first time musa bajoo
 

Hi,
Im new here. I'm in zone 7a and bought 2 plants that are doing ok since planting into 4' x 3' planters.
I will be buying banana fuel fertilizer as recommended on this forum.

With Amazon prime day approaching, I want to be prepared for winterizing. I've watched numerous videos and I've seen various methods - bubble wrapping, cloth wrapping and mulching.
I'm thinking of doing the bubble wrap and and was wondering if anyone ever tried something like a pop up greenhouse or a winter tree cover in addition to the bubble wrap?

I'm presuming the plant needs to stay dry but what about the dirt in the planter? Does it need water from the soil during the winter?
Thank you :goteam:

Re: first time musa bajoo
 

Where are you planning on keeping it to overwinter? I’ve done it with the bubble wrap before and kept it in my garage (I’m also 7a) if you do just don’t over wrap because you don’t want it to get mold. Last year I just cut off the leaves and put it in my basement and did nothing else. No water no wrapping and it came back stronger than ever. They’re really easy to overwinter. Keep them in a cool dark place and don’t water. When it warms up, take it out and wet the soil. It’s that easy. I have them in the ground now but if you’re doing that it’s a little different overwintering.

Re: first time musa bajoo
 

Thanks for the response! The planters are 4' x 3' - too big to move.
No interest in digging them up as I don't have a place to put them. I've seen numerous videos and was just wondering if anyone tried a pop up greenhouse and if they need access to water.

Re: first time musa bajoo
 

Hi and welcome to bananas.org!

Banana fuel is definitely recommended, although I've not used it personally. I really like Osmocote and Ironite Plus as well. A topdressing of composted manure does wonders, bananas seem to love organic mulching around the base. Basjoo is a tough and hardy plant, and it should have no issues surviving in your zone. 4 foot by 3 foot containers should give it plenty of insulation from the cold. It's important to consider that containers will not insulate the roots like the ground will, and because they are in open areas, will be exposed to winds and greater temperature fluctuations than if they are in the ground. I actually tried a plastic tent with Christmas lights to save my fruit as November settled in. It helped with the light frosts and cold snaps, but it simply wasn't enough to save the fruit. However, such a pop-up greenhouse might be more than enough to overwinter the pseudostem. As long as temperatures stay above 32 degrees or so inside the protective layer, it should overwinter just fine with basjoo. I'm planning on trying the bubble wrap method this year myself. Another poster years ago made good progress with the electric pipe wrap around the pseudostem combined with insulation. He lost the leaves, but the main pseudostem survived if I remember correctly.

If it's staying outside, it will need some water for sure. Basjoo should be quite tolerant of more water than other species, but keeping it on the dryer side will help protect it from root rot and encourage it to go to sleep for the winter. I would water it at least a couple of times a month, or whenever the top 4-6 inches of soil are dry. If temperatures are consistently higher than 60 F for a week or more, you may need to water more often. I hope this helps some!

Re: first time musa bajoo
 

wow ! Thanks so much for all of that info! I'm hoping to cut the stem down to 2 or 3 feet so they're a little ahead of the game next year. I put manure, peat moss and pearlite mixed in with the potting soil. They're about 2 feet tall right now and they've been in these planters about a month. I know they won't get huge this year but I'm very excited !

Re: first time musa bajoo
 

Absolutely! It sounds like you've got a great set up overall, and next year should be great year for them. You can definitely cut them down like that, they will be definitely easier to protect. Although it is technically edible, Basjoo isn't normally grown for it's fruit. But if you'd like to see it flower and fruit, cutting it back will keep it from maturing enough to do so in a single season. Still, keeping 2 to 3 feet of the stem will give it a huge jump start in the spring. Best of luck with your bananas! Definitely keep the forum posted on their progress and any questions you have along the way. Best wishes!

Re: first time musa bajoo
 

Basjoo are great landscape plants with a tropical feel for a raised bed.

A generic inexpensive garden fertilizer will work well for your plants.

Heavy winter deep freezes might require additional protection for a container or raised bed.

Re: first time musa bajoo
 

Here are a couple of threads to look through if you haven't already which might give you some ideas. Basjoo is pretty easy to protect, and I wouldn't worry too much about watering, I never water them over the winter. If you have a local landscape supply center and can get a hold of some inexpensive mulch, pile it up around and on top of the plant and box, you should be fine, If you want to protect the above ground growth, its pretty easy to to do and you don't need to overthink it. Even just a garbage can over the main stem (I usually only protect the one stem) should work in your zone, but I do a little more than that as the pics in the following threads show.

http://www.bananas.org/f15/uncoverin...nas-52001.html

The last page or two in this thread shows my process, but again, no need to overthink it. I know a lot of people that just pile on some mulch on top of the mat and call it good

http://www.bananas.org/f15/time-put-...er-310-31.html