Ten things to know about growing bananas in Southern Queensland

Roger Broadley, Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries.

All banana varieties get bunchy top

Fig 1.  Banana bunchy-top virus infected plants

All known varieties of bananas including Ladyfinger types are susceptible to Banana Bunchy Top Virus (Fig. 1). Ladyfinger plants show very clear symptoms of bunchy top compared with Cavendish, Red Dacca and many other varieties.

Varieties you can grow in your backyard

Residential plantings are defined as those bananas not grown for commercial purposes ie. for sale. Residential growers may plant a maximum of 10 plants (total) of one or more of several varieties, but only after obtaining an inspector's written approval. The only permitted varieties are Ladyfinger, Blue Java, Ducasse, Goldfinger, Bluggoe (plantain or cooking banana), and Kluai Namwa Khom (Dwarf Ducasse) and Pisang Ceylan.

You need an inspector's approval to plant bananas

An inspector's approval to move and plant bananas in residential areas can be obtained free of charge by making an application to the DPI&F Business Information Centre on 13 25 23. This is required to plant all banana plants, including home garden bananas and even if you use your own planting material.

Planting material

The Queensland Banana Accredited Nursery (QBAN) system adopted in both Queensland and New South Wales provides both vegetative and tissue cultured planting material acceptable to industry. Criteria for vegetative material are freedom from banana bunchy top virus and Fusarium wilt (Panama disease), distance from banana bunchy top virus and Panama disease outbreaks, and acceptable nematode and weevil borer levels. Tissue cultured sources must be from a QBAN laboratory and be grown-on in a QBAN Nursery, both of which must meet strict hygiene standards. Contact your local DPI&F office for information on possible sources of planting material.

Planting time

There are no restrictions on when bananas can be planted. The optimum time for planting in southern Queensland is between September and mid-December. The main reason for this is that bananas do not grow well and in fact may be killed by cold conditions.

Restriction on plant movement

There are currently six (6) Banana Quarantine Areas in Queensland. These are based on the need to contain the spread of Banana Bunchy Top Virus, Fusarium wilt (Panama disease) and Black Sigatoka leaf spot. Buffer quarantine areas are also declared to assist in restricting the spread of these diseases. Restrictions prevent the movement of banana plants from diseased areas into disease free areas. If you wish to move banana plants for any reason, contact your nearest DPI&F office.

Fertilising

Many backyard bananas look unhealthy due to a lack of nutrients. Banana plants use large amounts of plant nutrients for annual growth and fruit development. To meet their nutritional demands, we recommend that you apply a total of 800 grams of lime, 240 grams of urea, 30 grams of superphosphate, and 600 g of potassium sulphate per banana plant per year. For a better result, split the total application into 4 equal applications between September and May.

Banana weevil borer control

Fig 2.  Banana weevil borer adult and its larva

Banana beetle borer or weevil borer survives inside the plant stem, and in the corm. It is difficult to control and can lead to destruction of your plants.

To keep your bananas free of these borers, keep organic material at least 500 mm away from the plant stem eg. lawn clippings, dead leaves and decaying matter.

Cut down and chop up the banana plant into 300 millimetre lengths after the bunch has been harvested. The faster this material breaks down the less likely you are to have weevil problems.

Desuckering

It is usual to allow only one sucker to remain on a parent plant. The easiest way to remove unwanted suckers is to cut them off at ground level with a sharp knife. A small hollow should be gouged in the centre of the cut surface with the point of a knife and filled with about 5 - 10 mL of kerosene poured into the cavity. This kills the sucker.

DPI&F is here to help you with banana enquiries

If you suspect your banana plants are diseased, please notify the DPI&F Business Information Centre on 13 25 23, to ensure inspection, early diagnosis and control of serious disease outbreaks.

If you have any questions about growing bananas, contact your local banana inspector (see above) as they will be more than willing to help answer your questions.

See DPI&F's Biosecurity website for further information.

DPI&F Business Information Centre on 13 25 23 - local call 8 am to 6 pm Monday to Friday (non-Queensland residents phone 07 3404 6999).
E-mail: callweb@dpi.qld.gov.au

Information contained in this publication is provided as general advice only. For application to specific circumstances, professional advice should be sought. The Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Queensland has taken all reasonable steps to ensure the information in this publication is accurate at the time of publication. Readers should ensure that they make appropriate inquiries to determine whether new information is available on the particular subject matter.

Last updated 06 November 2008