This may have been discussed before. I did a search but did not find anything on this particular topic. My apologies if this has been hashed over.
Has anyone ever successfully carried over a Musa basjoo in areas that got to 20, or more, degrees below zero with just a mulch cover of 3 or 4 inches? If the answer is no, then Basjoo is not hardy to Zone 4 or 5, and probably Zone 6. A plant's hardiness is its ability to survive an average winter low temperature. It is not based on covering with five lawn bags filled with leaves, or covering with a wooden box with an electric blanket or light bulb inside. While it is often described as hardy to Zone 4/5, WITH PROTECTION, the extensive protection required is not a normal practice. You have to be a nanner lover to make the effort. Most gardeners would let them freeze. And another requirement that I have seen is that the Basjoo should be at least three feet, or so, tall with an established root system in the ground. This is another mark against a Zone 4/5 hardiness. Plant height should not be a factor in hardiness.
I have once seen Basjoo's hardiness listed as Zone 7. This is probably more correct than the usual Zone 4 or 5. The correct listing should probably be "Hardy to Zone 7 and to Zone 4 or 5 in well-drained areas with extensive winter protection measures". But the usual is "World's Hardiest Banana Plant...25 Degrees Below Zero". Is this a marketing ploy?
I would really like to know if anyone has carried over a Basjoo with winter temperatures of 5 or 10 below zero with just a mulch layer of 3 or 4 inches. Apparently the goal is to keep the ground, and the root mat, from freezing. I would like to have a bunch of Basjoos in the yard but don't want to fill up and cart around 50 big lawn bags of leaves.
Ed
