View Full Version : Growth in Zone 6 Connecticut
Syano10
09-17-2012, 09:02 AM
Early June
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=50582&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=50582)
Mid august
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=50583&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=50583&ppuser=11925)
GreenFin
09-17-2012, 02:34 PM
That whole patio area looks great! Very cool :bananas_b
LilRaverBoi
09-17-2012, 04:19 PM
Very pretty! Filled out quite nicely since June!
Syano10
09-17-2012, 06:06 PM
Thanks it's been a work in progress but the musa basjoo have really taken off!!!
natej740
09-17-2012, 08:03 PM
Looks nice....is that colocasia mojito I see too?
cincinnana
09-17-2012, 08:23 PM
Very nice mix of plants.....looks great!!:)
Abnshrek
09-17-2012, 09:09 PM
The plants have done well.. I dig the pergola. :^)
Hammocked Banana
09-17-2012, 10:00 PM
Looks awesome. What's your plan for this winter? Do u just mulch the basjoos?
Syano10
09-18-2012, 08:53 AM
Couple of answers to questions above:
Yes it is a Mojito it really took off.
and I am torn between digging up the musa basjoos or mulching. Any thoughts???? I always dig up the cannas and mojito.
Yeah the pergola is widdled from one piece of wood! Just Kidding (Is that from from the movie meet the parents??)
Here is a new pic just this morning
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=50593&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=50593&ppuser=11925)
natej740
09-18-2012, 09:01 AM
I would say leave the basjoo and protect as much of the stem as possible. Im in zone 6 Ohio and my basjoo comes back every year no problem. This year I'm gonna try the leaf cage method and hopefully save 5+ of pstem.
Syano10
09-18-2012, 09:24 AM
I am leaning that way. I was thinking the wire cage method as well.
pushak513
09-18-2012, 03:35 PM
I'm in northern KY and my bajoos stay out in winter. Ive never used the cage method I use feed bags filled with hay and leaves for the small ones and the large construction 1 cu. yard bags for the largers ones and I usually end up with most of my P stem come spring. good lookin nanas there
lloydy
09-19-2012, 06:58 AM
Looking wonderful. Amazing how quickly they've grown in zone 6. You inspire us northerners :O)
Syano10
09-19-2012, 08:47 AM
Thanks! My hope is to save as much of the pseudostem as possible perhaps 3-4 feet. Also when to separate the pups! They have several right now. Do I separate before the winter or in the spring??? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
My leaves got torn quite a bit in the crazy wind we had on the east coast yesterday!
stevelau1911
09-19-2012, 11:34 PM
It's not that hard to save the pseudostem. All it really takes is shrink wrapping them so that absolutely no moisture can get into them, then wrapping them up with some sort of a fence, and stuff leaf mulch in there.
The problem with my basjoos is that the psuedo-stem is already at 7ft and growing so it will require a super high fence as pseudo-stems get taller and taller.
Syano10
09-20-2012, 06:35 AM
Never heard of the shrink wrap method??? How do you do this??
Baboon
09-20-2012, 10:28 AM
Hi I'm new to this forum.I live in Europe,Serbia.It's zone 6.I was reading on this forum about storing banana plants during the winter.I was wondeirng can I store cavendish banana plants this way?
pushak513
09-20-2012, 04:29 PM
Never heard of the shrink wrap method??? How do you do this??
me either.. im in zone 6 I fill a mesh bag with straw and leaves and stick it over the p stems..large cubic yard bags for the taller ones and it works fine..never glad wrapped one though
stevelau1911
09-20-2012, 07:46 PM
Never heard of the shrink wrap method??? How do you do this??
Shrink or stretch wrap is a flexible type of plastic used to seal boxes so they are water tight, and it is many times stronger than the plastic wrap that is typically used in kitchens. It can be purchased from eBay or any shipping store.
I basically cut the pseudo-stems down to a certain point once they are wilted, and wrap it with enough layers so that water cannot get into the pseudo-stem and rot it out. I would then add the leaf mulch for insulation.
This year, I would rather use the 4ft tall 55 gallon barrels, cut a hole through the bottom, then stick the barrel over the pseudo-stem. I would then stuff as many leaves I can so the the inside never gets that much below freezing. Since my tallest pseudo-stem is up to 7ft tall, I can either add another barrel on top, or simply use plastic bags on top so I can protect all of the pseudo-stem. After it is all stuffed, I plan on putting a large trash over the top part, and then shrink wrap the set up so that moisture doesn't penetrate into the over-wintering set up.
jeffreyp
09-20-2012, 07:59 PM
This is a picture from about 5-6 years ago in East Lyme Connecticut of my dad with some Musa Basjoo he planted. They are never dug up, are much more robust and multiple trunks...he does very little in regard to protecting them in the winter.
<a href=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=27588&si=east lyme><img src=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=27588 border=0></a>
stevelau1911
09-20-2012, 08:02 PM
I only plan on protecting my main bananas because I want them to get to flowering size which might require them to get up to 20ft or higher. All the other ones can be deep planted and then fend for themselves.
GreenFin
09-20-2012, 08:27 PM
Hi I'm new to this forum.I live in Europe,Serbia.It's zone 6.I was reading on this forum about storing banana plants during the winter.I was wondeirng can I store cavendish banana plants this way?
Hi Baboon, welcome to the forum :)
Yes, Cavendish bananas can be stored over the winter. I've never tried to do it, but I'm sure some of the members here have successfully overwintered them indoors.
There's a tremendous wealth of info in old threads on this forum. I usually click on the "Search" button near the top of the screen, then click on the "Advanced Search" option that pops up, then type in relevant keywords. If you spend a bit of time searching you should find quite a bit of helpful info about overwintering Cavendish bananas. Best of luck! :bananas_b
Baboon
09-21-2012, 05:54 AM
@GreenFIn thank you! I'll do some searching soon. :03:
Syano10
09-21-2012, 09:38 AM
Shrink or stretch wrap is a flexible type of plastic used to seal boxes so they are water tight, and it is many times stronger than the plastic wrap that is typically used in kitchens. It can be purchased from eBay or any shipping store.
I basically cut the pseudo-stems down to a certain point once they are wilted, and wrap it with enough layers so that water cannot get into the pseudo-stem and rot it out. I would then add the leaf mulch for insulation.
This year, I would rather use the 4ft tall 55 gallon barrels, cut a hole through the bottom, then stick the barrel over the pseudo-stem. I would then stuff as many leaves I can so the the inside never gets that much below freezing. Since my tallest pseudo-stem is up to 7ft tall, I can either add another barrel on top, or simply use plastic bags on top so I can protect all of the pseudo-stem. After it is all stuffed, I plan on putting a large trash over the top part, and then shrink wrap the set up so that moisture doesn't penetrate into the over-wintering set up.
do you have any pics of this it sounds great especially with the barrels
stevelau1911
09-21-2012, 08:16 PM
It's still 1-2 months from the time I need to over-winter them because I want to make sure they don't continue growing after I cover them up. I usually wait until November. Here's the steps I plan to take.
1. Shrink wrap the P-stems after cutting the leaves off to make sure that they don't get rotted by too much moisture.
2. Place a 55 gallon plastic barrel which has a hole through the bottom over the whole thing.
3. Stuff the barrel with leaf mulch.
4. If there is more P-stem left, repeat steps 2 & 3 with another barrel on top or a trash bag.
5. Seal the top with a trashbag ensuring moisture doesn't get in.
6. Shrink wrap the entire set up to make sure that it doesn't allow moisture to penetrate.
7. Tarp over everything for even more insulation.
Here's the same exact set up performed by someone on youtube, but they using slightly smaller barrels.
Overwintering bananas - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=vqPkEV7P8YI)
Syano10
09-23-2012, 06:14 AM
Thanks for the great detail! You said you wait till November? After first frost or ???
stevelau1911
09-23-2012, 03:44 PM
I usually wait until after a few frosts, and freezes. Unlike the leaves, the pseudo-stem can tolerate temperatures into the mid 20s, so I usually don't bother protecting it until it is absolutely necessary. One of the problems with covering up too early is when there is another warmup, and it pushes a leaf through the entire setup which ruins all the hard work of protecting it.
I'm not sure if I can successfully protect up to 7ft of pseudo-stem, but it's worth a try.
Syano10
09-26-2012, 10:11 AM
thanks for the post. I may do a hybrid of that using the wire cage but wrapping the pseudostem like you said.
then wrapping the whole thing with a tarp and shrink wrap to keep it tight. I know, biggest thing is keeping it dry. Think this will work???
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