CanaBanana

Hi all,
I'm new to container gardening and bananas. I used to have a big yard and put almost everything in the ground. Now I can't do that - I just have a patio and a bunch of containers. The largest container has a dwarf cavendish that got about 2.5' this year, and I want to make sure it survives until next year because it is such an awesome plant!

I'm in Ottawa, Canada, zone 4b. It's getting too cold and dark for the banana now. I'm not sure what I should do with it, even after reading other posts here.

I used to mostly just grow vegetables for myself, so I'm not very experienced at overwintering plants, never mind container plants. Are they more at risk for damage because they aren't in the ground?

If I were to bring them in, I have a basement, but it gets quite warm and humid down there (it's a rental and the furnace ducting is crap). When I moved here (in snowy March) my dormant plants started sprouting down there. Didn't know what to do so I put them in the sunniest window and let them grow. They didn't do too well this year.

I have east and west facing windows, but there isn't a lot of direct sunlight. Living where I am don't think there's enough overall sun for a banana in winter... not to mention the plant is quite large now. It got full sun all summer and it was quite hot and humid this year.

Not really sure what I should do. Please help me save the banana!

Abnshrek

Keep it above 50F, don't over water it, which will lead to rotting.. Over-watering is the easiest way to kill a plant when caring for it during winter.. Let it freeze is another way..

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Duckfood

What Abnshrek said... Your mission for the winter months is just to keep it alive until Spring...

If you have the room to spare next to that West facing window, there should be enough sun to keep it going until warmer weather returns... Keep in mind that the growth rate is going to slow greatly, and most of your current leaves will turn and die... This isn't a big deal...

And, as mentioned above, you will probably only water once a month...

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By the way, there is no cure for the human disease of growing bananas. ~~~ Richard 05/22/2014...

Olafhenny

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Lancelot

Warm and humid in the basement? I wish I had that in my basement. I have lots of lights set-up though, and I keep them alive through the winter, only water when dry, and cut off any leaves that turn brown just to keep them looking as nice as they can be where they are, and also to keep any diseases from forming.

I've been doing it successfully for 3 winters now.

Oh, by the way my wife is from Ontario and she thinks I'm nuts for trying to grow bananas in Wisconsin, but I'm not nuts, just bananas.

lmswayne

No out side in Seattle

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