Quote:
Originally Posted by bencelest
I bought a dwarf cav from one of the members in this forum. It is doing really well. I planted it in a whiskey barrel . I plan to protect it during the winter time. But what I want to know is what is the lowest tempt it can tolerate without losing it.
I had a super dwarf cav that grew so nice but did not make it last winter.
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Benny,
if you keep it dry during the winter and put a breathable row cover over it, the pseudostem should survive. The SDC on the other hand will get reset every winter even if it survives, and so will endlessly leaf out and never bear fruit in our zone.
Another very good dwarf banana that I found to be cold-hardy is the Mauritius. It is potted and forgot to bring it in during the Arctic Blast, and it is growing well now. The pseudostem survived. The Mauritius is slightly taller than the SDC by a foot and shorter than Dwarf Cavendish and have fruits slightly smaller than Dwarf Cavendish but bigger than SDC. So having passed that brutal in-the pot test, I will plant it in the ground later. So perhaps just 2 more years when it develops nice trunks while inground, it will bear fruit. There is hope. At least my own Mauritius is cold hardy even if the literature would say it is just as cold sensitive as most cavendishes are. If my Mauritius will surive this winter while inground, then I may have my own cold hardy sport. But that needs multi-year testing and will give you a pup Benny.
Joe