Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada
Zone: Hardiness Zone 6
Name: Olaf
Join Date: Apr 2010
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Re: My Banana Experience (or lack of it)
I originally posted the one quoted here on Nov. 13, 2010
Quote:
Originally Posted by Olafhenny
And here it is finally, the Banana Troll.
The banana is at its core and the mystic troll, a hohttp://www.bananas.org/images/smilies/banana_files/0489.gifmage
to the (hoped for) magic survival of this tropical plant in northern climes.
Olaf
My post from Nov. 13, 2010
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The Dilemma:
There has not been any frost for a while, but there might still be freezing nights for the next 6 weeks.
Meanwhile my Basjoo is still suffocating under a load of leaves hiding from the winter’s cold (See above).
I have been trying to figure out how to give it light, while protecting it from a late frost. Bubble wrap clearly
had to play a part because it is highly translucent, even transparent, while the bubbles provide better insulation
against the cold than simple plastic sheeting, but the problem was,how to support it with something, that is
cheap (very important!) and won’t tear the plastic. Today, while browsing through hardware and building
supply stores,for solutions, it finally clicked: I still had some ¾ inch PVC pipe left. So I got some fittings
and constructed the following frame:
The pipe sections in the top frame are 22 inches long, to make for an overall dimension of 24” each side.
The “legs” are 48” long, the same as the width of the bubble wrap, high enough for my leafless Basjoo, as I
buried it last fall.
The beauty of this frame is, that the pipes and fittings fit rather snugly and need not be glued. This makes it
simple to adjust the size of the frame to fit other plants and conditions, by just exchanging the pipe pieces.
Next roll the whole thing in bubble wrap, using transparent packing tape to hold everything in place. The slit
in the bottom is there to permit insertion of hot water bottles, when frost threatens.
And last stick on the “roof” and my “Crystal Palace” is complete. I had dinner before I took this shot. So
it is in the dark.
Well, I did not compete for the World Price of Architecture anyway, but for something I slapped together in a
couple of hours, I am pretty happy with it. 
Ah yes, if I just set this contraption over the banana, the wind will blow it over, before I can rub my hands in
satisfaction. I will therefore pound bamboo stakes in the ground at the same spacing as the corners above.
The pipes will, with some jiggling and squeezing. slip over the bamboo sticks and then secure it all with a screw
in each leg. That will also serve to get the wrap straightened out in the bottom.
The question that remains is, when will I gather the guts to risk the life of my Basjoo. I would like to do that,
when there are at least a couple of days with mostly sunshine ahead, and that will probably not happen for
another week 
__________________
The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences,
my own and those of others and to learn from them.
Last edited by Olafhenny : 03-29-2011 at 11:11 PM.
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