Don’t Cut Your Mama Banana Tree Down After You Harvest

 Cut it waist high and use this technique to grow your banana patch with new Keiki banana trees that pop up

The best fertilizer formulation to put inside the hollowed-out banana pseudostem (after cutting down the harvested "mama" plant) is a balanced, slow-release fertilizer high in potassium, or a rich organic blend like compost or well-rotted manure. Potassium is especially crucial for banana health and encourages strong offspring (keiki), while organic materials enrich soil microorganisms for long-term vigor. growplant+2

How the "Hollowed Stalk" Feeding Works

• After harvest, cutting the pseudostem at waist height and hollowing out the center creates a natural reservoir.
• Filling this cavity with fertilizer or compost allows nutrients to slowly leach down to the mother plant’s rhizome and root mat, directly feeding the developing pups. tropicalfruitforum

Recommended Fertilizer Formulations

• For synthetic blends, use an NPK ratio of 8-10-10, 10-8-10, or 10-8-20. harvesttotable+1
• Potassium sulfate or wood ash (for potassium), and bone meal (for phosphorus) are good amendments.
• For organic options, use well-rotted manure, compost, or worm castings. These provide slow-release nutrients and improve soil health. gardenbetty+1

Application Tips

• Fill the hollowed stalk with a mix of chosen fertilizer and moist compost to keep it from drying out too quickly. growplant
• Adding organic matter and wood ash is especially useful in volcanic or tropical soils where potassium leaches out rapidly. workshop.bunnings+1
• Avoid using high-nitrogen, fast-acting fertilizers alone, as they can burn roots or promote excessive leaf growth at the expense of fruit and healthy suckers. gardenbetty+1

Summary Table

Using the hollowed trunk method is a traditional and effective way to feed nutrients directly to the future banana crop through the root system, aiding "babies" as they grow. tropicalfruitforum+1