betsy09spencer09@yahoo.co

I've been browsing conversations and learning alot so I've decided to introduce myself. My name is Betsy. I live in Northern Utah. I'm here to learn how to keep banana trees alive through the winter indoors or outdoors. Any suggestions or suggested threads are highly welcome. Currently I have a Pink Velutina banana plant and a California Gold banana plant.

cincinnana

Welcome to the Jungle.

Have fun here...

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nexmp76

Welcome! Those are pretty cold hardy varieties. You shouldn't have a problem with those. The biggest thing is preventing too much water during cold months. If you're able bring them in the winter months. Even in a garage you can let them go dormant in cold months.

lpatelski

Welcome to a bunch of banana addiction!

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4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Growin’ a bunch
Orinoco
"Ice Cream" Namwah
Williams hybrid
FHIA 17
Dwarf NamWah

gatorfan

Hi Betsy and welcome to the jungle. Here is a little info about cold hardy bananas. This comes from a banana botanist in Texas who does research, grows, performs tissue cultures and deals with banana sciences with universities.
Hope this helps.
The Cold Hardy List!

Dwarf Orinoco – can’t be beat! Nothing comes close. There are several sports.
Dwarf Namwa – very good producer and grows in lower temps.
Blue Java – the real one! 90% out there are fakes. Comes up early in spring!
Pitu – a type of bluggoe. It makes a short but fat little fruit. I’m not crazy about the taste but it is fairly cold hardy.
Dwarf Brazilian – one of my favorites. Love the taste! Also grows great in lower temps.
Monthan – this will be the only variety on both the cold hardy and short cycle list! Wow. Very productive! Fast grower and flower to yellow fruit in 50-60 days. Amazing. I really enjoy both cooking and eating these ripe. It is becoming one of my favorite all around bananas.
Raja Puri – they flower fairly fast but have a 3-4 month fill time.
Virupakshi – “Hill Banana” tall but tolerates cold well. I have been cutting them back before winter just to shorten them. If not they will weaken and break/bend over. My 2nd favorite tasting banana. Taste makes it worth the extra effort.
Saba – loves coastal areas. Has a long cycle so has to be timed just right.
Mysore – does better in the west cost or areas where the temp doesn’t drop below freezing much. It is also very tall. Fruit have a “berry-like” flavor and are very good. Must have for west cost or FL growers.
I’m sure I will be editing this list as time goes by. For me and most growers that deal with a winter it’s all about timing! If I allow a pup to grow in early June. It will be large enough to survive winter and flower in early summer. Counting winter in my zone 8b it takes about 300-350 days to flower a plant. Then another 40-120 days to fill/ripen it. So get your timing down and you will see success. Don’t be disappointed by early failures. It takes time and a few years to get the plants established and timing down.
Regards,
Dell

beam2050

i wish mine would fill in 3-4months.

i had 5 flower this year. and the last one flowered near the 1st of sept. 16 hands, base is as big as a basket ball, 7ft. p-stem. for me they fill n 6 months. had 3 in may flower, still waiting.

but they are the best i have to survive the winter, i had one flower in the middle of march.

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npk of wood ash 0/1/3 to 0/3/7

npk of banana leaf ash 1.75/0.75/0.5

betsy09spencer09@yahoo.co

Thankyou so much! I'm right at the point where I'm deciding if I should dig my bananas and store them indoors for the winter. Does anyone have experience keeping dormant bananas indoors? Then having them fruit after replanting them?

cincinnana

Follow the cold hardy thread and read the posts.
Pick and choose information which you could use
There are quite a few takeaways.
Expect your plants to possibly flower in 3-5 years
Youtube offers some great DYI information to get you started also.


.Time to put the bananas to sleep for the Winter

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Iowa

Here they are in the basement about the same amount of time they are outdoors. These are Orinoco's, I have had a Kokopo fruit also.

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Growing Musa Orinoco since 1993 - Added 2018-Basjoo, Zebrina' Rojo, Ensete Red Abyssinian - Added 2019-Goldfinger - Added 2020-Kokopo (Short Cycle), Double (Mahoi), Highgate, Super Dwarf Cavendish - Added 2021-Pisang Ceylon(Mysore), Musa Margarita, Ensete Ventricosum - Added 2023 - Siam Ruby

betsy09spencer09@yahoo.co

OH WOW! Zone 5. This is exactly what I needed. I've watched alot of videos but they don't provide updates so I can see exactly what conditions of the roots are experiencing. Thankyou so much for this!!!

gatorfan

Just a note of caution do not place the plants in water to keep them moist. They will most definitely get root rot and die.

betsy09spencer09@yahoo.co

One more important question! How do I get my email off my name?