View Full Version : Overwintering late blooms
What is the best way to try and overwinter a late bloom in zone 8/9?
Jack Daw
07-18-2009, 08:49 AM
What is the best way to try and overwinter a late bloom in zone 8/9?
A very valid question, more to that, has anyone succesfully overwintered bloom in zone 7/8? If so, how.
Also people who tried to overwinter late blooms and failed, please, describe the way you tried to overwinter them and what was the problem there.
Also non-container grown plants with late blooms. All over the net people just say, that once it blooms in the ground and you pull it our for the winter, the shock will be so devastating that the fruit will not ripen. But I've heard about few people growing the nanas in Germany and other colder parts of the Europe and they succesfully overwintered the blooms. The only catch was, that they never shared their techniques and tricks.
This guy in Germany seems to have done it but I don't read German.
Bilder 2009 (http://www.bananenhobby.de/bilder2009.htm)
I would be interested in hearing successes as well as failures as well.
Jack Daw
07-18-2009, 10:23 AM
This guy in Germany seems to have done it but I don't read German.
Bilder 2009 (http://www.bananenhobby.de/bilder2009.htm)
I would be interested in hearing successes as well as failures as well.
Yep, his name is Roland and he lives in identical climatical conditions as I do, but in Germany. The problem with his plant was, that it lost all leaves and the fruit, even when ripe, it tasted very strange.
He however doesn't described how he did it, whether in that pot or bare-root...
I might get to some experimenting as well, but that's some time from now, so anyone?
From the picture I can see a large plastic enclosure that looks like it was insulated with leaves--maybe that is how he did it.
I think anything short of a greenhouse would still mean the leaves would be lost, but if you can insulate the pseudostem and banana bunch/flower (ie bubble wrap) would the corm and the remaining pseudostem be able to mature the bananas in spring?
Jack Daw
07-18-2009, 11:35 AM
From the picture I can see a large plastic enclosure that looks like it was insulated with leaves--maybe that is how he did it.
I think anything short of a greenhouse would still mean the leaves would be lost, but if you can insulate the pseudostem and banana bunch/flower (ie bubble wrap) would the corm and the remaining pseudostem be able to mature the bananas in spring?
No, he grows edibles mostly in pots and he overwintered this one, as it was flowering too late to ripen. So he basically moved it into a cool place for winter.
Dplaza
10-18-2014, 10:18 PM
Came across this thread as I was researching overwintering a flower (unfortunately I don't speak German to understand the guy who attempted this's). I have to start preparing, the first frost is maybe a month away! So digging up a flowering banana will cause too much shock? If I do dig it up, I would have to lay it down in the garage in a pot as it's too tall to fit standing up - any ill affects from doing this? What are my other options? We saw 20s F and even some teens last winter.
Thanks for all your help! Just a guy trying to taste my first non-grocery banana, add to this the devastation of seeing the plant/fruit die.
cincinnana
10-19-2014, 06:26 PM
Another option is to put in a container 25 gal.... 10 bucks at big box stores.
Put it in a corner in the garage.
Pups could be separated or at least sliced away from the mom if you decide to abort . Remember that the plant with the bloom on it will not live after it blooms.
If you can not save the bloom .....save the pups.
boffcheck
10-20-2014, 02:56 AM
Hey guys,
since I am german I thought i could give you help with Rolands way to overwinter his bananas.
Here (http://www.bananenhobby.de/Ausgraben-Basjoo.htm) one can see that he is overwinter his bananas in a 10°C no light basement. He cuts the leaves.
If you get a realy late flower i guess the least thing you want to do is tu cut the leaves. No leaves means trouble for the fruits getting filled and not to mention the taste.
It allways depends on the type you got if its able to get overwintered in such conditions..
Laying down a blooming banana i personally think is also no good idea for saving the fruite.. If you dont have a choice Id suggest to try it. safe some pups for a backup plan ;)
I also suggest to put the part where the flower is on soft ground to prevent damage or maybe you can hang it somehow so the flower is not touching the ground at all.. and for supporting the flower and fruits I think you shouldn't cut the leaves.. Also I have to say that I never overwintered a blooming banana.
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