Banana Circles - John Kaisner The Natural Farmer

www.johnkaisner.com/
In this video I will show you how to identify, select and plant bananas into what Permaculturists commonly refer to as a Banana Circle.

[@slikasrick]

Best banana circle video on the net. Thank you.

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

My pleasure. Glad you liked it!

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

I don’t know if you’ve been to my website recently, but I just added two online courses, one that starts April 6th and another one that starts July 6th. You may want to have a look. They are 4-week courses. Each Monday I’ll release a bundle of new videos in a format similar to this one, and then each F riday I’ll conduct a live course via Zoom to a group of 20 students. There are different time slots available to accommodate different time zones around the world. If you get a moment, you may want to have a look…. www.johnkaisner.com/

[@GreymelonLUCASMPG]

Oh I like this guy. Very knowledgeable yet humble. Something about his spirit sits right with me.

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Thank you Elizabeth. That's very kind of you to say...

[@andrewacevedo1297]

It’s crazy how I keep coming back to this videos after years

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Haha. Well...I hope it's still helpful after all of this time

[@LukaStomp]

Same! Starting my first papaya/banana circle in florida

[@samuelfowler8880]

Same I come for the intro music haha

[@annaarbas12155]

Hello mate, very informative video, thanks for that but one thing I need to ask you, did you shoot this video in Kerala? Coz I can hear birds singing in the background from Kerala. My wife is from Kerala india and I go to her place every year and I always hear this birds singing. Thank you for sharing such a great tricks. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@margarethewende4187]

I have learnt so much from you. I will be diging my compost pits this next week. My dad used to do it.And I forgot he composted everything he burnt cans from tinned food and put that into the soil. They didnt waste much.

[@tantrictami]

Beans and Banana's LOVE each other. you are brilliant. I have some blue Java's in Mississippi in the US. My Bananas have never looked so green and lush. This Video really helped me have a different perspective about what they need and how they feed. and the beans at the base are beautiful. It feels very lush, especially for a zone 8 garden.

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Thanks!

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Ever heard the phrase, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!”… I was forced to cancel our courses on the land this year, due to the virus. As a result I’ve added a couple of online courses. One starts April 6th, the other one July 6th. They are 4-week courses. Each Monday I’ll release a bundle of new videos in a format similar to this one, and then each Friday I’ll conduct a 90-min live course via Zoom to a group of 20 students. It will repeat like this for 4 weeks. There are different time slots available to accommodate different time zones around the world. If you get a moment, you may want to have a look. I hope you and yours are staying safe in these changing times. John www.johnkaisner.com/

[@LMKTinyForest]

I have learned so many things from this video. Thank you very much for sharing. Big heart from Thailand

[@yanierose5114]

Wow, this a very interesting primer on banana trees and how to plant them. Thank you!

[@deuxcheveux7268]

You do a fine job of explaining the process. It's a pleasure to listen to your descriptions and explanations.

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Thank you!

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Ever heard the phrase, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!”… I was forced to cancel our courses on the land this year, due to the virus. As a result I’ve added a couple of online courses. One starts April 6th, the other one July 6th. They are 4-week courses. Each Monday I’ll release a bundle of new videos in a format similar to this one, and then each Friday I’ll conduct a 90-min live course via Zoom to a group of 20 students. It will repeat like this for 4 weeks. There are different time slots available to accommodate different time zones around the world. If you get a moment, you may want to have a look. I hope you and yours are staying safe in these changing times. John www.johnkaisner.com/

[@juwright1949]

Wonder if "banana pit" concept would work with other plants, like fruit trees or berry bushes. Thanks for all the work you put into your videos.

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Coconut trees, banana, papaya, bamboo, and sugar cane. Possibly pomegranate. But most other trees don't like it when their branches intertwine too much (when planted close together...)

[@nalingosalia7667]

great video , enjoyed every second of it. will be looking up your teaching series.Thanks again

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Thanks!

[@stuartneil3125]

Best video on banana circles!!!! Love your channel! Keep on doing awesome work!!!

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

+Stuart Neil Thank you very much. I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

I was forced to cancel our courses on the land this year, due to the virus. As a result I’ve added a couple of online courses. One starts April 6th, the other one July 6th. They are 4-week courses. Each Monday I’ll release a bundle of new videos in a format similar to this one, and then each Friday I’ll conduct a live course via Zoom to a group of 20 students. There are different time slots available to accommodate different time zones around the world. If you get a moment, you may want to have a look…. www.johnkaisner.com/

[@vasukinagabhushan]

Thanks for these videos. These videos are like open agricultural university.

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Thank you Vasuki :)

[@markbiggs7689]

Very informative! I learned a great deal from this. Thank you!

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Thanks Mark.

[@Nayyir001]

I just discovered your videos and I'am really enjoying them ,,, thank you!

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

You're welcome! Thanks for reaching out...

[@albuterol71]

I learned so much from this video!! Thanks for posting!

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Thank you. Nice to hear from you

[@michaelbanda5991]

I have learnt alot from you. Stay blessed

[@izzimk11]

I love the details about banana in this video, keep up your great works!

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Thank you.

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

I was forced to cancel our courses on the land this year, due to the virus. As a result I’ve added a couple of online courses. One starts April 6th, the other one July 6th. They are 4-week courses. Each Monday I’ll release a bundle of new videos in a format similar to this one, and then each Friday I’ll conduct a 90 min live course via Zoom to a group of 20 students. This format repeats for 4 weeks. There are different time slots available to accommodate different time zones around the world. If you get a moment, you may want to have a look…. www.johnkaisner.com/

[@amitbikramsingha2665]

I see it more than thousand times.thank u Jagannath bhai

[@HerbHillFarm]

This one of the best video in KZbin.

[@thephong6850]

Thank you for your sharing...all the best to you

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Thank you

[@satishchandrakodagally7945]

Good video, although i have bananas planted linear in our orchard farm, never knew about sword and water sucker and the positioning of the sucker while planting. I will change the planting to banana circles. Also in my other irrigated land i plan to create banana circles and inter plant ginger like every 20 ft of ginger planting i plan to put in 2 banana circles, spaced 6 ft apart, so i provide enough shade for the gingers to grow.

[@midhunsivadas3642]

Awsome. Good job. Grateful for this effort

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Thank you!

[@akeem1221]

Never in my entire life heard of Banana circle and this makes alot of sense. Great to have come across this. Thanks 4 that.

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Cool Hope you like them.

[@superbaim]

Same to me

[@samrilejr6382]

very well said John! Kudos!

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Thank you

[@annetteblackmon9578]

Great information 👍 Thank you for sharing 🌈🌺

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

:)

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Ever heard the phrase, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!”… I was forced to cancel our courses on the land this year, due to the virus. As a result I’ve added a couple of online courses. One starts April 6th, the other one July 6th. They are 4-week courses. Each Monday I’ll release a bundle of new videos in a format similar to this one, and then each Friday I’ll conduct a 90-min live course via Zoom to a group of 20 students. It will repeat like this for 4 weeks. There are different time slots available to accommodate different time zones around the world. If you get a moment, you may want to have a look. I hope you and yours are staying safe in these changing times. John www.johnkaisner.com/

[@jobeth4667]

Very good inside knowledge 👍🏻

[@leftwingtt]

Great video, I enjoyed watching it, and plan to make my banana circle soon. Thanks. Sat Nam.

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Michael Morales Parris Great! Let me know how they go.. Sat Nam :)

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Great! Nice to hear from you...

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

I don’t know if you’ve been to my website recently, but I just added two online courses, one that starts April 6th and another one that starts July 6th. You may want to have a look. They are 4-week courses. Each Monday I’ll release a bundle of new videos in a format similar to this one, and then each F riday I’ll conduct a live course via Zoom to a group of 20 students. There are different time slots available to accommodate different time zones around the world. If you get a moment, you may want to have a look…. www.johnkaisner.com/

[@lilibethmacasling9219]

Very informative, thank you very much

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Thank you!

[@carlesmaroti5892]

Hi . I didn't knew there is 2 kind of banana trees . Thank's For Sharing The Information

[@Coach_SebastianEckes]

Amazing inspiring…thank you ❤

[@chantaltulliez8066]

Thank you so much for all this clear info....Hi from Australia

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Hello Australia! Nice to hear from you..

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Hello Australia!

[@luyigart5888]

Thank you very much for sharing. We need a guy like you in Uganda.

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

That is very sweet of you to say Ruth. Thank you very much...

[@vasukinagabhushan]

Please learn from experienced masters and be the champion of organic farming in Uganda. 🙏🏽

[@tonysilver6016]

Great video!

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Thank you

[@noraellen4623]

Love your videos! This is what we were seeking: permaculture examples in the tropics! Thank you!

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Great! I'm happy you like them. You're kind comment is very much appreciated. Thank you....

[@noraellen4623]

We live off grid in Brazil and when we are where there is good enough internet, we are downloading your videos to watch when its pouring rain outside. Then we take notes to try when it stops raining.

[@noraellen4623]

How does one go about choosing which trees to plant together. You showed banana and papaya circles together. Could we add açaí circles into that arrangement? How can we know if they would do well together?

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Nice :)

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Yes and no. Bananas can live in flood water for a bit. Papaya will die in flood water - its roots cannot breath and begin to rot. So yes, they go well together in the fact that they can both grow from circles (pit gardens), but they have different limitations concerning standing water (as I mentioned). Look up companion planting...

[@eyesopenwideawake7057]

Excellent video, thank you! You have a new subscriber. 🙏🏻

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Excellent to hear. Thank you!

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Sorry to do marketing to such a new subscriber.... Ever heard the phrase, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!”… I was forced to cancel our courses on the land this year, due to the virus. As a result I’ve added a couple of online courses. One starts April 6th, the other one July 6th. They are 4-week courses. Each Monday I’ll release a bundle of new videos in a format similar to this one, and then each Friday I’ll conduct a 90-min live course via Zoom to a group of 20 students. It will repeat like this for 4 weeks. There are different time slots available to accommodate different time zones around the world. If you get a moment, you may want to have a look. I hope you and yours are staying safe in these changing times. John www.johnkaisner.com/

[@majecal1]

while searching for tips on the web for my 'red banana...a re potting gone wrong" care tips and im so glad your channel was recommended . look foward to your other videos. thank you!, *mc

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Thank you!

[@gowthamanramasamy]

Hi John, first time I learned about circles and pit method. Can wait for this weekend to come to set up one (or many(

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Great!

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Ever heard the phrase, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!”… I was forced to cancel our courses on the land this year, due to the virus. As a result I’ve added a couple of online courses. One starts April 6th, the other one July 6th. They are 4-week courses. Each Monday I’ll release a bundle of new videos in a format similar to this one, and then each Friday I’ll conduct a 90-min live course via Zoom to a group of 20 students. It will repeat like this for 4 weeks. There are different time slots available to accommodate different time zones around the world. If you get a moment, you may want to have a look. I hope you and yours are staying safe in these changing times. John www.johnkaisner.com/

[@zehrinaspahic2892]

Fantastich. Thank you

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Thank you. Nice to hear from you.

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

+Jomari Jarapa For some reason it won't let me reply as a link to your comment. The answer to your question is no, they do not attract mosquitoes. As long as the mulch is on the surface, blocking their way to the water below, mosquitoes do not thrive in banana circle pits.

[@nelizajoey26]

Thank you

[@caseG80]

The Natural Farmer qQ1

[@Reefahholic]

That's a pretty epic idea!

[@andresamplonius315]

En la costa del Perú aún se practica la agricultura en Hoyas. La costa es árida, no llueve, y en ciertas zonas arenosas donde no es posible irrigar se practican las "hoyas" como de dos metros de profundidad para que los cultivos puedan acceder al acuífero. Dentro de la hoya se excava un hoyo más profundo para extraer agua a mano e irrigar los cultivos. En los arenales de la población costera de Chilca, a 60 km de Lima se practica esta clase de agricultura, en la actualidad dirigida a la producción del higo. En

[@desertedenblooms]

great info ty

[@LomilomiHealing]

Hello & aloha, great vid! Mahalo 4 the excellent info.

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Thank you very much! no'u ka hau'oli Is that how you say you're welcome?

[@LomilomiHealing]

Yes, very good! Keep doing what u do...

[@burmese434]

Hey sir I just wanted to say I like all your videos. I sit in my chair and every night I watch video after video to learn as much as I can. I just got started into bananas, putting them in planters. Here in ohio i have to leave them in planters for easy moving. Their doing great I think because of my homemade fertilizer I've watch you and others like you mix together. Do you have any experience growing bananas in containers? This year me and my son are going to muck out some cow sheds. I do not think I can just grab the cow dung with my bare hands but will see. Well, I just wanted to chat so keep up all the great information.

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Haha. I'm happy to hear the videos are helpful. I do not have experience growing bananas in containers. Make a video! I'm sure many people would be interested in understanding how to do this. Don't worry. You don't have to grab the cow dung by your hands. It's a strange habit I picked up in India, but it's not a necessity. You can use cow dung your whole life and never have to touch it directly with your hands. :)

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Ever heard the phrase, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!”… I was forced to cancel our courses on the land this year, due to the virus. As a result I’ve added a couple of online courses. One starts April 6th, the other one July 6th. They are 4-week courses. Each Monday I’ll release a bundle of new videos in a format similar to this one, and then each Friday I’ll conduct a 90-min live course via Zoom to a group of 20 students. It will repeat like this for 4 weeks. There are different time slots available to accommodate different time zones around the world. If you get a moment, you may want to have a look. I hope you and yours are staying safe in these changing times. John www.johnkaisner.com/

[@pt3238]

In some regions bananas are attacked by weevil (Cosmopolites sordidus : worldwide spread, Odoiporus longicollis : asia). These insects are stem borer and are therefore translocated when transplanting suckers. In order to avoid this you have to (I don't mean you should) remove all roots and peel the corm until every parts of it looks white. This have to be done on field where you take the sucker and not where you want to plant it (basic prophylaxis). A good way to test if your field/garden is infested is to make a simple trap for these bugs. Take a piece of an old banana stem (one foot/ 30cm of lenght) and cut it lengthwise in two pieces. Then take a piece of banana leaf, put it on the ground close to one "banana tree" and place one half stem piece flat face down on it. Come back one or two day later and take a look beetween leaf and stem pieces. (they prefer to lay their eggs directly in fresh cut stem that's why it works)

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Excellent information. Thank you for sharing that. I am not in India now, so I cannot make an update video, but hopefully someone seeing this video will also see your comment.

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Ever heard the phrase, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!”… I was forced to cancel our courses on the land this year, due to the virus. As a result I’ve added a couple of online courses. One starts April 6th, the other one July 6th. They are 4-week courses. Each Monday I’ll release a bundle of new videos in a format similar to this one, and then each Friday I’ll conduct a 90-min live course via Zoom to a group of 20 students. It will repeat like this for 4 weeks. There are different time slots available to accommodate different time zones around the world. If you get a moment, you may want to have a look. I hope you and yours are staying safe in these changing times. John www.johnkaisner.com/

[@Julianne1753]

perfectly explain! thank you

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Thank you

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Ever heard the phrase, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!”… I was forced to cancel our courses on the land this year, due to the virus. As a result I’ve added a couple of online courses. One starts April 6th, the other one July 6th. They are 4-week courses. Each Monday I’ll release a bundle of new videos in a format similar to this one, and then each Friday I’ll conduct a 90-min live course via Zoom to a group of 20 students. It will repeat like this for 4 weeks. There are different time slots available to accommodate different time zones around the world. If you get a moment, you may want to have a look. I hope you and yours are staying safe in these changing times. John www.johnkaisner.com/

[@ronserrokpam904]

Amazing

[@user-wu9dg9ft5z]

great video , thanks for introducing this farming tech. my only problem is that i have clay soil it is hard after the rain season . have to work hard

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Yeah this isn't going to work very well in clay. Hard work. It was designed for shallow islands and sandy soil.

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Ever heard the phrase, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!”… I was forced to cancel our courses on the land this year, due to the virus. As a result I’ve added a couple of online courses. One starts April 6th, the other one July 6th. They are 4-week courses. Each Monday I’ll release a bundle of new videos in a format similar to this one, and then each Friday I’ll conduct a 90-min live course via Zoom to a group of 20 students. It will repeat like this for 4 weeks. There are different time slots available to accommodate different time zones around the world. If you get a moment, you may want to have a look. I hope you and yours are staying safe in these changing times. John www.johnkaisner.com/

[@bellesaltysoul9107]

HI JOnn, i love your videos and how simole and clear your explanations are. I have a question about grey water. I would like to build a circle where my grey water comes out from the house shower and im wondering if it is possible to have too much water in the banana circle? also if we use organic soap will the bananas handle it over time? Many thanks

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Yes. Banana circles are a perfect match for grey water. Just do two things 1) put the bananas on mounds around the pit, allowing water to drain away when the pit fills us, and 2) make sure there is always plenty of mulch in the pit to break down soaps.. Good luck!

[@ausbushman2347]

I've been reading a lot about banana circles. I think You can safely add the benefit of more abundant harvest from circles as opposed to linear farming. The yield is reliably far better.

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

I agree

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

I don’t know if you’ve been to my website recently, but I just added two online courses, one that starts April 6th and another one that starts July 6th. You may want to have a look. They are 4-week courses. Each Monday I’ll release a bundle of new videos in a format similar to this one, and then each F riday I’ll conduct a live course via Zoom to a group of 20 students. There are different time slots available to accommodate different time zones around the world. If you get a moment, you may want to have a look…. www.johnkaisner.com/

[@chargermopar]

I get the high quality compost with ground level mulching. The difference is that I mow my compost which speeds up decomposition. It is almost impossible to dig a pit here due to the coral rock.

[@tahliel]

I can't believe it's already been 7 years! I'm on a new property and planning out where my bananas will go, and I'm considering a spot that's a bit too narrow for a circle. Do you think a trench pit, like a mini composting swale would work in front of a row of bananas? It's in a location where I have a runnoff problem, and Im thinking it could work well. How important is the circle aspect of this arrangement?

[@artwillvideos]

When I started my bananas, before winter, they were maybe 2-3 feet tall. The leaves died in the winter, and I cut them down just like you showed for the baby you planted. The problem was that the squirrels LOVED the smell and taste of that cut open stalk, and they started eating the stalks, one of them down to the ground! I had no idea, lol, they would do that! I had to build small fences with bird netting around the plants in order to get them growing without being eaten by squirrels. No bananas yet, but so far I’ve beaten the squirrels. In the future, I think I’ll have to cut them down and cover them with mulch (is that ok?) so the squirrels 🐿 don’t get to them.

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Hey Art I would try not cutting them and see what happens... Nice to hear from you

[@KiaBayo]

Excellent video and the technique works very well. I was wondering though....can all this be applied to planting plantains too? Also do plantains have sword suckers and water suckers? ...if so are they equally identifiable?

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

A quick search online reveals that yes, plantains have water and sword suckers as well. This configuration (circle) will work for plantains

[@h3llnite]

Hi I have only just found your channel. Love the information you provide. I got a banana plant over 6 months ago and did not realise I as meant to cut it off at the base, before I planted it. It’s been growing really well, but now I’m worried it won’t flower and bear fruit. Could you please provide me any possible outcomes from not trimming the plant for planting? Thank you.

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

It's not a big deal. Cut or not cut. We had to transport 25 banana plants in a car, so we cut off the tops. It saves space. They'll also grow just fine without.

[@h3llnite]

@@TheNaturalFarmer thank you. It has fruit on it now. Also at least 3-4 pups. I know I need to remove the pups soon. After the tree has fruited, so I cut the top off?

[@monkeymanwasd1239]

i just realized how much this resembles keystone gardening i "hate" keystone gardening im happy they are composting and gardening but just bleh i dont trust it too much drama i love this though no going to the store for bricks thank you! but seriously thank you i just had six ideas in the last ten minutes my tabs on my computer are going to be fill for a while plus what you suggested =D

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Haha. Cool! Happy that the ideas are flowing. Always a good sign.... I wish I could take credit for this invention, but I'm just passing on what I've learned. All the best...

[@sweeyong7756]

Great video. So can i just divert the grey water into the pit? How deep does the pit have to be and will the water be safe to percolate into the soil beneath? Will it be safe for the earth worms and organism living within the pit. U mention u have a connecting trench for over flow orshould there be too much water, what did you fill the trench with? I would like to do something similar as well.

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

The trenches stayed empty - they hold more water when they are empty. Did this work out for you?

[@rachelahin3556]

Thank you for sharing, I want to develop a permacultur in West Africa, if I could visit to you

[@danielleoquendo194]

I’m working on building up my sandy soil. Am I able to plant the banana tree with the sandy soil? Or should I put some compost there?

[@FPGSanctuary]

Great video! Can you mix plant types in your circles? Do some trees /plants grow together well and other not? Are there good edible ground cover plants that grow well around these circles? I'm also in the tropics (Hawaii).

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

You can mix supporting plant types. I do not recommend mixing the main plant - ie banana and papaya. These two main plants prefer somewhat different growing conditions. However, you can put sweet potato, ginger, turmeric, mint, beans, tapioca and other plants fanning out around the banana circle. These plants are known to feed nutrient to the bananas, create a desirable ground cover (thus outcompeting weeds) - all while increasing your yield. It's based on the principal of plant guilds. Look it up. Very cool stuff...

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Ever heard the phrase, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!”… I was forced to cancel our courses on the land this year, due to the virus. As a result I’ve added a couple of online courses. One starts April 6th, the other one July 6th. They are 4-week courses. Each Monday I’ll release a bundle of new videos in a format similar to this one, and then each Friday I’ll conduct a 90-min live course via Zoom to a group of 20 students. It will repeat like this for 4 weeks. There are different time slots available to accommodate different time zones around the world. If you get a moment, you may want to have a look. I hope you and yours are staying safe in these changing times. John www.johnkaisner.com/

[@africanhomestead]

Another great video! I will soon start constructing my homestead here in Liberia, but before that, I think I’m going to go ahead and recreate your banana circles with a papaya circle in the center, including the companion plantings. Am I correct in assuming that it doesn’t matter if I mix different varieties of bananas, or even plantains? Also, my land is gently sloping, allowing rainwater runoff to eventually collect in a swamp and stream on the edge of the property. Based on what you taught in the video, I should plant the circles in an area where the runoff naturally flows and direct it to pass through or feed into the five pits, correct? Lastly, the difference between the sword and water suckers (identification) wasn’t completely clear to me. Can you clarify? Thanks!

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

So.... Beware of combining papaya and banana circles. It can definitely be done. However, you must assure good drainage for your papayas. Banana and papaya have different needs, especially in terms of soil drainage. Bananas are okay with getting their feet wet - ie living in standing water for a while. Papayas are not. Not at all. If they're subjected to this, they will rot and die. This communication is from personal, and sad, experience. I lost about 25 papaya plants years ago, because I planted them near the bananas, and the area flooded pretty badly. The bananas were fine, but I lost the papayas. Plantains should be able to support similar conditions to the bananas.... But now that I'm looking at your comment, it sounds like the slope on your land will provide adequate drainage. I'm not sure about how to answer your question about the 5 pits. Ideally you direct water into the central pit of the circle, but then provide an easy outlet to allow the overflow water to escape easily - preferably into another pit, then repeat. Sword suckers have narrower, pointy leaves. Water suckers have broader leaves. This is evident when the plant is young, but becomes less evident as it grows into adulthood... Does that make sense?

[@africanhomestead]

The Natural Farmer - OK, understood. My comment regarding banana circles surrounding a papaya circle was related to the one you referenced in the video. I thought maybe there was a benefit to companion planting banana and papayas. I have enough land that it won’t be a problem to set up papaya circles separate from banana & plantain circles. One advantage of the soil in my area is that it’s very well drained. Even during the peak of the rainy season, water doesn’t stand for long, except down in the swamps. Maybe tropical India is similar. Of course, once the soil begins improving, so will it’s ability to hold water. Thanks for clarifying on how to select banana suckers. It’s clear now.

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

During the monsoon, our water table would crest above the surface of the land - ie flooding in parts of the garden. In full sand, a pond is basically an exposed area of the water table, if that makes sense. It was 100% flow through. The organic material just enabled the moisture to stick around a bit longer, after the water table went down - ie after the water left and there was only sand.

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Hey my friend. How have you been? A bit of marketing for you. I hope you are well! Ever heard the phrase, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!”… I was forced to cancel our courses on the land this year, due to the virus. As a result I’ve added a couple of online courses. One starts April 6th, the other one July 6th. They are 4-week courses. Each Monday I’ll release a bundle of new videos in a format similar to this one, and then each Friday I’ll conduct a 90-min live course via Zoom to a group of 20 students. It will repeat like this for 4 weeks. There are different time slots available to accommodate different time zones around the world. If you get a moment, you may want to have a look. I hope you and yours are staying safe in these changing times. John www.johnkaisner.com/

[@beatricemuller2579]

Hello Mr. Kaisner Are you not doing any videos of your permaculture garden in Sicily? Haven’t seen one over some time. Hope you are doing well. Regards Beatrice

[@verna0072001]

That's gorgeous...

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Ever heard the phrase, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!”… I was forced to cancel our courses on the land this year, due to the virus. As a result I’ve added a couple of online courses. One starts April 6th, the other one July 6th. They are 4-week courses. Each Monday I’ll release a bundle of new videos in a format similar to this one, and then each Friday I’ll conduct a 90-min live course via Zoom to a group of 20 students. It will repeat like this for 4 weeks. There are different time slots available to accommodate different time zones around the world. If you get a moment, you may want to have a look. I hope you and yours are staying safe in these changing times. John www.johnkaisner.com/

[@farmingkingdomkrishisamrajya]

Thanks

[@reynaldorodriguez5237]

I got a question. Today for the first time I come to the understanding that water suckers do not produce fruit, or bear bad fruit. My question is. If I detach a water sucker from the mother plant when is big enough to survive and plant it elsewhere to where it starts to get big, can it produce a fruit-bearing sword sucker in the future? I have been taking water suckers of off mother plants and planting them individually in compost in 25-gallon grow bags and I expected to get something out of it!

[@marabiquel6414]

I would love to see how we can make the coconut circle. Do you know where I can see a visual example or the instructions about the coconut circle’s dimensions and why this circle it’s effective? Thank you so much!

[@marabiquel6414]

I have 10 dwarf Malayan palms waiting to be planted and I would like to use this method... the tradicional method the spacing is 20 feet between palms but I would like try the circle...

[@SHInvesting]

Thank you, We will have to try this any advice on buying banana plants?

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Cool. My first choice would be to buy pups straight out of the ground with a grower or neighbor nearby.

[@youandme9555]

What vegetables I can grow in the month of January?

[@beorntwit711]

Can we abstract the circles away, then, to say that any nutrient/water hungry plant would do well/better with a hole-n-berm (maybe half-moons) style of gardening? If I want to grow organic perennial cotton, eg, would I do well with a "cotton circle" (and how inferior would a half-moon form be)?

[@somsongcharoenpon168]

thank you

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

You're welcome. Thank you for your comment.

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Ever heard the phrase, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!”… I was forced to cancel our courses on the land this year, due to the virus. As a result I’ve added a couple of online courses. One starts April 6th, the other one July 6th. They are 4-week courses. Each Monday I’ll release a bundle of new videos in a format similar to this one, and then each Friday I’ll conduct a 90-min live course via Zoom to a group of 20 students. It will repeat like this for 4 weeks. There are different time slots available to accommodate different time zones around the world. If you get a moment, you may want to have a look. I hope you and yours are staying safe in these changing times. John www.johnkaisner.com/

[@nagasrinivas1401]

Sir, I just started watching your videos , trust me I am in love with your techniques , Even before I started watching your Videos I wanted to follow Natural methods from Subash Palekar .What is your farm location and address , I wanted to visit next time I come to India

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

+Naga Srinivas Very good. Subash Palekar has some very good things to teach. There is another natural farmer in India named Subash Sharma who is quite good as well. I'm not currently in India. I'm traveling at the moment, but the next time you come please visit our website at www.amritaserve.org and they will be able to provide you with directions to our farm. It's located in Kerala, about an hour north of Kollam. Thanks for your comment! Good to hear from you..

[@deborahgrigsby235]

The Natural Farmer

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Ever heard the phrase, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!”… I was forced to cancel our courses on the land this year, due to the virus. As a result I’ve added a couple of online courses. One starts April 6th, the other one July 6th. They are 4-week courses. Each Monday I’ll release a bundle of new videos in a format similar to this one, and then each Friday I’ll conduct a 90-min live course via Zoom to a group of 20 students. It will repeat like this for 4 weeks. There are different time slots available to accommodate different time zones around the world. If you get a moment, you may want to have a look. I hope you and yours are staying safe in these changing times. John www.johnkaisner.com/

[@nicolasvanlangendonck9179]

Thank you for this very great video. It is very estonishing to see the darkness of the compost inside the pit compare to the mulch under your banana tree. I have a question that may seems naive for you but I am not a gardener yet so I might to too theoritical. Why don't you design the banana circle in a way that the roots of banana's trees and other plants lie under, or at least at the same level that the organic matter in decomposition? It seems to me that the majority of mineralzed nutrients will be released at the bottom of the pit. I also think that the root system of the banana is not deep enough to reach those nutrients that will leach down leading to soil and water table pollution. What would you say about trying to do the opposite? I mean set the organic matter on the edge of the circle and the banana's trees inside the pit? Please, tell me your thought and what tells your experience. Thank you very much

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Good questions. Does the material on the forest floor leach down and pollute the water table? I'm pretty sure it doesn't. And a forest contains a lot more material than the pit of a banana circle. Sure, maybe the things your are suggesting would work. I don't know. Only one way to find out, right? ;)

[@nicolasvanlangendonck9179]

@@TheNaturalFarmer Thank you for your answer. I thin that you are right, the material of the forest don't leach down because trees'root can take them before they go too deep. I think there is two differences between your banana circle and the forest. First, in the forest, base of trees are at the same level that the decaying matter, what will allow the roots to easily go underneath and capture nutrients mineralised by microorganisms and brough down by the gravity when it rains. Two, forest are made with trees, trees are able to make very deep roots (pivot root) that can take the nutrients very deep. On the opposite, your banana circle is made of grasses (banana pseudo-tree) is a grass; grasses doesn't have the ability to make deep roots, they do only shallow roots. So, if we consider those two points, I think that your banana pseudo-tree are no taking the most of all the nutrients you think to give to them.....

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

@@nicolasvanlangendonck9179 So the logic you present is good. However you've forgotten one important point. Nature. Banana circles work. They work better than traditional planting. They harvest water better, and the pit provides moisture to the roots during dry seasons when most bananas are drying out. So you can debate with me all you like, but the fact is they work well. You can debate with Nature as well, if you like, but... All the best to you...

[@maximamahnic9594]

My angel what is your city.. I'm in Okeechobee and here there are a few months where it's very cold and kills the plantation what should I do

[@maranatha.media.c...]

Thank you sir for your kind hard work to make sure we are understanding! I just moved to the Philippines most of the farm where we live is on 50-75% slope So do you have any advice on how to get a similar affect of the Banana circle on a slope?

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Sorry for the late response. That's an intense slope! Have you ever heard of an earth shaping/water harvesting technique called "net and pan"? www.bogatasuma.eu/permaculture-net_and_pan_orchard.htm Otherwise I'm afraid you will have to create terraces, and then work with banana circles on the flat area of the terrace. I hope that helps...

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

One additional thought.... I was forced to cancel our courses on the land this year, due to the virus. As a result I’ve added a couple of online courses. One starts April 6th, the other one July 6th. They are 4-week courses. Each Monday I’ll release a bundle of new videos in a format similar to this one, and then each Friday I’ll conduct a 90-min live course via Zoom to a group of 20 students. It will repeat like this for 4 weeks. There are different time slots available to accommodate different time zones around the world. If you get a moment, you may want to have a look. I hope you and yours are staying safe in these changing times. John www.johnkaisner.com/

[@davidpattinson1854]

@@TheNaturalFarmer A "swale" is used too.

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

@@davidpattinson1854 Actually a swale is the incorrect tool beyond slopes of 14-18%. For cases as the one described, terracing is recommended.

[@JirkaDobrodej31]

Enjoy r videos... since i do live in Bangkok i do have tiny small garden with sand ...so cannot make circle :/Could i make mixed fruit trees line instead with some ,,pit''along the fence line between the trees as well?Thank you.

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Yes, but you won't benefit from the circle as much

[@aravindthippeswamy]

Can you kindly tell me if this can be made to work with pomegranates ?

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

I don't know. Only the pomegranates know. Want to try and it and then tell us if it works?

[@okyougotme123]

Great info! Thank you!! Curious...can a removed and transplanted water sucker ever produce a sword sucker? Thanks again for all of the educational and inspiring content!

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Yes. Eventually.... Thanks for your comment.

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Ever heard the phrase, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!”… I was forced to cancel our courses on the land this year, due to the virus. As a result I’ve added a couple of online courses. One starts April 6th, the other one July 6th. They are 4-week courses. Each Monday I’ll release a bundle of new videos in a format similar to this one, and then each Friday I’ll conduct a 90-min live course via Zoom to a group of 20 students. It will repeat like this for 4 weeks. There are different time slots available to accommodate different time zones around the world. If you get a moment, you may want to have a look. I hope you and yours are staying safe in these changing times. John www.johnkaisner.com/

[@sunilkumarbhoi3851]

What is the ideal distance between two banana plant

[@herman71083]

Is the pit not robbing the ground of nitrogen while it's trying to break down the new material? And why is this not negatively effecting the banana trees?

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

I've never had this problem and none of my clients have ever had this problem. However...If you put 100% fresh, undigested wood chips in the pit, and filled it to the top, with that much carbon-rich material, then yes, it would probably rob the plants of nitrogen in order to try and balance the carbon in the wood chips. If you are concerned about this, then either a) add only pred-digested material into the pit in the beginning, or b) add a mix of browns and greens to keep the C/N ratio balanced.

[@geethagupta1631]

Hi Jaganath, That's a lovely video :-) But i need some clarifications 1) how is the circle watered? 2) what is the minimum qty of water needed for this to work? 3) Can this circle double up as a grey water system? 4) This plot that i have has a couple of fruit trees - Mango & Fig(Anjeer). If i do a banana circle, i will prefer to fit it in between as i don't want cut these trees which are bearing great fruit. So how far from these trees should the circle be?

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

You shape the land so water flows into the pit when it rains. Bananas grow best in the tropics. Yes, grey water possible. Bananas are flexible and easy to squeeze between trees. The spacing depends on the variety of banana you plant. You need to look that up

[@plastic9990]

Wonderful.❤️🇵🇰❤️

[@ushaswarnasunkari9270]

Hi brother ,can we grow 4 bananas + 4 papaya with a diameter of 2m .. I'm planning for a circle..pls tell me

[@angiebailey9829]

Do you have issues with mosquitoes in the pit? Also, is there an over flow channel at each plant? And last, what type of soil is best to grow the Banana. Thank you for such great information!

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

No mosquitoes. The mulch blocks their access to standing water, if you keep the pit full. In fact, where malaria is a problem, you can dig pits like this in areas of standing water and a) eliminate the mosquitoes, and b) get bananas. Thanks for your comment. Glad you're here!

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Ever heard the phrase, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!”… I was forced to cancel our courses on the land this year, due to the virus. As a result I’ve added a couple of online courses. One starts April 6th, the other one July 6th. They are 4-week courses. Each Monday I’ll release a bundle of new videos in a format similar to this one, and then each Friday I’ll conduct a 90-min live course via Zoom to a group of 20 students. It will repeat like this for 4 weeks. There are different time slots available to accommodate different time zones around the world. If you get a moment, you may want to have a look. I hope you and yours are staying safe in these changing times. John www.johnkaisner.com/

[@sarahnorment]

What are the specific features that you look for to distinguish a "sword sucker" form a "water sucker"?

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

+Sarah Norment Sword suckers are pointy, water suckers are broader leaves. This is very apparent when they are young, say less than 50-80cm in height. As they grow up this becomes less evident...

[@mrguitar0610]

New subscriber here. I wished you had shown the difference between a pointy and broader banana leaves in your video.

[@laddahchoy4735]

mrguitar0610 it's in the video. 11:39

[@PriscillaSwaney]

@@mrguitar0610 The pointy and broader banana leaves are now concerning me, especially when you buy you pups from someone from the home gardener variety. Anyone seen a video to show the progression of banana pups as they begin to grow. I know this is a lot of questions, but getting banana plants in Florida is hard to find, so you must spend your start up money wisely. I got home with two this afternoon and am wondering if I will be growing beautiful leaves or get bananas....LOLL

[@greenfingersclubmalta]

Thanks so much for all the valuable information! Please can I plant papayas and bananas in the same circle, since I don't have much space and we don't have much rain in Malta? If I mix them or alternate papayas and bananas, will they be 'enemies' or can they happily grow in very close proximity? How much space do you leave between bananas / papayas? Thanks so much :)

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

You can, but they have different water limitations. I know this only having done so, and then having lost a lot of papaya once the water table came up and flooded them. The bananas were fine, but the roots of the papaya went aerobic and died. It was very sad....

[@greenfingersclubmalta]

Thank you! I wanted to create a tree guild with drought tolerant trees, but it will be nice to have a couple of these trees to catch greywater. I don't think that I'll have the flooding problem here in Malta, with only about 50cm rain per year, and my field being on top of a valley. I might try the Papaya / Banana circle. Non-native, old banana varieties grow here with irrigation in summer, and someone I know managed to grow a papaya from seed. How much space do I need to leave between these trees please?

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Ever heard the phrase, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!”… I was forced to cancel our courses on the land this year, due to the virus. As a result I’ve added a couple of online courses. One starts April 6th, the other one July 6th. They are 4-week courses. Each Monday I’ll release a bundle of new videos in a format similar to this one, and then each Friday I’ll conduct a 90-min live course via Zoom to a group of 20 students. It will repeat like this for 4 weeks. There are different time slots available to accommodate different time zones around the world. If you get a moment, you may want to have a look. I hope you and yours are staying safe in these changing times. John www.johnkaisner.com/

[@akravindran]

Why is the circle concept NOT adopted for all fruit trees? I'd heard of it only in bananas and papayas, and in this video, bamboo. Would it work for...eg mangoes/lemons?

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

The branches of 'woody' fruit trees, such as lemons, mangoes, tend to get tangled together when they cross each other.

[@nashmishah6064]

what if we make it in hexagon shape? that way, we can maximize the space to plant bananas and each banana plant can get their nutrients from at least 2 pits. talking about nutrients, how is the plant to be fertilized? or is it that it will get all the nutrients from the pit itself?

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Sounds good. Let me know how it works...

[@naumanzakir8005]

Dear juggernath Which beans can we plant in the banana circle? We are in Lahore Pakistan. We have monsoons from july through to sept plus some rains in winter with windstorms

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

This video was shot in the south of Kerala. Mung beans work well there. Also where you are. Also where I am now, in Sicily. Mung is a great bean.

[@akeem1221]

are there any advantages cutting away the stem of a sucker?

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

You mean when you are transplanting a sucker or when it's still attached to the corm?

[@sacredherbsandbotanicals]

If you see this question. I was asked when making a banana circle what prevents it from bexonibg anaerobic? I haven't encounteted this problem in building quite a number of them. I was perpelexed to explain why this doeant happen, though i syppose it could happen witg to much nitrogen. But air isn't passing through like it could in conpost heap and it holds much more water. Any insight?

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

The type of material you add helps prevent anaerobic conditions. Also the activity in the mulch itself. Obviously if you fill it with only grass clipping and the pit is full all of the time it might go anaerobic, but that's an extreme example. The other reason is this: bananas grow in the Tropics. Typically tropical soils are quite thin and have a good amount of sand, which guarantees drainage for the pit. Just a thought..

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Ever heard the phrase, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!”… I was forced to cancel our courses on the land this year, due to the virus. As a result I’ve added a couple of online courses. One starts April 6th, the other one July 6th. They are 4-week courses. Each Monday I’ll release a bundle of new videos in a format similar to this one, and then each Friday I’ll conduct a 90-min live course via Zoom to a group of 20 students. It will repeat like this for 4 weeks. There are different time slots available to accommodate different time zones around the world. If you get a moment, you may want to have a look. I hope you and yours are staying safe in these changing times. John www.johnkaisner.com/

[@Sozoli]

What sort of beans do you plant with them?

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

These were mung beans, but you can use whatever you want.

[@cg1tube]

1 Question: , does that deep of compost in a pit ever go anaerobic?

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Yes, definitely. During the flooding of the monsoon it goes anaerobic. But then it airs out again. The bananas are unaffected.

[@freedomfighter3481]

I was wondering what kind of beans did you use? I live in Central Florida. Sounds like this might work for me here, very dry soil just sand.

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

In this video I think we used mung beans. Lots of recipes in India use mung beans, so we went with those.

[@freedomfighter3481]

@@TheNaturalFarmer Thank you so much, by the way, I love all your videos.

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

@@freedomfighter3481 Thank you!

[@guhyeah]

What is the optimal diameter for banana circle, how many tree and how far distance between tree and from the centre of circle?

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

1.5 m diameter, 1 m deep, 5 plants equally distributed, place each plant on a small mound with the center of each small mound about 35 cm from the edge of the pit

[@ppg4667]

19:40 Suchh an important detail. Thanks for that! Haven't done a pit yet, just a 100' run of Bananas along a fence on the southern side of my property to block the neighbors house. Didn't plant them in a straight line, but rather staggered them as if walking the property line you would have to zig-zag around each one. I'm thinking about putting Papaya throughout the zig-zag as well. Is this something you would recommend? Kinda too late to dig them up and make circles as some mats are 15ft tall. Glad I found this channel ! keep up the good work!

[@katrinaharvey9952]

Both the banana and papaya will lean to avoid growing close to anything so I don't know of that would be a good idea. They both have heavy fruits. I'm no expert bit that is what I know about them.

[@harpart4abba]

I have two questions. I was told that bamboo roots would take over. Is it true? What do you use the bamboo for?

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

We used it (bamboo) as a building/structure material We also biocharred it Yes, don't plant bamboo in a confined space. At least not the running kind. If you have limited space, plant the "clumping" type of bamboo that stays in one place...

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

Ever heard the phrase, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!”… I was forced to cancel our courses on the land this year, due to the virus. As a result I’ve added a couple of online courses. One starts April 6th, the other one July 6th. They are 4-week courses. Each Monday I’ll release a bundle of new videos in a format similar to this one, and then each Friday I’ll conduct a 90-min live course via Zoom to a group of 20 students. It will repeat like this for 4 weeks. There are different time slots available to accommodate different time zones around the world. If you get a moment, you may want to have a look. I hope you and yours are staying safe in these changing times. John www.johnkaisner.com/

[@sharadajoshi8920]

hello jaganatha sir I have a small area, so what is the smallest pit size one can make. can we plant papayas and banana dwarf varieties together do we have to refill the pit after its made, if yes, how many times in a year

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

You just need a little bit of space. Experiment. But if the pit is too small, depending on the soil structure (sand for instance) then the hole might collapse. I tried putting papaya and banana together in a circle once. Didn't work for me. Papaya can't breath when flooded, bananas do ok. Always keep the pit full, if possible. Use it like a organic material waste bin.

[@noraellen4623]

Can different varieties of banana be grown side by side without interfering with the genetics? I know papayas have "male and female" plants and both are necessary for reproduction, and I would imagine that with different varieties there would be cross pollination. Is that true for bananas? (I know it is for açaí).

[@DelroyMDash]

Neat

[@avinashnikola8672]

Where is this farm sir?

[@HrishiBandhu1]

Hi ) How many banana circles and papaya circle(4 banana +1 papaya plant = 1 circle ) can i plant in 1 acre ?

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

+Hrishi Bandhu I don't know. We got 5 circles in about 400 ft2