harveyc

I think Mitchel is saying if you have frost, your leaves will be damaged and those don't recover. Those are just temporary problems as new leaves later emerge. But freezing temperatures are what can eventually kill a banana, though most can take well below 32F as long as they are decent size plants (some are more sensitive types, though).

Last January we once had heavy frost by 9pm and got down to 25F or 26F (I forget which). None of my bananas died and pretty much all of them grew again from the tops in the spring. When damage is worse, I need to cut them down low until I find a point where the center of the pseudostem is still good.

I general, if you don't think your temperatures will get below the mid 20s, I wouldn't bother digging up anything unless they were smaller plants ore special specimens (Ae Ae, etc.). I think I had about 15 varieties in the ground a year ago and they all survived. I now have over 20 and will dig up my Ae Ae and a couple of others (some of Veinte Cohol, an unknown Indian, etc.). Most are pretty good sized plants so if they don't make it I don't think they are long-time keepers anyways. I'd rather get down to just maybe 5-8 varieties to focus on some day anyways.

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