Winter hardy banana plant???
Ok, a few days ago I'm walking through the Home Depot plant dept (I just can't resist) looking for unusual plants. I stumbled upon what was labeled as "Winter Hardy banana plant".
There is of course no ID whatsoever about it apart from info for its care. Here is a brief summary from the supplied tag: Plant height 10-15 feet Spacing 6 feet This hardy banana can grow 2 feet per week with 6 foot leaves. Creamy yellow blooms are followed by ornamental yellow/green fruit. Cut back to 2 feet after first frost and use the pruned leaves as protective cover through the winter. So I bought two..... one I planted outside in full sun and the other I keep inside just in case the other fails. Here are two pics I just took of the one inside to help with ID. |
Re: Winter hardy banana plant???
Basjoo
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Re: Winter hardy banana plant???
I'll second that
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Re: Winter hardy banana plant???
thirded.
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Re: Winter hardy banana plant???
Is there such a thing as "fourthed"? Any, in Zone 5, you will need a lot of protection for that plant. But it can be done.
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Re: Winter hardy banana plant???
Cool, let's say I cover it with 6 inches (or more) of mulch AND cover that with an upside down bucket (the styrofoam kind sold exactly for that purpose), would that be protection enough?
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Re: Winter hardy banana plant???
I just photographed the one I planted outside.
Since it stops growing at about 5 degrees celsius I figure it has at least another month of growth left in it. I just hope it has time to develop a good enough root system before frost. Here's a pic. |
Re: Winter hardy banana plant???
Nice! Good job!
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Re: Winter hardy banana plant???
Spott, great buy, good luck overwintering them.
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Re: Winter hardy banana plant???
There are many threads about different methods for insulating and overwintering your bananas. I would go thicker than 6" on the mulch, leaves or whatever you choose - even with the inverted pot over it. Better to be safe than sorry.
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Re: Winter hardy banana plant???
Spott,
IMO that is not enough time for a good root system to be established in your zone to be able to take the winter. I planted a basjoo (my 1st banana) last year end of July. I unwrapped it in the spring and thought it was find. Through the weeks it just leaned and leaned over and turned brown, and just dissapeared! I still look for it now ( cuz ya never know) lol. I figured the root and corm were not strong and mature enough to make it through the z6 winter. And also water might of gotten to the corm. I planted a basjoo in April and I know this one is gonna make it for the upcoming winter. I'll post a pic of it a lil' later. Good luck in whatever method you choose. Who know's....It might make it in the ground! MG |
Re: Winter hardy banana plant???
Hopefully it will make it with a good mulch. I use about a foot of hay around and over my p-stems, which are cut at about 12". My basjoos made it; my t. fortunei palms made it; hell even my L. chinensis palm made it (and it's zone 9 minimum). But my velutina didn't. Go figure.
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