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View Full Version : Is Ensete Maurelii cold hardy?


Squishee
05-01-2010, 11:31 AM
Has anyone here successfully overwintered a Ensete Maurelii outdoors?

What temps can it survive?

Abnshrek
05-01-2010, 03:46 PM
Only thing I can tell you is the reds are less tolerant of cold than other banana's. Maybe EM is an anomaly? That I can not tell you. :^)

AV1611Corbin777
05-01-2010, 04:45 PM
I have not grown it myself (yet), but according to the wiki it is hardy in zone 9+
Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii' - Bananas Wiki (http://www.bananas.org/wiki/Ensete_ventricosum_%27Maurelii%27)

blownz281
05-01-2010, 05:58 PM
I have seen several come back here in zone 8 NC near the ocean. I was suprised they came back with no protection either and we had a extreme cold winter for here this year.

buffy
05-04-2010, 07:38 AM
My Ensete perished this winter. I piled up mulch around the base. Did I leave the mulch too long, causing rot? Lag: What did you do to protect yours?

raggedyredhead
05-04-2010, 11:44 PM
I have the info card that came with mine and it says"cold hardiness zone 10 - 11.
Minimum temp 30 to 40 degrees. I overwintered my 1st one in the pot in a well lit, warm
basement and it sprouted new leaves and fizzled out and died. The second one was kept
in a cold garage. When it got too cold, I brought it into the house and kept a plant light on for it and barely watered until it showed signs of new growth. i think this one will do fine.

sunsetsammy
05-05-2010, 02:24 PM
In my experience (on Vancouver Island) it is wetness and rot that will kill the plant before the cold.

Where the leaves meet the stem, pockets form that hold a fair amount of water. In the summer heat it's no big deal but come fall when the temps start getting quite cool and the rains come you are left with a really soggy plant.

Storing these plants dry in a shed that stays between 40-50 F seems to work so that's a good starting point. Any colder than that and it gets risky.

I think the stems contain quite a bit of water so if it gets to freezing then you are going to lose the stem. The bulb may still be alive but the stem has just turned to mush and all that moisture is going to cause rot. If the plant/corm can be kept dry I think it stands a better chance.

I wonder if the the stem was hacked right off at the ground and then the bulb covered with mulch and then a tarp to keep the water off would work?

Hmm..... maybe time for an experiment.