Jim P.R.

A buddy of mine at work is into home brewing. He told me about Beer fermenter heat belts. They wrap around the fermenter jug to keep it above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. I'm thinking this winter of getting a few along with thermo cubes and wrapping the Basjoos as normal but running the belt along the pseudo stems on top of a first layer of burlap.

Any thoughts? I'm certain it's been done before.

cincinnana

Check out this link before you spend your money......look at my posts and all photos.
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There is some information you might be interested in.

Pm with additional questions....

Hibernating a basjoo

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Nate74

This, is the method I plan on using at the end of this season. I think that many of us get caught in wanting to save the Pstem as to not sacrifice height the following year. Clearly as shown by your pictures this isn't a real problem.

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Olafhenny

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Abnshrek

Don't know why you just don't dig up throw pot w/ dirt in basement replant & mulch come spring.. No matter what you do the corm has to regrow roots in spring.. The cold isn't the only enemy.. Any wind gets into whatever preventive measure you build will have counter effects.. I think wind is worse than the cold even down here..

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I'm a Nannerhead :^)

Jim P.R.

No basement very little storage. Trying to make due

Olafhenny

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The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences,
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SlipperySlope

The beer fermenter heat belts I've seen are meant to go one time around a 5 or 6 gallon carboy (about the size of a 5 gallon bucket). A better option, if you really want to go down this route, might be the heating cable meant to keep plumbing pipes from bursting (one example: Frost King 6 ft. Electric Water Pipe Heat Cable-HC6A - The Home Depot ). I've used this (or one like it) on my pipes when I lived in a colder climate. It has a thermostat that turns the cable on when the sensor drops below freezing, rather than being always on like a string Christmas lights.

obdiah

worked for me and cheap too Basjoo pstem did not survive 1F with wrap

jeffaroo

I usually make a 24" round cage out of 1/2x1 cage wire. I buy 3 or 4 foot rolls. Wrap it round and secure with a few hog rings. I twisted some thick wire in 3 spots around the base to act as a flange so I can drive spikes in the ground to secure. Make sure the p-stem is in the center and fill it up with wood chips then pour a layer around base to protect the roots. It works great, cheap, reusable

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Keep shoveling on the potash till the ground bleeds

cincinnana

Many plumbing heat cables run at at a temperature over 120 degrees which is more than enough to kill your plant.
Go buy it and check it out..
Do a test...... wrap it around your arm and plug it in you will see what I mean.
I have used similar heat cable and it will soften pvc pipe.

Using old style christmas mini lights is much safer and do not really cost too much to run.
LED's are useless because they do not put out the heat like those old style mini bulbs.


What is everyone going to do when the plant spreads and pups and the mat gets larger every year?
And it will...

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designshark

I've had no luck saving stems here in central Indiana. My best results came from a cage around the plant made of garden fencing, filled with 8-10 or so inches of black mulch bought bulk and a local nursery, then filling the remainder of the cage with shredded fall leaves from lawn mower/bagger. I then trim frost bit banana leaves then tarp over and around while leaving the stems attached inside. I usually get a few inches or more of stem not rotted in the spring. One year I did the same and weaved the heat tape/cables through the wire cage. It might of helped some but I'm not 100% sure. Good luck!

MDbasjoo

Jim, If you're right on the coast, wrapping the pstems with burlap should work. Until about 0 degrees or so. I've wrapped mine with burlap and christmas lights (mix of incandescent and LED more for decoration than anything) for 3 years now. Only after we got a week of subfreezing temperatures last winter did the stems turn to mush. They're back up to 7 feet pstems now. This is how I protected them: The Maryland Tropics: Is that a Banana Tree?