Banana Circle Design vs Syntropic Agroforestry

[@LMKTinyForest]

In my place we cut down the leaves that cannot support the banana trees any more. I think you can tell right away. And we also cut down the flower of the banana as soon as we think the banana tree cannot take more than that. Banana flowers is delicious if you know how to cook them. They are quite good for your health too. I have learned so many things from each of your videos. I hope my comments might be a bit useful. Big heart from Thailand

[@byrongrows]

Appreciate your feedback & for sharing!

[@wiseguy4457]

I live in Florida and have a “banana circle” set up with pawpaw and blueberry because I had the wrong variety a couple years ago and they froze and died so I planted what I had and it’s going amazingly. My newer banana circle with cold hardy varieties is exploding as well

[@deanhoward7534]

That's awesome. I am using both rows and circles, and I agree that the circle plants have taken off while the rows are ok. I also have chickens in with the circles, which took some adjustments, but now there is harmony, and both are thriving. I also add fish heads and seaweed when I get it, but there are 11 circles now, so 7 snapper heads don't go far!

[@syntropicfarms]

One of my favorite dudes in this space keep crushing it dude!

[@byrongrows]

Thanks brother!

[@musamusashi]

Just discovered your channel and love the content. Once the banana plant bears once, it is over in terms of production, at that point you chop it down 20 or 30 cm from the ground and it will respring from itself. A circle is basically a perennial which renews each plant at every production cycle. The choppings, both leaves and stems, alongside all the leaves you cut because dried over time, are thrown in the circle and usually is all the organic material they need.

[@glenpryce]

I've got banana circles and they're super productive. A great idea

[@janineogg2231]

Great video googled banana circles before looking in skool and look who popped up!

[@byrongrows]

Uncovering the old-Skool videos haha !

[@castng]

took a shot of tulsi tea every time you said "banana circle" and I now feel so chill, heh. we use banana circles in conjunction with grey water filter-systems quite frequently. they are a great tool to use near homes for that reason + need for OM. thank you for this video, was super helpful to see the size difference between syntropic rows, and to think of them as banana nurseries.

[@byrongrows]

Haha you’re awesome - Glad you enjoyed

[@MateoKupstysChica]

Byron, your channel is amazing! I've been trying to find ways to plant my garden (about 750mt2) with sustainable and divers methods, and your videos have given me a lot of important insights. Thank you VERY much!

[@brayanmurillo6232]

I got a place in costa rica near la fortuna and bro you give me some good ideas on those banana circles

[@cathiemilne770]

If the bananas in the circles produce abundant suckers as well as the thick stems, it seems like an ideal system to provide propagation material. Besides fruit, my priority would be to grow them for the stems which could be used for very moist covering for garden beds. I am concerned about the predictions that we can expect the next few years to be very dry so I think bananas will provide moisture for the areas I can't easily water.

[@byrongrows]

I think you’re 100% right about everything you’ve said here. Great propagation and mulch creation machine

[@johnowens5342]

I have bananas planted on the sides of my water canal over time they have really built up organic matter and do fine. Because of my dry climate I have thought about doing banana/papaya circles with irrigation pipes to help with soil moisture throughout the orange grove. what other plants do you think would mix with a banana and papaya circle?

[@musamusashi]

You can grow sweet potato, cassava, ginger, turmeric and a number of other roots crops alongside the bananas.

[@Darkfyre755]

I also do taro in mine. But i think anything that likes a lot of moisture and nutrients will do well in a banana circle if you place it right

[@philinit6476]

Im in australia and starting out some small food forest gardens and planning a syntropic row system mostly among or beside an established forest. ive got a couple questions, 1- how to stop animals such as possums and birds stealing the harvest? 2- is north south the best way to plant sytropic rows or is slightly offset/ on contour ok aswell?

[@Darkfyre755]

I'm not an expert but I'm also doing a syntropic food forest in central Qld so i might be able to help. 1. I have lots of issues with mice stealing my harvests here. I suggest using those little mesh cinched bags on your high value harvests like beefsteaks tomatoes etc as it will protect from birds and rodents and fruit flies etc. You can also use bird netting, or fencing cages. 2. I personally have my food forest on a north facing slope with on contour swales. It works well as i put the shorter trees in front at the bottom of the system and the tallest trees at the top so everything gets maximum light availability despite not being in north/south rows

[@JohannSchmidt-xw4bd]

I have dug a hole - 2m diameter by 800mm deep. Unfortunately it is heavy clay with extremely poor drainage. It is on the top of a fairly teep hill. I'm wondering whether I need to put ag pipe in the bottom of the hole to slowly drain out to the hill so I don't end up with a pond with rotten organic matter, rather than OM breaking down to compost with some air available to the process

[@Juliouvp]

Very unusual question please. I am in 500meters altitude in southwestern France where banana trees serve me as organic boost for my soil. I am questioning myself using banana trees in my syntropic vegetable garden. I wish to create half-circles whose circumference will be alternately composed of a banana tree, a fruit tree, and a coppiced deciduous tree, with a south-facing exposure, and to fill my half-circle with different layers of vegetables by height. Is this a good idea?

[@byrongrows]

On the surface, that sounds like a good idea from what I’ve read 👍

[@natebecerra9847]

I am in south Florida and my homestead has pines and lots of saw palmetto so I know my soil is acidic I bush hogged all of my saw palmetto and now I have a thick root mat to deal with what do you guys suggest I do next should I just hire someone to root rake them out or should I plant directly into the root mat what are your thoughts?

[@Mostafa...............]

Merci beaucoup Byron,tes vidéos sont très intéressantes , est que ce système agrofotesterie synthétique on peut l'appliquer au Maroc entre Casablanca et jadida zone au bord de l Atlantic pacifique climat semi aride

[@nateross14]

Just an idea.....theoretically, you could have a Latrine in the middle of a Banana circle, and if rotated between several Banana circles so as not to overflow each circle with too much humanure, Banana circles could be an amazing way to process Human waste with no smell or pathogens. The key is to always keep the Humanure covered with organic cover material like sawdust or even plain old dirt.

[@cedriccbass-jp8ky]

As your syntropic system is only a year did you say or two then you probably haven't had to prune yet or maybe just once. Do you have enough species to prune (feed) the system? Also it would be interesting to see how the growth pulse affects the banana trees when you get to that stage.

[@randomlife718]

My banana circle is 8x40 ft. I didn't dig it deep enough though. I just needed a quick fence.

[@MarviRafaelMontecillo]

for syntropic systems, i guess your bananas dont grow as thick, but you can cut them down and restart. the biomass provided by the bananas and mexican sunflower would even allow you to plant veggies and corn

[@beorntwit711]

If I was to abstract this to a rule: any nutrient hungry productive tree can benefit from a hole that you chop and drop support species into. Aside from all around shade, is there anything particular to a circle? A on-countour trench (short or long) is easier to dig/manage with a machine, I'd wager.

[@rowenadinsmore1]

can you plant lettuce inside the circle?

[@dylan_mayes]

huh, fantastic. i know now what i'm doing with my banana plants waiting to be planted

[@danielnaberhaus5337]

Banana Bunchy Top Virus has made banana circles and patches obsolete. To avoid spreading the virus, they must be planted at least a few meters apart from each other. The further the better. Then you can isolate diseased plants. This is true of all plants that don't have special pollinating requirements. Here in Hawaii, it's all about disease management.

[@danielnaberhaus5337]

Also mulch piles can be the perfect place for ants and aphids to nest, aphids transmit bbtv.

[@byrongrows]

@@danielnaberhaus5337 We're fortunate here in NZ not to have as many pest/diseases to manage with our bananas! Won't last forever though, that's for sure

[@musamusashi]

Sotry to hear that, but maybe obsolete in your areas, here they work perfectly. Greetings from Kenya 🇰🇪

[@danielnaberhaus5337]

All of central and south America have the virus, hopefully it doesn't spread to the rest of the world because it's devastating.

[@royking7298]

Succession plan? In a banana circle wouldn't the banana trees produce more banana trees each year? Wouldn't that be a succession of multigenerational growth?

[@MrRicehard]

Lets grow New Zealand. :)

[@humanbeingnotahumandoing1]

What do you think about making Papaya + banana circles together, do you think they would like growing together? Had this idea :)

[@Darkfyre755]

I grow my papayas and bananas together and they seem to be very happy together, just make sure they aren't blocking sun from each other

[@shalomtoday]

🍌👍

[@lorrainedilks4053]

Do your bananas ripen. I'm not far from you at Tauriko.

[@byrongrows]

They’d be sweet in Tauriko 🤝

[@BuenavistaNZ]

I'm not far away from you in Papamoa, planted about 35 bananas this last summer. I sure do hope they eventually ripen when their time comes 😅

[@margaretjulina1149]

🌺 "promo sm"