Quote:
Originally Posted by joecool
Being in zone 9b I also worry about the temps. We covered the bananas with blankets, sheets, comforters, etc. These were purchased at yard sales and were not expensive. One thing we did find out is that the plants will still get burnt if the covering touches the leaves. We did what we thought was a good job and were very surprised to see the damage, althought it was slight. Noww they will get a frame, probably a tepee, for the smaller plants. The larger will be on their own. Plastic I found to be a poor covering for plants as it has no insulation value and only worked for us when it was wrapped around a frame and had a heat supply under it. (60 watt bulbs if the wind is slight or more if the wind is blowing. if you lose a few leaves the plant will regrow and look beautiful again in short time.
We have large variety of bananas since we are looking for the ones that will do good for us and our cattle. Fodder was the reason for bananas and it just grew from there.
12 day old calf eating his first leaf.
Good growing. |
I have heard that blankets are the best to use, but they must hang all the way to the ground. The idea being that the radiant heat from the soil will help to heat up the interior. Of course, not exactly possible with bananas. If we do get some cold, I might try using lights. A friend of mine had luck using Christmas lights and then draping with plastic. Most of my plants are in the ground.
