Must Separate Pups?

Dave in Minnesota · 09-09-2013, 12:45 PM

Hi, This is my first try at bananas and I have a 3-month old Musa Basjoo with 3 pups of between 3-8 inches tall. It is now 9/9 and our first frost is probably a few weeks away or so. Do I have to separate the pups or am I fine to let them go thru the winter? Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks, Dave in Minneapolis, MN

Duckfood · 09-09-2013, 06:22 PM

This time of year, I would just leave them with the mother until Spring... Especially in Minnesota, they will not have enough time to really stabilize on their own...

Olafhenny · 09-09-2013, 07:44 PM

No.

Hi Dave,

considering your HZ, you won’t have any chance to harvest fruit unless you have a heated greenhouse.
Therefore you will probably raise your bananas for their foliage and exotic impact in your area, like
I do here.

You may accordingly consider not to divide the pups off at all to achieve a cluster effect as shown in
these pictures:

This picture was taken today showing the street view of a pad of 4 larger Basjoos with a
few pups attached

This photo, shot from a different direction earlier this year, shows the Basjoos to the right
and an almost full-sized Ornata in the top tier of a hidden pot pyramid.

Abnshrek · 09-09-2013, 08:18 PM

Hello & Welcome.. :^)

Dave in Minnesota · 09-11-2013, 09:33 AM

Thank you all! I definitely don't plan on harvesting fruit--it is just an ornamental thing and no one I know has a banana plant(I am also doing needle and dwarf palmetto palms), so it's fun to try something different. So, that said, do any of you have any advice for winterizing? I've read lots of different things but my concerns are allowing the plant to breath while keeping it relatively warm and dry. Any help is much appreciated, thanks!

Dave

Olafhenny · 09-11-2013, 10:40 AM

Hi Dave,

there are various ways of bringing your bananas through the winter in frigid regions:
• You can leave them in the pot and keep them growing inside for the winter, either by a bright window,
or under growing lights.
• You can uproot them and store them lying on there side in basement or garage.
• Or you can, like I do, leave them outside and protect them by mulching heavily with leaves or such.
• Some people in a more farm like setting stash hay or straw bales around them.

I have now devised, what I believe to be a much better and in the long run easier solution: double
walled Styrofoam “hoods” filled with fibreglass stuffing, which can be taken off early in spring and stuck back
over quickly and easily, when frost threatens again. The polystyrene hoods cost me for three, one to cover
a whole pad and two for single stems well under $60.-for materials. The fibreglass stuffing costs another
$22.- or so per roll, but is only enough for two covers. I had enough for the third one still laying around.

You can find out about the details here: Permanent banana shelter for winter and spring.

In previous years I just waited until frost nicked the leaves, sliced them off and the pseudo-stem to a
manageable size built a 18” to two feet fence around the pad and filled that up with leaves. That has the
disadvantage, that it is more or less an “all or nothing” thing to uncover it in spring. You have to wait longer
to be sure and lose valuable growing time.

I am sure you have more questions, so fire away!

Best,
Olaf

Dave in Minnesota · 09-13-2013, 10:07 PM

Thanks Olaf! Have you ever had issues with allowing to breath or is that not a problem?

Olafhenny · 09-13-2013, 11:21 PM

Sorry, Dave, I don't know what you mean by that

JERICO · 09-16-2013, 11:53 AM

Hey Dave, and welcome to Bananas!

This is a rather enjoyable bunch, and they are
quick to jump in to help!

You already seem to feel this already...

Dave in Minnesota · 09-16-2013, 09:21 PM

Olaf, I mean: do they need air at all? I just want to make sure they dont suffocate if they're completely covered all winter.

Olafhenny · 09-16-2013, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave in Minnesota

Olaf, I mean: do they need air at all? I just want to make sure they dont suffocate if they're completely covered all winter.

I am not really sure, since I have in the past used small plastic tubs with the bottom cut out, flower pots
or a combination thereof around the PSs, before I piled on the leaves, mostly to provide a separation
between the sure to be soggy leaves and the PSs. So yeah, they did have a minimum of air space, but
my main motivation was to prevent rotting. I my permanent shelter they will be much more dry, and will
also have more air space around them. You also gave me an idea of another advantage,, I had not
thought of before: On one of the warmer days during the winter, it only takes seconds to remove rock
and lid to air them out a bit, spray some Serenade or such, if there are any signs of mildew and place
it all back together.

From reading the posts here, I gather, that most here do provide at least some minimal separation
between the stems and the insulation material, except for those who wrap the stems in burlap.

Dave in Minnesota · 09-18-2013, 09:17 AM

great, thanks Olaf!

09-09-2013, 12:45 PM	#1 (permalink)
Dave in Minnesota Location: Minneapolis, MN Zone: 4-5 Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 5 BananaBucks : 4,176 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 6 Times Was Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1 Times	Must Separate Pups? Hi, This is my first try at bananas and I have a 3-month old Musa Basjoo with 3 pups of between 3-8 inches tall. It is now 9/9 and our first frost is probably a few weeks away or so. Do I have to separate the pups or am I fine to let them go thru the winter? Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks, Dave in Minneapolis, MN

09-09-2013, 06:22 PM	#2 (permalink)
Duckfood Location: Knoxville, TN Find me on the map! Zone: 7 Name: Michael Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 329 BananaBucks : 39,399 Feedback: 2 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,084 Times Was Thanked 275 Times in 133 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 361 Times	Re: Must Separate Pups? This time of year, I would just leave them with the mother until Spring... Especially in Minnesota, they will not have enough time to really stabilize on their own... __________________ By the way, there is no cure for the human disease of growing bananas. ~~~ Richard 05/22/2014...

09-09-2013, 07:44 PM	#3 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 246,201 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Re: Must Separate Pups? No. Hi Dave, considering your HZ, you won’t have any chance to harvest fruit unless you have a heated greenhouse. Therefore you will probably raise your bananas for their foliage and exotic impact in your area, like I do here. You may accordingly consider not to divide the pups off at all to achieve a cluster effect as shown in these pictures: This picture was taken today showing the street view of a pad of 4 larger Basjoos with a few pups attached This photo, shot from a different direction earlier this year, shows the Basjoos to the right and an almost full-sized Ornata in the top tier of a hidden pot pyramid. __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

09-09-2013, 08:18 PM	#4 (permalink)
Abnshrek Happy Growing Abnshrek 's Photo Gallery Location: Beaumont Texas Find me on the map! Zone: 8b, but 9b weather.. Name: Migael / Michael Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 9,492 BananaBucks : 196,996 Feedback: 45 / 100% Said "Thanks" 10,447 Times Was Thanked 16,440 Times in 5,237 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 2,318 Times	Re: Must Separate Pups? Hello & Welcome.. :^) __________________ I'm a Nannerhead :^)

09-11-2013, 09:33 AM	#5 (permalink)
Dave in Minnesota Location: Minneapolis, MN Zone: 4-5 Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 5 BananaBucks : 4,176 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 6 Times Was Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1 Times	Re: Must Separate Pups? Thank you all! I definitely don't plan on harvesting fruit--it is just an ornamental thing and no one I know has a banana plant(I am also doing needle and dwarf palmetto palms), so it's fun to try something different. So, that said, do any of you have any advice for winterizing? I've read lots of different things but my concerns are allowing the plant to breath while keeping it relatively warm and dry. Any help is much appreciated, thanks! Dave

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09-11-2013, 10:40 AM	#6 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 246,201 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Re: Must Separate Pups? Hi Dave, there are various ways of bringing your bananas through the winter in frigid regions: • You can leave them in the pot and keep them growing inside for the winter, either by a bright window, or under growing lights. • You can uproot them and store them lying on there side in basement or garage. • Or you can, like I do, leave them outside and protect them by mulching heavily with leaves or such. • Some people in a more farm like setting stash hay or straw bales around them. I have now devised, what I believe to be a much better and in the long run easier solution: double walled Styrofoam “hoods” filled with fibreglass stuffing, which can be taken off early in spring and stuck back over quickly and easily, when frost threatens again. The polystyrene hoods cost me for three, one to cover a whole pad and two for single stems well under $60.-for materials. The fibreglass stuffing costs another $22.- or so per roll, but is only enough for two covers. I had enough for the third one still laying around. You can find out about the details here: Permanent banana shelter for winter and spring. In previous years I just waited until frost nicked the leaves, sliced them off and the pseudo-stem to a manageable size built a 18” to two feet fence around the pad and filled that up with leaves. That has the disadvantage, that it is more or less an “all or nothing” thing to uncover it in spring. You have to wait longer to be sure and lose valuable growing time. I am sure you have more questions, so fire away! Best, Olaf __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

09-13-2013, 10:07 PM	#7 (permalink)
Dave in Minnesota Location: Minneapolis, MN Zone: 4-5 Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 5 BananaBucks : 4,176 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 6 Times Was Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1 Times	Re: Must Separate Pups? Thanks Olaf! Have you ever had issues with allowing to breath or is that not a problem?

09-13-2013, 11:21 PM	#8 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 246,201 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Re: Must Separate Pups? Sorry, Dave, I don't know what you mean by that __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

09-16-2013, 11:53 AM	#9 (permalink)
JERICO Location: Alabama Zone: 8 Join Date: Aug 2013 Posts: 77 BananaBucks : 4,253 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 67 Times Was Thanked 50 Times in 35 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 60 Times	Re: Must Separate Pups? Hey Dave, and welcome to Bananas! This is a rather enjoyable bunch, and they are quick to jump in to help! You already seem to feel this already... __________________ Sorry, we have no bananas today! Varieties Growing in Zone 8: Ice Cream, Raja Puri, Gran Nain, Williams, Cavendish, Mekong giant, Basjoo, Double Mahoi, Ensete Snow, Viente Cohol, Saba, FHIA-3 Sweetheart, Thousand Finger, and one BIG mystery Banana.

09-16-2013, 09:21 PM	#10 (permalink)
Dave in Minnesota Location: Minneapolis, MN Zone: 4-5 Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 5 BananaBucks : 4,176 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 6 Times Was Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1 Times	Re: Must Separate Pups? Olaf, I mean: do they need air at all? I just want to make sure they dont suffocate if they're completely covered all winter.

09-18-2013, 09:17 AM	#12 (permalink)
Dave in Minnesota Location: Minneapolis, MN Zone: 4-5 Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 5 BananaBucks : 4,176 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 6 Times Was Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1 Times	Re: Must Separate Pups? great, thanks Olaf!

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