fpj from banana suckers
hi
im going to make fpj for vegetative growth and the recipe book says use banana suckers but doing more research there are two kind of suckers that grow. sword sucker and water sucker.
water sucker has large leaves from emerging, small rhizome and not recommended for propagation as they produce inferior fruit.
sword sucker grow leaves after a certain height, broad rhizome and used for vegetative propagation.
just wondering which is the best one for fpj or are both good to use or a mix?
thanks
Top answer
the reason for using the suckers for a Growth Food (FPJ) is we are extracting the growth hormones from the fast growing suckers... this can be done with any plant that has a fast growing suckers or even new growth sprouts... ie: i like to make it from new growth sprouts from plants like Hosta & Comfrey that grow really fast in my area
From the KNF library
From the KNF library
Drafted by Claude from Office Hours and the books
·
Sep 2026
·
6 sources
The library does not compare sword suckers and water suckers, so it cannot name a winner between them.
It does say what to look for. Cho says fast-developing plants carry very active growth hormones and a lot of energy (Cho, Recipe, p. 33). He also says the faster a plant's growth point grows, the better the plant (Cho, Theory, p. 69). Drake adds that growth tips are loaded with hormones and enzymes, while mature leaves only make sugar (Office Hours Oct 2025, 15:04).
So Drake would judge a sucker by how fast it grows, and gather the tips (Office Hours Oct 2025, 15:04) (Cho, Theory, p. 69). Cho also lists lateral buds as rich in growth hormone (Cho, Recipe, p. 33).
- Tip FPJ suits juvenile plants (Office Hours Ep. 14, 17:40).
- A can made from growth tips keeps about a year (Office Hours Ep. 31, 46:54).
- Too much FPJ causes overgrowth, obesity and pest problems (Office Hours Ep. 41, 1:08:13).
Sources
- 17:40 Office Hours Ep. 14 (Jan 2022) — JADAM Sulfur, Humic Acid From Compost, C90 Seawater Ratio · “Yes: tip FPJ for juvenile plants, unripe fruit or flower FPJ during the flowering changeover, and ripe-fruit FPJ for finishing fruit.”
- 15:04 Office Hours (Oct 2025) — FPJ Sinks vs Sources, IMO4 Bog Soil Myth, Bee Feed Without Sugar · “Growth tips are sinks loaded with hormones and enzymes; mature leaves are sources that just make sugar, so gather the tips, unripe fruit, flowers, or ripe fruit.”
- 46:54 Office Hours Ep. 31 (May 2022) — Cucumber Beetle Armor, No-Smell Chicken Coop, Biochar for Dry Soil · “About a year if made from growth tips, up to three years if made from fruit.”
- 1:08:13 Office Hours Ep. 41 (Jul 2022) — Disgustingly Cheap JLF & JMS, IMO Tumbler, Charging Biochar · “Yes — fuel adds amino acids, not just nitrogen, and too much causes overgrowth, obesity, and pest problems.”
- p. 33 Cho, Recipe · “The fast developing plants have growth hormones that are very active, which means that the plants have a lot of energy.”
- p. 69 Cho, Theory · “Additionally, the faster the growth of growth point, the better the plants.”
