My first year basjoo!

[geissene]

Hi All,

This is a picture of me with my basjoo plant after a full summer's growth. It started from a small pup back in April. I'm planning to dig him up and store in my basement till next spring. Hope it makes it!

If not, I put a pup in a small pot that I'll keep alive all winter.

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for all the growing information. It sure made things easier.


Erik G near Philadelphia

[Olafhenny]

Hi Erik,

Why go to the trouble of uprooting this plant? Save indoor storage space and the
plant the trouble to start developing new roots and adapting to a different
environment again, when there are so many easier alternatives to winter it outside.

Only yesterday I have replied to somebody seeking advice on wintering bananas
outdoors. You can look it up and follow the leads here:
Any New Ideas ?

If the "Permanent Shelter" is too cumbersome for you, you can just erect a little
fence 3 to 4 ' diameter around the plant and fill it up with leaves 2 feet high, cover
it up with some plastic or such and the plant will still be ahead as opposed to
uprooting it.

The permanent shelter will add up to two months to next year's growing season,
and can be used again year after year.But will take about a week to complete;
- not because it that much work, but because the glue has to set after each work
step.

Good Luck,
Olaf

[jbyrd88888]

I like your green grass and nice basjoo, cool man!

I like Olaf's ideas but I'm thinking separate that pup over 2ft.(to keep inside) but leave as many roots as possible and get enough for/of the pup. Then give it a try at overwintering the biggest and remaining pups under some layers of mulch and leaves.

[Olafhenny]

What you do depends very much on what you are aiming at. In HZ 6 we have zilch
chance of ever getting fruit to ripen.

I am raising mine for show and the curiosity factor. If you want to raise them as single
stems, as is done for fruit growing in warmer regions, or if you find a multi- stem
patch more attractive, as I am doing here: https://flic.kr/p/oCYpYo is a matter of
individual taste and should govern, if you want to cut the biggest pup out of the patch.

[cincinnana]

This is another alternative technique for your/my zone...


.Hibernating a basjoo

[RogerEvenBove]

As I have noted, my basjoos survive well under a pile of greenhouse trash here in West Chester, PA. However, I don't expect them to fruit. If you are looking for a real thrill, try 'tender' kiwis. They can be left in the ground and will fruit.

[geissene]

Thanks everyone for the replies and good words.

I did take a large pup inside to keep as a backup.

My soil is mostly hard clay and in the winter / early spring my yard is a soggy mess from rain and snow. I didn't amend my soil when planting this guy and think it might rot up over winter if I leave it in this ground. Had I known how addicting banana growing would be, I probably would removed some clay and put in nice soil.

I think I'll dig him up this year and store. Next year I will put the plant in a new location outside with better soil. I can then try deep burial or using a shelter since I'll have more plants to experiment with...

At my speed, It'll probably take me a year to find some nice pieces of styrofoam for a shelter... haha

Thanks

Erik G - North Wales, PA