Musa spp. · Field guide & calculators
Grow bananas with a plan, not a guess
A complete, practical knowledge base on banana farming: how to choose a site and variety, propagate, plant, feed, irrigate, protect, harvest, pack and sell — plus interactive calculators you can use on your own numbers.
What is in this knowledge base#
Banana farming 101
The whole system in one page: how a banana plant actually grows, what it needs, and the order to do things in.
Read the roadmap → Start hereChoosing a variety
Cavendish, plantain, cooking and specialty types — matching dessert, cooking and market segments to your climate.
Compare varieties → How-to guidePlanting, step by step
Hole size, spacing, depth, orientation, fertiliser at planting and the first 30 days that decide your stand.
Follow the steps → ReferencePests & diseases
Symptom photographs described in words: Sigatoka, Panama disease, bunchy top, weevil, nematodes and more.
Diagnose a problem → ReferenceNutrition & feeding
NPK demand curves, splitting schedules, organic options and a deficiency symptom lookup table.
Plan a fertiliser program → ToolsCrop calendar & calculators
Spacing density, fertiliser rates, harvest dates and a full establishment budget — all computed live.
Open the tools →Three ways to use this site#
If you are new
Read in order: Banana farming 101 → Climate and site → Varieties → How to plan a banana farm. That sequence takes you from curiosity to a written establishment plan.
If you are about to plant
Jump to Propagation, Planting, the planting density calculator and the establishment budget. Then bookmark Crop management for the year ahead.
If you already have a crop
Go straight to the diagnostics: Troubleshooting, Diseases, Pests, Nutrition and the harvest estimator.
The banana production cycle at a glance#
- Plan (months −6 to 0) Test the soil, pick the site and variety, size the irrigation, order planting material and write the establishment budget. Skipping this step is the single most common reason small banana ventures fail.
- Establish (months 0 to 3) Prepare land, plant at the right density, mulch heavily and keep the young mats weed-free while the root system anchors.
- Grow (months 3 to 8) Desuckering, irrigation and split fertiliser applications build the pseudostem that will carry the bunch. Leaf area lost here is bunch weight lost later.
- Protect (months 4 to 12) Fungicide or resistant varieties against Sigatoka, sanitation against bunchy top, trapping and hygiene against fruit fly and weevil.
- Harvest (months 9 to 12) Cut at the right maturity stage, de-hand under shade, hydrocool, grade and pack within hours — not days.
- Renew (continuous) The mat is perennial. Ratoon crops follow automatically; your job is to keep exactly one or two followers per mat and remove the rest.
Quick reference card#
| Question | Short answer | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| How far apart do I plant? | 2.0 × 3.0 m for most dessert types (1,667/ha); 2.5 × 3.0 m for plantain | Density calculator |
| How much fertiliser? | ~200–250 g N per mat per year in 4–6 splits, adjusted to soil test | Nutrition |
| How much water? | 1,200–2,200 mm per crop cycle; never let the top 30 cm dry | Water management |
| When do I harvest? | 75–95 days after flowering, at ~75% full fingers | Harvesting |
| How long is the cycle? | 9–12 months from planting to first bunch | Growth stages |
| What does my soil test actually mean? | A traffic-light verdict per parameter, with ranked constraints | Soil test interpreter |
| How big a pump do I need? | Size on peak ETc, not the annual average | Irrigation sizing |
| How much spray goes in the tank? | Calibrate output with a measured test run, then scale to the tank block area | Sprayer calibration |
| How many tonnes will I harvest? | Productive stands × harvests per year × average bunch weight, less losses | Yield forecast |
| How many cartons will I sell? | Field tonnage × pack-out %, split into grades | Pack-out & grade |
| When should I irrigate? | Net daily use ÷ the soil's usable water gives the interval | Irrigation scheduler |
| Will I run out of cash? | Peak funding need before the first harvest — not the annual margin | Cash-flow planner |
| What kills crops fastest? | Banana bunchy top virus and Fusarium TR4 — both are about hygiene | Diseases |