AuntieBanana

Hi everyone, new to the board.

We are located in 6b (London Canada) and after keeping an eye on temps we decided we could plant our musa basjoo last week. Unfortunately, it looks like after almost a week of 75-96F, we are going to see a cold snap with feels like close to 35-40F over night.

Should we worry? Is there anything we can do to protect them?

OllieB497

Yes they won’t like a cold snap bring them in otherwise it will set back growth significantly. Anything freezing will damage them 2-5 they should be fine. 1 and below is a no go, my basjoo in the UK survived 2 degrees it was a big clump tho and eventually the frosts got them

AuntieBanana

Thank you. They have been planted in the ground, so can I put something over top of them to protect them?

OllieB497

How long is the cold snap? If it’s short then yeah but if it’s a week then lots of straw lots of bubble Wrap and keep em as warm as possible

subsonicdrone

it is only supposed to go down to 9C here in toronto and will likely be warmer down where you are
all of my plants will be staying outside with no protection at those temperatures

AuntieBanana

Thank you subsonicdrone. The overnight feels like is 1C on Friday night, which has me a little worried.
Can I ask when you normally put them out for the season or uncover them if they are left outdoors? This month seems to have had quite a few frost dates.

subsonicdrone

i just checked the forecast down there and surprisingly they are colder than what is forecasted here in toronto
https://www.wunderground.com/forecast/ca/london
click 10-day

basjoo will have no problem with 5C

if it is really exposed to the north east wind you might want to find a way to shield it from the wind a bit
the wind is forecast to be stronger down there as well
https://sailflow.com/en-us/Search/Vi...13,-81.684,6,2
(press play)

i just planted a basjoo in the ground on the weekend...
it was a small plant with only 1 leaf... kind of in rough shape
the wind broke its only leaf the next day but there is a new leaf pushing out and that one will be used to the outdoor conditions

normally i wait until may 24th long weekend
this year i brought them out one week early
the week before that there were frosts so i knew there was a chance of having to bring them all back in

these are the 3 i planted on the weekend... the basjoo is on the right... that was before it lost the leaf
they are in an exposed spot for a NE'er but i think they will make it

cincinnana

Basjoo are a beast in lower temps..

My plants as well as most northerners plants will tolerate everything except a prolonged hard freeze.
6 inches of snow for 7 hours did not damage the plants just popping up a month or so ago....the temps were 30 on up though.

If you are worried and they are small you may place a trash can over them

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AuntieBanana

Hopefully the weather will change before than and I’m worrying over nothing.
My basjoo are in a pretty protected area of our yard, we have above 15’ between a retaining wall and the neighbours “trees”. We are hoping to leave them out in the winter with the proper protection.
I also have a couple of red banana plants in large containers and a couple blood bananas that I’m still not sure where I’ll be putting.

subsonicdrone

sounds good!
i successfully over wintered basjoo in the ground this year and cincinnana has been doing it for years just south of you

OllieB497

In 9 degrees what bananas do you grow outside? I don’t know whiter to leave mine out below 10.

subsonicdrone

wow what a crazy day
the coldest temps are forecast to be at noon!
snow is falling in large areas just north of me
i did pull a few banana plants inside this morning
the ones which did not like the cold last fall

AuntieBanana

Have to admit that I'm a little nervous. It's been very windy, rainy and cold here this morning. 5C but feels like 0. I have pygmy palms in the ground along with the Basjoo. My red banana are in heavy containers and can't be moved inside. I wish I had thrown a garbage bag over everything.

Thankful that we weren't some of the people that saw snow this morning.

subsonicdrone

there were flurries today for over an hour here.. at times heavier than i got on video
https://vimeo.com/556403142

cincinnana

Basjoo weather....believe me your plants love it.

While it is cold above the soil line it is toasty warm at and below to soil line.

The plant is still sending roots and building the corm.

You forum members up north are awesome....

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AuntieBanana

I had placed all my palms outside last weekend, because I thought we’d were in the clear for weather (it was 101F on Tuesday!) and they were just too big to move back inside. Lists a bottle palm to the wind and rain, it was on our upper deck and the rain was so heavy at one point that it overfilled the container and the wind came along and uprooted the tree and it severed it cleanly at the base. A hibiscus tree that was also up there that I had moved against the house was thrown off the deck.
My bananas, including the red banana all looked okay, a couple leaves on one are torn up (do I cut them off?) but they had more protection being on the mid and lowest tier of our backyard.

subsonicdrone

torn leaves are normal for the bananas, dont cut them off

thats unfortunate about the bottle... i would try righting it and replanting anyways to see what happens

sirdoofus

That's some messed up s%&# for the end of May!!

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Who keeps calling me nuts??

sirdoofus

Holy cow - that is some serious wind. So sorry to hear about your palm. I agree with Subsonicdrone, might be worth salvaging.

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Who keeps calling me nuts??

AuntieBanana

Frost warning tonight! My goodness, doesn’t Mother Nature know we’re dealing with enough stuff in Ontario right now?!? Placed contractors bags over the red bananas tonight, and brought in what I could... everything else is going to have to fend for itself.