bananadude

Hey everyone, I keep getting emails from people asking what's the best way to protect my basjoo's from the winter chill!

To be perfectly frank, I think some of the methods used by people, (including myself in the past)...is a bit over the top at times and they use everything but the bathroom toilet to protect them!

Being my forth year in leaving them in the ground here in Zone 5 Northeast Central Michigan....I have opted to just cut down the stalk to about 2-3 inches above the ground, cover the area with leaves and put a bucket over the corm to keep it dry! That's it! That's the most important part, keeping that corm DRY, to prevent it from rotting!

All the elaborate things used to protect the stalk, just won't work, its going to become mushy somewhere on the stalk, so save yourself the time and just cut it off!

Basjoo's are suppose to be cold hardy down to -20...I don't think anybody is out and about in the Himalaya's in China, covering up all the basjoo's, they survive those nasty winters there just fine and they have done so for hundreds and hundreds of years!

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Brian...Zone 5-6...Gladwin, Michigan

raygrogan

Brian - cool idea for cold climes. I have been trying (and often failing) in Iowa with taro. Your DRY explanation could be where I go wrong. Like one failure was digging a gigantic deep hole and dropping a pot in, and covering with sandy dirt once the cold set in. But that would be a way wet situation....

So what is your timing? When do you whack the stems down, then how long til you rake the leaves, put on bucket, etc.?

Using your inspiration, perhaps too late, I just went out an covered a sole plant left unharvested. It is in a raised tub, in dirt, and is of course frozen solid now. I just plopped a plastic grocery bag over it, then put a plastic garden tub over that. Easy.

The garden tub cover is just a big flower pot with holes. Would you replace that with a bucket or other holeless thing?

And next warm spell would you go cut the stem off down to about corm level? Is that the idea, to not have that mushy wet tissue sitting on top of it next spring? Thanks.

Ray

bananadude

After the first killing freeze and the Basjoo's look like crap....I just cut them down....rake in the leaves and put the bucket over it....it takes all of 15 minutes....its not a complicated process!

Make sure you don't have any holes in whatever you use to cover the Basjoo corm.....any holes , especially in the top will allow water to drip down on the corm.....u don't want that to happen.....remember the goal is to keep the corm dry!

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Brian...Zone 5-6...Gladwin, Michigan

sandy0225

I'm testing out a neglectful method too.
I planted 13-15 plants out front; planting them a foot deeper in a new flowerbed, mulched with wood chips. So far I haven't done a thing to them, and don't plan to do anything. We'll see how this goes come spring.
So far they've frozen the tops off and the tops are mostly lying on the ground. There's still a few green spots in the pstems.
How are your new babies going, Brian? I only lost one out of that batch of 144 and it was my fault. I hit it real hard with the water wand when I dropped it.

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Sandy Burrell



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natej740

I'm tryin to save all of my pstem so I definitely overkilled mine....lol. If it does work I will start the season out with a 9 foot plant insted of only a foot tall like last spring. I say it's definitely worth a try to protect as much as you can.

bananadude

Hey Sandy, how the heck r u....I don't know if I would call it a neglectful method.....I at least put a bucket over the corm to keep it dry ....lol !

As for my Basjoo babies.....all 40 of them love their new home under grow lights down in the 70 degree heated basement....a proud papa I am!

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Brian...Zone 5-6...Gladwin, Michigan