Banana locally known as matooke is one of the main food plants grown mainly in Central, western and some Eastern parts of Uganda with fertile soils and good climate. Matooke is primarily grown for home consumption and bringing in income. To start growing Matooke, requires patience, care and more effort to get a good harvest.
A complete guide of planting and managing banana ( Matooke) plantations
1.Soil and land preparation
Properly clear the land, extract all the tree stumps and all other foreign materials on the land where matooke is to be grown
Dig holes 1.5 feet's down, in line and 3 meters in spacing to avoid over crowding .It helps the plants to grow freely without being shade by first growing plants since Banana plants bear large leaves when growing and therefore ensure they have enough space
Add natural fertilisers in the holes like cow dung or other farm yard decompositions to feed the soil with nutrients and fertility,
cover the manure in the hole with little soil before putting in the plant to prevent the direct contact of the plant and the manure, which might contain bio acids that could harm the roots and for quick reaction of the manure and the soil
2.Sucker selecting and preparing
Choose healthy Suckers, disease free and strong. Cut your Suckers shorter before planting
Cut off all the long roots at the bottom of the Sucker and chop off all infected parts then you plant . Drop all the cutoffs into a safe pace from the garden.
Place the Suckers gently in the holes prepared and cover them with the soil dug out from the hole
3.Weeding
Immediately weed the garden after noticing weeds. Weeds hinder the plants growth and therefore need a quick response
Incase some suckers fail to blossom remove them and replace them with new ones in time
4.Mulch the garden
Cover the banana plantations with dry leaves, grass or other mulches to keep the soil moisture needed by the plants to grow well.
5.Pests and disease control
Apply home made organic pesticides like a mixture of urine and wood ash by spraying it on the bottom part of the plant to fight off pests like nematodes and banana weavil
6.Transplant some shoots
After the banana plants produces young shoots, transplant some offsprings from the mother plant with many, to other places. Leave at least 2_3 shoots and the mother plant
It saves the mother plant from fighting for nutrients and other minerals with the young plants hence growing well
7.Growth and development
After the banana plant matures it bears a purple fruit with small bananas which later with time develop in size and grow into a full banana bunch.
8.Harvesting
Use a clean sharp panga to cut down fully grown banana Wheather for home use or market. Bisect the after harvest banana logs for extensive mulching of the garden
Conclusion
Banana farming if properly practiced Wheather for home food consumption or earning, it's reliable throughout the year, many farmers have gained wealth from the healthy and heavy bunches of matooke they harvest. It's important to maintain nature by using organic inputs to improve on the banana yields and increase on soil nutrients.