covered. After that, take the cloth and loosely tie/cover the jar/vessel. There is a gas exchange that needs to happen, so make sure the mix can breath. The cover is mainly to keep critters out of it.
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This is about 2.5 days. The liquid has really collected in the vessel now.
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This is around 6 days. The gas exchange is going on, and why we want to use a loose cloth.
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This is about 9 days. The gases had already stopped forming, and I let it sit for an extra day to settle.
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Normally the mix comes out like a honey color and thickness. Because of the higher starch levels in the green banana, this batch was very thick, and needed to be diluted to get out of the vessel. I used a 1:1 dilution. Regardless if you dilute now, or after straining out the plant materials, a 1:1 dilution is the goal. I like to stir the mix with 50-100 stirs. I feel that it releases any left over gases, and adds some O2 to the mix.
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When straining, I will take the jar/vessel, and set it up side down in the strainer, and let it sit for 1 hour. What I get from this, I label as 1st wash, and bottle it in the 1:1 formulas.
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For my second wash, I simply run 500ml through the strainer, and plant materials, back in to the jar/vessel. I will agitate the materials, and swish everything around to collect anything left over. Then restrain the plant materials, and bottle/label 2nd wash. (picture limit...)
I use the 1st wash for sprays, and adding to teas, while the 2nd wash I will use for root feeding. I have nothing to go on for doing this, I just feel the 1st was is more pure/gentle, and more suited for the leaves. 1st wash is on the left, and 2nd on the right.
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For use, add it to your feedings at anywhere from 10-50% for roots, and 10-30% for leaves. Always start off low, and work up. I normally start around 20% on roots, and 10% on leaves.
Any plant materials that you would use in a traditional FPJ/FPE will work in this. I happen to have a lot of banana plants, so I use the flower often in flower mode. Here is a bit of information of the nutrient commonly found in the flower/fruit/peel, just in case any of you have access to them also.
Basic banana nutrients are:
Nutrition Facts
Bananas
Amount Per 1 medium (7" to 7-7/8" long) (118 g)
Calories 105
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0.4 g 0%
Saturated fat 0.1 g 0%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.1 g
Monounsaturated fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
Sodium 1 mg 0%
Potassium 422 mg 12%
Total Carbohydrate 27 g 9%
Dietary fiber 3.1 g 12%
Sugar 14 g
Protein 1.3 g 2%
Vitamin A 1% Vitamin C 17%
Calcium 0% Iron 1%
Vitamin D 0% Vitamin B-6 20%
Vitamin B-12 0% Magnesium 8%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Banana peel nutrients are:
Nutrition Facts
Serving size:
1 medium banana
(4.5 oz / 126 g)
Calories 110
Calories from Fat 0
*Percent Daily Values (%DV)
are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Amt per Serving %DV* Amt per Serving %DV*
Total Fat 0 g 0%
Total Carbohydrate 30 g 10%
Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
Dietary Fiber 3 g 12%
Sodium 0 mg 0%
Sugars 19 g
Potassium 450 mg 13%
Protein 1 g
Vitamin A 2%
Calcium 0%
Vitamin C 15%
Iron 2%
Banana flower nutrients are:
As per the African Journal of Biotechnology, 100g of banana flower offers the below mentioned nutrition:
51 kcal
1.6 g of Protein
0.6 g of Fat
9.9 g Carb
5.7 fgof Fiber
56 mg of Calcium
73.3 mg of Phosphorous
56.4 mg of Iron
13 mg of Copper
553.3 mg of Potassium
48.7 mg of Magnesium
1.07 mg of Vitamin E
So there you have it. A bit of what keeps this Fuggers ladies happy, and well fed. I hope you enjoyed todays lesson. Come back tomorrow for more stories of a Fugger and his garden. Take care.
