Re: Musa basjoo never makes it
I am St Louis MO zone 6. When I planted my Basjoos years ago I put several inches of fresh new wood clips over the area. Since then When I cut off the frozen dead plants I lay them across the area. So the mulch is getting pretty thick. Most years I do not give them any further care. A few years ago the drought was severe enough that they wilted so I had to water heavily a few times.
Last winter here, was very hard on many perennials. From Oak and pine trees on down. I lost a crepe myrtle and half of my basjoo mat. It was started with several pups in a row. March was a great spring month and everything budded. Then the month of April was very cold. It was late May before it looked like spring again.
This year I put black bag filled with leaves around one pseudostem cutting it at about three feet. Then covered it with a plastic tub. I will not uncover until the middle of May. Hoping to save that much and get a bloom.
With all that mulch the ground temp is very slow warming up; even tho I am in full sun.
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