Do you have to protect musa basjoo?

Eric1221 · 10-07-2016, 04:37 PM

I was curious.. this is my first year growing musa basjoo. I got my plants from amazon. They were very small.. like 4 inch pots with 3-4 leaves.. took them a little while to adjust but they got to a decent size ranging frim 2-4 feet of stalk and the leaves go up further.. my question is:

Do you have to protect and insulate the stalk in order to get big plants or can the plants be cutdown and every year get stronger and bigger starting from the soil if i chop them down and cover with mulch?

I was thinking of trying to cover 2 with insulation and bubble wrap.. any suggestions would be appreciated.. thank you!! Hope your gardens are going well..

edwmax · 10-07-2016, 05:09 PM

Basjoo plants have been know to survive sub-zero temps and are very cold hardy. But from the description of you plants, I think the plant & roots may still be too young & tender for freezing temps. I suggest bringing them inside in pots or as bare roots just to insure they will make it to next spring.

Of course, you can cut the pstem back, mulch very heavily & cover mulch & all with plastic and hope they will come back next spring.

Just my 2 cents worth ....

Eric1221 · 10-07-2016, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edwmax

Basjoo plants have been know to survive sub-zero temps and are very cold hardy. But from the description of you plants, I think the plant & roots may still be too young & tender for freezing temps. I suggest bringing them inside in pots or as bare roots just to insure they will make it to next spring.

Of course, you can cut the pstem back, mulch very heavily & cover mulch & all with plastic and hope they will come back next spring.

Just my 2 cents worth ....

Thank you for replying ! I didn't realize you could bring them inside. I don'5 know if my family will be cool with a big banana stalk in a pot in the house lol. I may just cut t down and then mulch heavily so the root system can establish itself since it is the first year. One of my plants got big leaves in the firs yeat several 3 foot leaves by a foot and a half or so.. and there are several pups starting to emerge from the base of the plant..

MBindy2000 · 10-08-2016, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric1221

Thank you for replying ! I didn't realize you could bring them inside. I don'5 know if my family will be cool with a big banana stalk in a pot in the house lol. I may just cut t down and then mulch heavily so the root system can establish itself since it is the first year. One of my plants got big leaves in the firs yeat several 3 foot leaves by a foot and a half or so.. and there are several pups starting to emerge from the base of the plant..

Eric,
Are your plants in the ground or in pots? IF the family is ok on bringing them in you could transplant the plant to a pot and if you have a grow light or a good south window the plant will survive. IF its in the ground you can mulch it, bubblewrap, hey and bags. That's what I do with mine and have pictures on another thread. Another idea of what you can do is dig them up and put them in a warm dark place to rest. I do that with my elephant ears, cannas and red banana plants.
Mike

Eric1221 · 10-08-2016, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MBindy2000

Eric,
Are your plants in the ground or in pots? IF the family is ok on bringing them in you could transplant the plant to a pot and if you have a grow light or a good south window the plant will survive. IF its in the ground you can mulch it, bubblewrap, hey and bags. That's what I do with mine and have pictures on another thread. Another idea of what you can do is dig them up and put them in a warm dark place to rest. I do that with my elephant ears, cannas and red banana plants.
Mike

Hey thank you for the advice. Yes they are all in the ground. I think bringing them indoors will be an issue but the bubblewrap hay and bag trick seems like a good idea. How much bubblewrap and hay do you need ? I have 3 main musa basjoo plants im trying to save through the winter. I heard bubblewrap is problematic? I just want them to live so badly lol

cincinnana · 10-08-2016, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric1221

Hey thank you for the advice. Yes they are all in the ground. I think bringing them indoors will be an issue but the bubblewrap hay and bag trick seems like a good idea. How much bubblewrap and hay do you need ? I have 3 main musa basjoo plants im trying to save through the winter. I heard bubblewrap is problematic? I just want them to live so badly lol

Erik.
Your hardiness zone is zone 7....if you can remove your zip from your profile and inserted your zone 7 would be awesome.
So.
If you dug a great loose well draining big hole slightly elevated from the rest of your garden your small plants should be fine with a heavy layer of mulch/organics /bags of mulch or leaves and whatever else to choose

Anything you can put over the corm that will add distance from the freezing temps above the soil line will help your plant.

Here is a link to help you make a decision..

Generally, In July/ August no matter what you choose to do with your plant to overwinter it, the height will be the same.

scottu · 10-08-2016, 07:45 PM

you need to cover and insulate the corms enough to keep from freezing, thats most important, then in case we get a warm spell at some point, you need to keep them from getting light and moisture so they don't start to grow in the middle of their dormancy, i put a final covering of black plastic over all with some kind of weights on the outer edges.
good luck and if they don't make it i have tons of pups not far from you in the spring. we all get better at it and more addicted to it each year.

edwmax · 10-09-2016, 08:04 AM

To expand on my early post and scottu's post: ... Long Island appears to have a soil frost/freeze depth of 18 to 20 inches. So I think the mulch should be as thick or more to allow for settlement and extend aprox. 24 to 36 inches around the corm/plant to prevent freezing from the outer edge. The plastic is to kept the mulch in place and freezing rain out as well as giving a greenhouse effect for heat. ... If you keep the young/tender corms temps above freezing, they will survive the winter. ... When the leaves die cut the pstem to the ground.

cincinnana · 10-09-2016, 09:55 AM

As the other guys said ....Pile it on.

In the spring rake it back.
.

Untitled
by Hostafarian,
on Flickr

Eric1221 · 10-17-2016, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cincinnana

As the other guys said ....Pile it on.

In the spring rake it back.
.

Untitled
by Hostafarian,
on Flickr

So covering with mulch and nothing else works just fine?

Eric1221 · 10-17-2016, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottu

you need to cover and insulate the corms enough to keep from freezing, thats most important, then in case we get a warm spell at some point, you need to keep them from getting light and moisture so they don't start to grow in the middle of their dormancy, i put a final covering of black plastic over all with some kind of weights on the outer edges.
good luck and if they don't make it i have tons of pups not far from you in the spring. we all get better at it and more addicted to it each year.

So do you think this is suitable? So far i went around each stalk and piled soil along the trunk to make a mound around the corm to encourage rain to go to the sides instead of settling on the trunk area. Then i want to buy bubble wrap and rap up the stalk well and cover with mulch or hay and then buy a plastic garbage pale and cover it with that and put a rock on top of the lid to keep the pale from being blown over

scottu · 10-17-2016, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric1221

So do you think this is suitable? So far i went around each stalk and piled soil along the trunk to make a mound around the corm to encourage rain to go to the sides instead of settling on the trunk area. Then i want to buy bubble wrap and rap up the stalk well and cover with mulch or hay and then buy a plastic garbage pale and cover it with that and put a rock on top of the lid to keep the pale from being blown over

Don't ever put any kind of plastic against the banana plant! Use another source. no moisture barriers against the plant, Other than that, that could work.

Eric1221 · 10-17-2016, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottu

Don't ever put any kind of plastic against the banana plant! Use another source. no moisture barriers against the plant, Other than that, that could work.

This is what comfuses me because i have seen and heard ppl who have used bubble wrap and they say it works just as well? Then some ppl say you don't have to do any winterizing and their bananas come back every year and grow 10-15 feet no problem. I just wanna do the easiest method and while preserving the height. Decisions decisions lol

cincinnana · 10-18-2016, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric1221

This is what comfuses me because i have seen and heard ppl who have used bubble wrap and they say it works just as well? Then some ppl say you don't have to do any winterizing and their bananas come back every year and grow 10-15 feet no problem. I just wanna do the easiest method and while preserving the height. Decisions decisions lol

Well......... ask yourself this question.

How much do you want to spend annually for a ten dollar plant.

A link is supplied for some pics

https://www.flickr.com/gp/hostafarian/Bt71u4

MBindy2000 · 10-19-2016, 09:18 AM

interesting on the no plastic. I'm a little confused here, like Eric. I have been using the bubble wrap since I saw it on you tube. I get the stuff at work that is basically trash so no I'm not stealing from work

I think Ill just use my method this year since I have so many resources already. I will continue to learn about this. Heck we are all green thumbs and have learned by trial and error. Thank you for your experienced advice Cincinana!

MBindy2000 · 10-19-2016, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cincinnana

Well......... ask yourself this question.

How much do you want to spend annually for a ten dollar plant.

Locally we do this(volunteer) commercially as well in private(ME) gardens..

WE do this to over 600+ plants in the area....
Some cover a quarter acre...

No Bs
No insulation
No tarps
No unsightly huts in your front yard.....
NO loss..

Just good gardening practice... and mulch.

Do ask questions within this thread.....the more info in the thread the better.

All answers within the thread have been valid and proven......pick and choose what will work for you.

A link is supplied for some pics

https://www.flickr.com/gp/hostafarian/Bt71u4

How far down to the ground do you cut the plant?

Eric1221 · 10-19-2016, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MBindy2000

interesting on the no plastic. I'm a little confused here, like Eric. I have been using the bubble wrap since I saw it on you tube. I get the stuff at work that is basically trash so no I'm not stealing from work

I think Ill just use my method this year since I have so many resources already. I will continue to learn about this. Heck we are all green thumbs and have learned by trial and error. Thank you for your experienced advice Cincinana!

What is your method?

beam2050 · 10-19-2016, 04:43 PM

use a blanket or on old pair of pants first, then bubble wrap it.

scottu · 10-19-2016, 05:37 PM

yes, that's to the point, no moisture barrier/plastic against the plant!
Though you could get a little more creative with the insulation!

beam2050 · 10-19-2016, 06:20 PM

yes and also use a piece of plywood or particle board or a large piece of Styrofoam to keep the sun off it. plastic when the sun hits when its on the ground pulls moisture.

10-07-2016, 04:37 PM	#1 (permalink)
Eric1221 Location: Long Island, New York Zone: 7 Join Date: Mar 2016 Posts: 88 BananaBucks : 35,691 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 158 Times Was Thanked 112 Times in 65 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Do you have to protect musa basjoo? I was curious.. this is my first year growing musa basjoo. I got my plants from amazon. They were very small.. like 4 inch pots with 3-4 leaves.. took them a little while to adjust but they got to a decent size ranging frim 2-4 feet of stalk and the leaves go up further.. my question is: Do you have to protect and insulate the stalk in order to get big plants or can the plants be cutdown and every year get stronger and bigger starting from the soil if i chop them down and cover with mulch? I was thinking of trying to cover 2 with insulation and bubble wrap.. any suggestions would be appreciated.. thank you!! Hope your gardens are going well.. __________________ I am very fascinated and excited about growing Pawpaws (Asimina triloba). I also am equally fascinated and excited to be growing: Pawpaw cultivars, Echinacea purpurea 'magnus', Asclepias tuberosa Butterfly Weed, Musa basjoo Cold Hardy Banana, Lycium barbarum 'Sweet Lifeberry', Passiflora incarnata 'hardy native maypop'. Future projects: Indigenous/native host plants for butterflies such as: Zizia aurea Golden Alexanders, Eutrochium maculatum Joe Pye Weed, Asclepias incarnata Rose Milkweed.

10-07-2016, 05:09 PM	#2 (permalink)
edwmax Location: Cairo, Ga Find me on the map! Zone: 8b Join Date: Aug 2016 Posts: 2,891 BananaBucks : 88,663 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 1,741 Times Was Thanked 4,440 Times in 2,095 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 414 Times	Re: Do you have to protect musa basjoo? Basjoo plants have been know to survive sub-zero temps and are very cold hardy. But from the description of you plants, I think the plant & roots may still be too young & tender for freezing temps. I suggest bringing them inside in pots or as bare roots just to insure they will make it to next spring. Of course, you can cut the pstem back, mulch very heavily & cover mulch & all with plastic and hope they will come back next spring. Just my 2 cents worth .... __________________

10-08-2016, 07:45 PM	#7 (permalink)
scottu <div style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="font-weight: bold;">&lt;div style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;di v style=&amp;quot;font-weight: bold;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&a mp;amp;lt;di v sty scottu 's Photo Gallery Location: Bethlehem,Pa. Find me on the map! Zone: 6 Name: scott Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 1,192 BananaBucks : 7,484 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,595 Times Was Thanked 857 Times in 368 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 3,323 Times	Re: Do you have to protect musa basjoo? you need to cover and insulate the corms enough to keep from freezing, thats most important, then in case we get a warm spell at some point, you need to keep them from getting light and moisture so they don't start to grow in the middle of their dormancy, i put a final covering of black plastic over all with some kind of weights on the outer edges. good luck and if they don't make it i have tons of pups not far from you in the spring. we all get better at it and more addicted to it each year. __________________ Viva La Banana

10-09-2016, 08:04 AM	#8 (permalink)
edwmax Location: Cairo, Ga Find me on the map! Zone: 8b Join Date: Aug 2016 Posts: 2,891 BananaBucks : 88,663 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 1,741 Times Was Thanked 4,440 Times in 2,095 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 414 Times	Re: Do you have to protect musa basjoo? To expand on my early post and scottu's post: ... Long Island appears to have a soil frost/freeze depth of 18 to 20 inches. So I think the mulch should be as thick or more to allow for settlement and extend aprox. 24 to 36 inches around the corm/plant to prevent freezing from the outer edge. The plastic is to kept the mulch in place and freezing rain out as well as giving a greenhouse effect for heat. ... If you keep the young/tender corms temps above freezing, they will survive the winter. ... When the leaves die cut the pstem to the ground. __________________

10-09-2016, 09:55 AM	#9 (permalink)
cincinnana container grower Location: Southwest Ohio U.S.A.🇺🇸 Find me on the map! Zone: HZ 6/5 Microclimate - Elevation 750 feet- 228.60 meters Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 8,782 BananaBucks : 609 Feedback: 7 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,865 Times Was Thanked 11,705 Times in 4,870 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1,943 Times	Re: Do you have to protect musa basjoo? As the other guys said ....Pile it on. In the spring rake it back. . Untitled by Hostafarian, on Flickr __________________ Cincinnana/Hostafarians Photo Gallery 🌴

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10-19-2016, 09:18 AM	#15 (permalink)
MBindy2000 Find me on the map! Join Date: Nov 2015 Posts: 127 BananaBucks : 22,003 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 201 Times Was Thanked 161 Times in 70 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Do you have to protect musa basjoo? interesting on the no plastic. I'm a little confused here, like Eric. I have been using the bubble wrap since I saw it on you tube. I get the stuff at work that is basically trash so no I'm not stealing from work I think Ill just use my method this year since I have so many resources already. I will continue to learn about this. Heck we are all green thumbs and have learned by trial and error. Thank you for your experienced advice Cincinana!

10-19-2016, 04:43 PM	#18 (permalink)
beam2050 banana cereal killer Location: middleburg fl. Find me on the map! Zone: 9b-8a Name: walkinbeam Join Date: Sep 2016 Posts: 2,423 BananaBucks : 660 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 10,695 Times Was Thanked 3,349 Times in 1,543 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 816 Times	Re: Do you have to protect musa basjoo? use a blanket or on old pair of pants first, then bubble wrap it. __________________ ................................................... npk of wood ash 0/1/3 to 0/3/7 npk of banana leaf ash 1.75/0.75/0.5

10-19-2016, 05:37 PM	#19 (permalink)
scottu <div style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="font-weight: bold;">&lt;div style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;di v style=&amp;quot;font-weight: bold;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&a mp;amp;lt;di v sty scottu 's Photo Gallery Location: Bethlehem,Pa. Find me on the map! Zone: 6 Name: scott Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 1,192 BananaBucks : 7,484 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,595 Times Was Thanked 857 Times in 368 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 3,323 Times	Re: Do you have to protect musa basjoo? yes, that's to the point, no moisture barrier/plastic against the plant! Though you could get a little more creative with the insulation! __________________ Viva La Banana Last edited by scottu : 10-19-2016 at 05:46 PM.

10-19-2016, 06:20 PM	#20 (permalink)
beam2050 banana cereal killer Location: middleburg fl. Find me on the map! Zone: 9b-8a Name: walkinbeam Join Date: Sep 2016 Posts: 2,423 BananaBucks : 660 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 10,695 Times Was Thanked 3,349 Times in 1,543 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 816 Times	Re: Do you have to protect musa basjoo? yes and also use a piece of plywood or particle board or a large piece of Styrofoam to keep the sun off it. plastic when the sun hits when its on the ground pulls moisture. __________________ ................................................... npk of wood ash 0/1/3 to 0/3/7 npk of banana leaf ash 1.75/0.75/0.5

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