Overwintered Ensete Are Alive!

[raggedyredhead]

Hi everyone, after a long cold winter, I took my Ensete Glauca out of a
crawl space and it was as solid as the day I put it in. Others died and were a pile of mush. what really thrilled me was this Ensete was seed
grown by me last March. It did get 6ft or so. I also stored Ensete Maurelli
wrapped in freeze cloth in my garage. It looks healthy. I potted them both
and it appears the ring in the middle is pushing up. I stored a Thai blk
in the garage too. It wasn't wrapped and when I cut it back, although it
was solid the inside rings were black. I potted it anyway and hope for the best. My enthusiasm over Ensete Glaucum was so much that I just ordered more seed from seedtrack & two more Thai blk from a dealer on
Ebay. So I'm back at it again.
Still going bananas in NJ
Raggedyredhead- Lynda

[jimhardy]

That's great news-

I overwinter my Abyssinian in the basement and like yours
it is rock solid coming out,best shape of any of the bananas
I stored down there.

I usually cut down until I find live tissue as I feel they can be choked off
to easily if I leave them with all the dehydrated leaf sheathes on them.

I am trying my first Ensete glaucum this year,I love this plant!

Here are some pics






Basjoo-way behind last year but alive!







Abyssinian





Baby E.glaucum (-:

[nannerfunboi]

way to go jim !!! great pics..great looking plants
im a newbie for sure.. pics ive seen of overwintered plants you all
cut them down pretty good.. i cut my ensetes back to last leaf..then
cut it in 1/2.. but my largest E.glaucum..and E.maurelli.. got huge last
yr..14'+ so even overwintered..they were 7'+without the leaves..
and whew..the weight..LOL
i think i'll try more severe trimming back this fall for overwintering..
thoughts?
also.. good idea on peeling back some of the dried pseudostem..
2 of my midsized maruelli have quite a bit.. there is firmness and green..
so im thinking they are alive.. but no leaves yet..maybe they need my help
in this..ive got to look..maybe there is a leaf trying to get thru..???
again..super pics man !!!

[JuniPerez]

Congrats!
Is that a Waggie palm I see in the background (right side) of the 6th pic? Looks great!

[jimhardy]

Thanks....

Yea,I think peeling them back helps get some heat and sun on them
so they can grow out.

My Abyssinian was 12' last year,I only cut it as much as I needed to fit in the basemen where the ceiling is 7'.

It was a a lot harder bringing it up than taking it down....
at least it was a little lighter after being in the basement all winter!

[jimhardy]

Originally Posted by JuniPerez

Congrats!
Is that a Waggie palm I see in the background (right side) of the 6th pic? Looks great!

Yes it is Juni

I have another right across the walk from it.

[sashaeffer]

Jim, how did you over winter that palm? How long have you had it in the ground?

Scott/Omaha

[Sanatic1234]

Hi looks like there has been some good success overwintering bananas from last year. Here are some pictures of my success. two pictures showing the lift and drainage stage and potted up for winter of 2010. The next two pictures show my ensete maurelli at present. They also show the different colour variations due to the changes in temperature.

[sashaeffer]

Sanatic, Great pics that you added. Although I just left my Ensete in a pot it's grown pretty tall and want to bring it inside for the winter in it's pot.

What advice can you give about how you over wintered yours in the pot in the pic Should I but back the leaves on mine like you did? (I may anyway to get it in the door) Does it make it over winter easier? And did you just water sparingly? and lastly, did you experience any growth over the winter?

Scott/Omaha

[Sanatic1234]

Hi sashaeffer.

Firstly when potting it up for winter or growing it in a pot. The mixutre/ growing medium in the pot wants to be 50% compost and 50% perlite, so that the soil drains very easily if it doesn't then rot can set in also don't over pot it either this way the soil drys out quicker. If watered in a pot all season remove it from the pot and tilt on its side or if you have been growing it in the ground, tilt the ensete on its side like shown in my first picture for a good half a day or more to drain any excess water that is trapped in the leaf bases, removing the leafs is a good idea as it makes it easier for storage and the plant is holding less water. I also cut the roller in half, this stops any water running back down the roller and in to the ensete again.

I don't water mine through the winter at all, as all that happens if you don't water is the ensete will go in to dormancy. but as soon as the temperatures start to rise in spring give the ensete a light watering and it will wake up again and start to grow. BUT.. you have to gradually increase the water intake as if you water how you did before you lifted it chances are it could still rot as the temperatures will not be all that warm yet in the spring. If you do want to give any water at all, i would suggest just giving the top of the soil a misting and no more. I hope this helps.

I did experience growth through the winter, mine kept on growing till december/january. then stopped, and i woke it up in april.

[sashaeffer]

That was a BIG help. As I think I could do that to my other potted banana's as well. Getting the dirt dry again. Makes sense.

Question: What is a "roller"?

[Sanatic1234]

I am glad that was a big help. The roller is the leaf in the middle that is not opened up yet. We call it a roller here in the UK as the leaf is rolled up before it opens out fully.

[sashaeffer]

When do you typically bring your inside? do you have a certain date/month or just watch for low temp?

[Sanatic1234]

Mid october for my area/region. And yes mostly just keep an eye on the forecast. As here in the UK anything can happen as the last year proved, that was one hell of a bad winter. -14c in my area. north of the UK see -22c.