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brianrumsey · 05-26-2018, 10:45 PM

I've been interested in bananas for several years, since learning that Musa basjoo could possibly survive in the midwestern locales I've called home. I started out growing it in northeast Kansas, where it survived several (but not all) winters with minimal protection. Now I'm in northeast Iowa, on the border between zones 4b and 5a. I planted a basjoo out last spring and gave it regular fertilization with Miracle-Grow and fish emulsion, and got it to about six feet tall with a second sturdy pseudostem formed. Then I protected it over the winter with straw bales and dry leaves covered by a tarp. It survived our harsh winter that hit -21f on three different nights, and I am looking forward to further and larger growth this year. My main banana-related goal for the 2018 growing season is to further research optimal fertilization methods and apply this research.

05-26-2018, 10:45 PM	#1 (permalink)
brianrumsey Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 13 BananaBucks : 8,798 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 20 Times Was Thanked 30 Times in 9 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Greetings from northern Iowa I've been interested in bananas for several years, since learning that Musa basjoo could possibly survive in the midwestern locales I've called home. I started out growing it in northeast Kansas, where it survived several (but not all) winters with minimal protection. Now I'm in northeast Iowa, on the border between zones 4b and 5a. I planted a basjoo out last spring and gave it regular fertilization with Miracle-Grow and fish emulsion, and got it to about six feet tall with a second sturdy pseudostem formed. Then I protected it over the winter with straw bales and dry leaves covered by a tarp. It survived our harsh winter that hit -21f on three different nights, and I am looking forward to further and larger growth this year. My main banana-related goal for the 2018 growing season is to further research optimal fertilization methods and apply this research.