• It is good to add half a kilogram of lime when planting bananas.
• Apply compost, cattle manure or green leaves @ 10 kg/plant at the time of planting.
• For double sucker planting at a spacing of 3 m x 2 m, 133 per cent of recommended dose for single sucker planting in six splits is needed when farm yard manure is used as the organic source.
• The recommended dose for single sucker itself is sufficient with vermicompost as organic source. This should be accompanied with in situ green manuring @ 15 g cowpea seeds per pit (25 kg/ha) at the time of planting. Incorporate the cowpea crop into soil 40 days after sowing.
• Plant crop followed by two ratoon crops gives maximum yield. Two suckers per clump should be retained for ratooning

Fertilizer dosage

Apply N:P₂O₅:K₂O at the following dose (g/plant/year)

• Nendran (irrigated): 190:115:300
• Other varieties depending upon soil fertility level: 160-200 : 160-200 : 320-400
• Palayankodan (rainfed): 100:200:400
• Palayankodan (reclaimed alluvial soils of Kuttanad)
  • Plant crop : 100:200:400
  • First ratoon : 150:200:800
  • Second ratoon : 150:200:800
• Njalipoovan (Onattukara): 200:200:400

Method of application

• Apply in two equal split dose a) 2 months after planting b) 4 months after planting.
• Apply the fertilizer 60-75 cm around the plant
• For ratoon crop, the entire fertilizers have to be applied in a single dose immediately after the harvest of the preceding crop.
• Irrigate immediately after manuring.

Note:
For Nendran, apply the fertilizers in six split doses as detailed below which will be beneficial to improve the finger size and bunch weight, provided the farmers can afford the cost of application.

Time of fertilizer application	N:P2O5: K2O g/plant
One month after planting	40:65:60
Two months after planting	30:50:60
Three months after planting	30:00:60
Four months after planting	30:00:60
Five months after planting	30:00:60
Just after complete emergence of bunch	30:00:00
Total	190:115:300

• In Onattukara, for Njalipoovan, apply N, P₂O₅ and K₂O @ 200:200:400g/plant/year in two equal split doses:
  a) 2 months after planting
  b) 4 months after planting.
  
• For Palayankodan (rainfed), planting may be done in January and the suckers may be given pot irrigation @ 9 litres of water once in 15 days until April-May.
• After planting banana, sow sun hemp / daincha / cowpea adopting a seed rate of 50 kg/ha. Incorporate the crop into the soil 40 days after sowing. Repeat sowing of green manure crop and incorporate into soil 40 days after sowing.
• Incorporation of cowpea in the inter-spaces of banana cv. Nendran with 75 per cent recommended dose of fertilizer (143:85:225 g N: P₂O₅ : K₂O /plant) can be done as INM practice for highest BC ratio.