For a well grown and high yielding banana plantation, management is a priorty. Below are some of the to-dos.
Desuckering; this involves uprooting of excess suckers from a banana mat, you will this in order to suit the harvest frequency. Removing of the side shoot is done until the emergence of flowers 1-3 stems at most per mat (i.e. the bearing one, the follower and the sucker). Sucker management is important to avoid high mats and to maintain proper spacing. High or many suckers per mat could easily fall.
Mulching; this is used to conserve moisture in the soils, and to reduce rainfall runoff to avoid erosion. Mulch also improves the soil as the mulch material rots. However, mulch is known to serve as breeding place for banana weevils and other pests. Additionally, if you placed your mulch too close to the mother plant it will affect the growth of the young suckers. The means you need to work out a balanced approach to mulching your banana plantation in Uganda.
Staking; Bananas are susceptible to winds and should be staked to provide extra support to the banana stems. Banana cultivars that bear very big bunches are most susceptible to heavy winds. You normally do your banana staking using a forked pole.
Bagging; this involves majorly covering the banana bunch with a treated polythene bag to minimize sooty mold (Furry growth of fungus), insect damage and abrasion injury to the fruits.
Deflowering; once all the fingers have developed the rest of the inflorescence including the male flower bud) should be removed to reduce incidences of fungus and insect attack.
Fertilizer requirements: Bananas absorb a lot of nutrients from the soil. Therefore there is need to for you to replenish the soil using external sources like the farm yard manure, crop residues, homestead and kitchen refuse. You should however avoid applying metals or polythene on your banana plants. You should never apply manure too close to the banana mat as this would encourage banana weevils to breed and will also result in the high mat condition.
