Quote:
Originally Posted by Randy4ut
I have been thinking about this and sure would like to talk to Dr. Francko in person. Even if you were able to get 9 degrees of added protection, on a banana plant, say, that would still not be enough to get it through in my area. I wonder if the product is "transient"? I mean, if applied to the leaves and pstem, will it migrate down into the mat and/or corms to increase their hardiness? I would like it is only good at protecting what it is sprayed on. If it would increase the hardiness of the corm, then that would be great, I just don't see it moving like that inside the plant.
Am I making any sense? Let me try another way. If I used this product on a banana that is really rated a zone 9a plant, and the temps dropped down below freezing and I got another 9 degrees of protection, that is roughly protected to about 23F, before the leaves died off, I still have nights that dropped into the teens, then would the banana be lost? Now if the product gave the corm an added 9 degrees and it was planted and mulched well, then it would more than likely survive. Does that explain my question any better?
Let me know what you folks are thinking on this... Thanks... And sorry for not being able to write what I am thinking!!!!
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Ok just received an email from Dean Franco and here is his reply 'We did not do translocation studies, and it would be difficult to load enough product into something so massive as a pseudostem or corm. But we do note some added protection of the pseudostem so some translocation appears to be taking place. Our pitch for growing Zone 8 stuff in Zone 7 is the lessening of foliar damage under Zone 7 conditions – that’s all you need to move one Zone further north. Now, if you’re trying to coax true Zone 8/9 bananas to overwinter in Zone 6 conditions, then one would need to worry about underground parts surviving better, but there the cause of mortality is extended, chronic cold.'
Hope this helps, I know I am going to try it.