Annie6078

Hello,

This is the 1st year I've tried overwintering by letting most of my bananas go dormant. I got a lot of helpful advice here on how to do it and am hopeful & excited to see what I'll end up with.

I would be very grateful if I could now get some advice on how/when to revive them. I imagine I must need to do a good bit of something before it's time to start planting anything outdoors again.

Also, my dwarf cavendish was SO huge, I didn't have a dark, cool place to let it go completely dormant. Advice I got here was to just pot it up & leave in my 70 degree (because of the furnace) basement & water sparingly maybe once a month or so. I'd cut off all leaves except the center, but everything at the top has now dried up. I thought it might be hopeless, but one of the pups has just sprouted a leaf, so there is life SOMEWHERE in there! If the pup has life, does that mean that mom does too even tho there's no green from her?

Also, the bottom 4 ft. or so of mom's p-stem feels solid, but the top 10-12" is dessicated. Does this mean mom is toast? I mean, can you just whack a foot or so off the top, plop it in the ground after the last frost and ever see leaves come from the flat top where I cut it? If not, do I still need to drag 200 lb. mom outside and plant in order for the tiny pup that does show signs of life to survive?

Sorry to badger with so many questions, but there's always a big learning curve on your first time trying something before you can then start "giving back" with advice to others. I'd be grateful for any suggestions.

Thank you!
Andrea