nealnick5
12-30-2017, 06:51 PM
Hello all, I am in desperate need of your advice. I am the guy with over 100 musa basjoos and this is my first time overwintering them. I fear I may have done it incorrectly and need to know if you all think I should dig them up or not.
After the first freeze, I did not let them die down and instead I cut them 1-2 feet to the ground and stacked hay/mulch around them without allowing the tops of the stems time to dry out. They also have no protection from rain which is keeping the cut stems wet. I checked on some and I am beginning to fear the worst. The stems are rotting from moisture every time they thaw out and it's like a burning fuse; I am not sure if the rot will spread to the corms or not before winter is over.
I am wondering if this rot will kill the corms if it makes it to them. If this is the case, I will dig them up ASAP, cut off the rotting stem parts, and store them where they can dry out. I have researched this everywhere and cannot find specific answers. People say if they die down to the ground naturally, they won't make a new shoot from that corm but will do so from pups instead. Which I would have been fine with; that was what I expected if some of the stems did not survive. I left the 1-2ft pseudo-stems in hopes that at least some would return from those same corms at their massive sizes from this summer.
I decided to dig up my elephant ears because mole tunnels were going straight to them, and sure enough, moles were munching on them. I cut off the bottom bulb rot from that and am now storing them indoors. This made me notice the stem rot, though, which had reached the bulb in one, so I cut all of the rot away. Would the rot have spread throughout the plant?
I am just wondering if this same stem rot from improper winterization could lead to the death of my corms (if the rot reaches my banana corms). I would post pictures but my phone is broken and I will not have a new one until Tuesday.
I am worried and just need to know If you all think I should dig them up before the rot possibly kills the corms. Please let me know what you all think. Thank you and any advice will be appreciated!
P.S. I am sorry if this post is confusing... I am bad at relaying my thoughts sometimes.
After the first freeze, I did not let them die down and instead I cut them 1-2 feet to the ground and stacked hay/mulch around them without allowing the tops of the stems time to dry out. They also have no protection from rain which is keeping the cut stems wet. I checked on some and I am beginning to fear the worst. The stems are rotting from moisture every time they thaw out and it's like a burning fuse; I am not sure if the rot will spread to the corms or not before winter is over.
I am wondering if this rot will kill the corms if it makes it to them. If this is the case, I will dig them up ASAP, cut off the rotting stem parts, and store them where they can dry out. I have researched this everywhere and cannot find specific answers. People say if they die down to the ground naturally, they won't make a new shoot from that corm but will do so from pups instead. Which I would have been fine with; that was what I expected if some of the stems did not survive. I left the 1-2ft pseudo-stems in hopes that at least some would return from those same corms at their massive sizes from this summer.
I decided to dig up my elephant ears because mole tunnels were going straight to them, and sure enough, moles were munching on them. I cut off the bottom bulb rot from that and am now storing them indoors. This made me notice the stem rot, though, which had reached the bulb in one, so I cut all of the rot away. Would the rot have spread throughout the plant?
I am just wondering if this same stem rot from improper winterization could lead to the death of my corms (if the rot reaches my banana corms). I would post pictures but my phone is broken and I will not have a new one until Tuesday.
I am worried and just need to know If you all think I should dig them up before the rot possibly kills the corms. Please let me know what you all think. Thank you and any advice will be appreciated!
P.S. I am sorry if this post is confusing... I am bad at relaying my thoughts sometimes.