Has anybody tried heaping soil over the P-stem to help them winter over? (Kansas)
 

I have had a banana in my back yard for a few years, now, in Zone 6 (Kansas). Some years I heap leaves around it and some years I do not. It is noticeably larger and stronger if I cover it in leaves, and the P stem does not die to the ground: it is alive perhaps 4 inches above the ground.

I would like to see it bloom. I got to thinking: has anybody tried covering the P-stem with soil? The ground freezes here, but that does not seem to bother the roots any. *IF* I buried the P-stem I wonder if enough of it would stay alive for it to bloom????????

Or would I just smother the banana plant?

Has anybody here tried this before?

Terri

Re: Has anybody tried heaping soil over the P-stem to help them winter over? (Kansas)
 

I haven't tried this but I would definately wrap the pstep in plastic first bc the wet dirt would definately lead to rot.

Re: Has anybody tried heaping soil over the P-stem to help them winter over? (Kansas)
 

Banana Gallery - P-stem protection

hi Terri....although my climate is milder, and excess moisture over the winter instead of cold temperatures is my concern, I think I have a partial solution that could work for you. Although temperatures much below freezing (say 5 degrees)makes the whole thing redundant for soft tissue plants like bananas, it may be worth a try to maintain continued growth as much as possible. The link above is for a system I devised, using varying sizes of plastic pots, and peat moss. I cut the bottoms out of the pots, and using sheet metal screws, build a tower using sequentially smaller pots from bottom to top. I cut the bottoms out using a jigsaw, leaving a half inch flange for attachment points. In the fall, I fold the leaves of the banana back on itself, making a bit of a "hat" for the p-steim, then fill the tower with peat moss, place a plastic cover over the top to shed water, then another uncut pot over that. I then put a thick layer of mulch around the base of the tower. So far, it seems to work well at giving the plants a bit of a quick start in the new growing season. Plastic wrapping, I believe, would be counter productive, trapping moisture and encouraging rot. The dry peat moss wicks moisture away from the p-stem. As long as the temperatures cooperate a bit, could be worth a try.:08:

Re: Has anybody tried heaping soil over the P-stem to help them winter over? (Kansas)
 

Pots to keep the trapped moisture from condensing on the P-stem. Check. An EXCELLENT idea, as I have quite a few cracked pots! I can just tie them together when I stack them.

I also have an old blanket that I can drape over the lot, which can be covered with plastic to keep the rain off.

:woohoonaner:

Re: Has anybody tried heaping soil over the P-stem to help them winter over? (Kansas)
 

Hi Terri,
I definately wouldn't cover the stem in soil unless you live in an extremely dry climate, but here in the UK where I am, it would certainly lead to rot. 2012 has been the wettest for 100 years here!
This year I covered the root area and corm in a 4 to 6 inch layer of wood chips. I built a cage around each plant by driving 3 or 4 wooden stakes into the soil, wrapping chicken wire around the stakes in a rough circle. I put a layer of old polystyrene packing material on top of the wood chips in an effort to stop damp wicking from the ground up. I packed the cage loosely with rockwool loft insulation (I've used straw or bracken and dry leaves in the past) leaving an air gap between the stem and rockwool. I cut all the lower leaves off the stem leaving the top two which i folded upright next to the cigar leaf. The wooden stakes I used weren't long enough to reach the top of the plants (9 to 10 ft) so I extended them with thin bamboo poles, tying the tops together to form a teepee shape. I wrapped the whole structure in a couple of layers of horticultural fleece and tied a plastic sack over the top to a depth of 2-3 ft to keep the rain out. The rest of the fleece isn't covered with plastic and so far, the rain seems to be running off it rather than being absorbed by it. I'll find out if all this has worked in 3 months or so. Good luck with yours.

Re: Has anybody tried heaping soil over the P-stem to help them winter over? (Kansas)
 

I tried it last fall, I made like a dome shape with the dirt. I didn't bury the stems a whole lot though. I then heavily mulched, used straw, heat tape and tarps. I won't know if I was successful until this spring. You can check out my gallery, I documented it somewhat.

Re: Has anybody tried heaping soil over the P-stem to help them winter over? (Kansas)
 

The pot towers I use are to keep the rain we get out, and I use the dry peat moss (bought in vaccuum packed bales) to keep moisture away from the p-stem and provide insulation. It is a porous medium, so air can still move through it. It really is a balancing act, trying to keep the p-stem alive without decay because of too much moisture or humidity. Without air circulation, moisture will condense on plant material not protected in some fashion. Lots of things being tried out there, one of us will find the answer! Don't wrap in plastic! Think about that head of lettuce left too long in a bag in your refrigerator....not a pretty sight! Good luck all!:2738:

Re: Has anybody tried heaping soil over the P-stem to help them winter over? (Kansas)
 

I did a bit of that this winter, along with a few bags of mulch.

All my plants are starting to wake up - Feb. 3rd!

I didn't cut the stems all the way to the ground, left about 4-5 inches and covered the base with chicken manure that I bought from Home Depot (cheap stuff). Put about 1 to 2 bags of mulch on top of that.

Seems like I am going to have some monster plants this year. It's will be my second year with these.

From Ryan Molpus' 2012 Garden Photos

Re: Has anybody tried heaping soil over the P-stem to help them winter over? (Kansas)
 

Here are a few others that are trying to push up.

From Ryan Molpus' 2012 Garden Photos