Prepping basjoo for winter - Page 2

sman87 · 10-14-2013, 08:53 PM

I have about 8 basjoos with roughly 6 feet tall p-stems each. Ive decided to go the route of digging them up and wrapping the corms with burlap and keeping them in the crawlspace in my basement. Ive also seen people using copper fungicide powder and dusting the corms and p-stems to protect from rot. Does this technique seem to help? Has anyone have good success with keeping basjoos dormant overwintering in basements?

Olafhenny · 10-14-2013, 10:28 PM

I winter all my basjoos outside and thus have no experience with dry root wintering.

However I do have experience with the rot promoting properties of concrete. If you have
earth or gravel flooring in your crawlspace, your method seems okay, however in the more
likely event, that the floor of your crawlspace is concrete, it is mandatory for the survival
of your plants, that you cover the concrete first with polyester sheeting and then with
cardboard, before you place the bananas on top of that. If the burlap serves any
purpose other than additional insulation, I do not know. If the air in your crawlspace is
relatively humid, the burlap may do more damage than good.

Good luck,
Olaf
PS: If you are short of cardboard, two layers of burlap may serve the same purpose.

sman87 · 10-15-2013, 12:02 PM

Thank you Olaf! I would have totally forgotten about the issue with concrete flooring which I do have in the crawlspace and we do have some issues with mold and mildew on occasion. I will definitely start layering the floor with some cardboard I have perhaps spraying it down first to with a cleainng solution too. I'm using the burlap for a few reasons insulation for one and some added barrier protection from mold that is breathable. The two root balls I have just tied up first are slightly damp, not wet and I very lightly dusted them with a copper fungicide to aid with keeping n the corm hopefully pathogen free. 2 bananas down about 10 to go! Lol long day ahead.

Olafhenny · 10-15-2013, 02:45 PM

Don't forget the polyethylene underneath the cardboard. A few garbage bags sliced open
will do nicely. If you crawl space is mildew prone, I would be leery about the burlap.
But as I said, I have no experience with bare root wintering myself. Is your crawlspace
not frost proof, that you think you need burlap for insulation?

Olaf

wheelman1976 · 10-16-2013, 05:54 PM

After seeing some of the replies I'm torn as to what I should do with them.... cone them or dig them..... I've already made the cones but I'm thinking I may dig the smaller ones as there's not much ps to begin with.

wheelman1976 · 10-16-2013, 05:55 PM

Question, would stuffing the cone with fiberglass insulation make any difference? Even if it's touching the ps?

Olafhenny · 10-16-2013, 06:20 PM

I would not be too concerned about filling the cones with fiberglass, providing you can
keep it dry and keep the draft of cold air out (patch up the holes). I would trust a couple
of layers wrapped around the stump as well as on top of it, though that may be a bit costly.

Fiberglass lets air through and does not promote rot as direct contact with plastic does.

Good luck,
Olaf

cannasrus · 10-17-2013, 03:22 AM

wheelman, I dug mine up at put about 1000 watts of 6500k lights over them for the winter, I dont grow
mine for fruit....I just like the way they look. I have wintered some last year by a window and it just wasn NOT enough light for them. They all made it , but were small plants. The green house down the road just cuts theirs down and multches over thick. I have watched that tree for 6 seasons and it it awesome. Now that I have grown some beasts and have a good base I will leave mine in the ground next year and mulch them in and just cut off the PS. I guess it just depends on what You want

wheelman1976 · 10-17-2013, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cannasrus

wheelman, I dug mine up at put about 1000 watts of 6500k lights over them for the winter, I dont grow
mine for fruit....I just like the way they look. I have wintered some last year by a window and it just wasn NOT enough light for them. They all made it , but were small plants. The green house down the road just cuts theirs down and multches over thick. I have watched that tree for 6 seasons and it it awesome. Now that I have grown some beasts and have a good base I will leave mine in the ground next year and mulch them in and just cut off the PS. I guess it just depends on what You want

So what you're saying is a greenhouse down the road has one outside of the greenhouse and they cut it down to the ground and it still grows larger every year? What type of height is it reaching? I am really curious what is capable if you just cut it down and throw a heavy amount of mulch over top of it and lay a tarp over....

cannasrus · 10-17-2013, 08:47 PM

I have seen them get 16 to 20 feet tall down here , I am about 3 hrs south of you I used to live in the north west suburbs I know how cold it can get up there. I was going to leave mine out and cut them down untill i got on here, I probably will next year.I think I will always bring smaller ones in in the future. The thing I have noticed about the ones that get cut downis the stumps are about the size of a basket ball. I am new to banans still learning myself. when I tried to winter outside I failed.

Olafhenny · 10-17-2013, 08:59 PM

IMOEO there is a trade-off. If you pot them and have reasonable growing conditions,
it is of course win/win. But once the plants grow larger and you can no longer provide
adequately for indoor growth, you have the choice between bare root wintering,
which will hopefully preserve most of the PS, but sacrifices most of the roots, or
you can winter them outdoors and sacrifice most of the PS, but have the roots in
place and settled in, ready to “hit the ground running”. From my wording you can
probably tell which method I prefer, and it is also less work.

With my new shelter, which will allow me to take advantage of warm days in March and
April (most of that month), maybe even February, I now hope to add the equivalent
of more than one month to the growing season, which would otherwise not start here
until early to mid May. That widens the gap in favour of outdoor wintering.

wheelman1976 · 10-23-2013, 07:55 PM

Well everything is cut down and fitted into my 1 inch foam square cones. I wrapped the PS with some fiberglass insulation, not enough to fill it completely, but something to say the least. I covered them with one trash bag to keep my duct tape seam tape from getting wet and letting lose and then mounded some dirt around the base.

With that bag over top will I have an issue with humidity/moisture inside or won't it matter?

I did take the smallest ones and potted them up since I didn't think there was much there to weather the winter. We'll see how those go.

Another question on my brazilians, do I still want to water them even though I am sticking them in my back furnace room where it is dark 24/7?

Olafhenny · 10-23-2013, 08:54 PM

That sounds great, have you got any pictures? That bag over top is just what was needed.
If the plastic does not touch the PS directly, there is no concern the fiberglass
will keep the
PSs nicely cuddled

pushak513 · 10-24-2013, 07:33 PM

I put tomato cages around them and fill with straw..put a plastic grocery bag on top to keep water out some what and there fine every year. I made some cages alot taller this year so I dont cut back so much stem..

Olafhenny · 10-24-2013, 08:54 PM

I wonder, Mike, if this is really reliable in a cold winter. I have done that tomato cage thing in my
first winter as augmentation to the base mulching, to save as much as possible . See the funny
man here: My Banana Experience (or lack of it) It did not work for me, though I used leaves
instead of your straw, which may be more effective and did not protect it against moisture. Still,
you appear to be walking close to the precipice. Having said that, I do not think your corm is in
any danger

wheelman1976 · 10-25-2013, 10:16 PM

I'll try to take some pics sometime in the near future. I still have about 10 hours of digging up cannas and five palm trees I need to build boxes for yet before the snow flies so I'll be out in the back yard quite a bit in the next month.

cincinnana · 12-04-2013, 09:31 AM

This is a link to my post which is in the wrong thread.
The photos display the mulch method, that myself and others use in zone 4 through 8. In my opinion this method is the most economical and practical, and you can use anything as the protective layer of insulation.

I will update this thread in the spring once the plants are actively growing.

Hibernating a basjoo

duluthga · 12-21-2013, 10:49 AM

I'm in NE Atlanta and the way I prepare my Basjoos for Winter is to do nothing! The leaves will get hit with frost and hang down along the trunks protecting them from the cold. My top leaves were close to 30' high in the Fall. So far, I've been lucky using the do nothing method. The warm weather types either are cut off at the ground and mulched or dug and stored in the garage. No need to have soil on the root ball or water them.
Good Luck!

10-14-2013, 08:53 PM	#21 (permalink)
sman87 Zone: 5-6 Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 130 BananaBucks : 20,044 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 80 Times Was Thanked 69 Times in 36 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 10 Times	Re: Prepping basjoo for winter I have about 8 basjoos with roughly 6 feet tall p-stems each. Ive decided to go the route of digging them up and wrapping the corms with burlap and keeping them in the crawlspace in my basement. Ive also seen people using copper fungicide powder and dusting the corms and p-stems to protect from rot. Does this technique seem to help? Has anyone have good success with keeping basjoos dormant overwintering in basements?

10-14-2013, 10:28 PM	#22 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 246,326 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Re: Prepping basjoo for winter I winter all my basjoos outside and thus have no experience with dry root wintering. However I do have experience with the rot promoting properties of concrete. If you have earth or gravel flooring in your crawlspace, your method seems okay, however in the more likely event, that the floor of your crawlspace is concrete, it is mandatory for the survival of your plants, that you cover the concrete first with polyester sheeting and then with cardboard, before you place the bananas on top of that. If the burlap serves any purpose other than additional insulation, I do not know. If the air in your crawlspace is relatively humid, the burlap may do more damage than good. Good luck, Olaf PS: If you are short of cardboard, two layers of burlap may serve the same purpose. __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

10-15-2013, 12:02 PM	#23 (permalink)
sman87 Zone: 5-6 Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 130 BananaBucks : 20,044 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 80 Times Was Thanked 69 Times in 36 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 10 Times	Re: Prepping basjoo for winter Thank you Olaf! I would have totally forgotten about the issue with concrete flooring which I do have in the crawlspace and we do have some issues with mold and mildew on occasion. I will definitely start layering the floor with some cardboard I have perhaps spraying it down first to with a cleainng solution too. I'm using the burlap for a few reasons insulation for one and some added barrier protection from mold that is breathable. The two root balls I have just tied up first are slightly damp, not wet and I very lightly dusted them with a copper fungicide to aid with keeping n the corm hopefully pathogen free. 2 bananas down about 10 to go! Lol long day ahead.

10-15-2013, 02:45 PM	#24 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 246,326 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Re: Prepping basjoo for winter Don't forget the polyethylene underneath the cardboard. A few garbage bags sliced open will do nicely. If you crawl space is mildew prone, I would be leery about the burlap. But as I said, I have no experience with bare root wintering myself. Is your crawlspace not frost proof, that you think you need burlap for insulation? Olaf __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

10-16-2013, 05:54 PM	#25 (permalink)
wheelman1976 Zone: 6 Name: Doug Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 129 BananaBucks : 44,463 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 92 Times in 60 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 2 Times	Re: Prepping basjoo for winter After seeing some of the replies I'm torn as to what I should do with them.... cone them or dig them..... I've already made the cones but I'm thinking I may dig the smaller ones as there's not much ps to begin with.

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10-16-2013, 05:55 PM	#26 (permalink)
wheelman1976 Zone: 6 Name: Doug Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 129 BananaBucks : 44,463 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 92 Times in 60 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 2 Times	Re: Prepping basjoo for winter Question, would stuffing the cone with fiberglass insulation make any difference? Even if it's touching the ps?

10-16-2013, 06:20 PM	#27 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 246,326 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Re: Prepping basjoo for winter I would not be too concerned about filling the cones with fiberglass, providing you can keep it dry and keep the draft of cold air out (patch up the holes). I would trust a couple of layers wrapped around the stump as well as on top of it, though that may be a bit costly. Fiberglass lets air through and does not promote rot as direct contact with plastic does. Good luck, Olaf __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

10-17-2013, 03:22 AM	#28 (permalink)
cannasrus Location: southwestern Indiana zone 6 Find me on the map! Zone: zone 6 Name: Buddy T Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 88 BananaBucks : 19,459 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 596 Times Was Thanked 80 Times in 38 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 43 Times	Re: Prepping basjoo for winter wheelman, I dug mine up at put about 1000 watts of 6500k lights over them for the winter, I dont grow mine for fruit....I just like the way they look. I have wintered some last year by a window and it just wasn NOT enough light for them. They all made it , but were small plants. The green house down the road just cuts theirs down and multches over thick. I have watched that tree for 6 seasons and it it awesome. Now that I have grown some beasts and have a good base I will leave mine in the ground next year and mulch them in and just cut off the PS. I guess it just depends on what You want __________________ A regular ride is better than a dressed up walk.

10-17-2013, 08:47 PM	#30 (permalink)
cannasrus Location: southwestern Indiana zone 6 Find me on the map! Zone: zone 6 Name: Buddy T Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 88 BananaBucks : 19,459 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 596 Times Was Thanked 80 Times in 38 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 43 Times	Re: Prepping basjoo for winter I have seen them get 16 to 20 feet tall down here , I am about 3 hrs south of you I used to live in the north west suburbs I know how cold it can get up there. I was going to leave mine out and cut them down untill i got on here, I probably will next year.I think I will always bring smaller ones in in the future. The thing I have noticed about the ones that get cut downis the stumps are about the size of a basket ball. I am new to banans still learning myself. when I tried to winter outside I failed. __________________ A regular ride is better than a dressed up walk.

10-17-2013, 08:59 PM	#31 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 246,326 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Re: Prepping basjoo for winter IMOEO there is a trade-off. If you pot them and have reasonable growing conditions, it is of course win/win. But once the plants grow larger and you can no longer provide adequately for indoor growth, you have the choice between bare root wintering, which will hopefully preserve most of the PS, but sacrifices most of the roots, or you can winter them outdoors and sacrifice most of the PS, but have the roots in place and settled in, ready to “hit the ground running”. From my wording you can probably tell which method I prefer, and it is also less work. With my new shelter, which will allow me to take advantage of warm days in March and April (most of that month), maybe even February, I now hope to add the equivalent of more than one month to the growing season, which would otherwise not start here until early to mid May. That widens the gap in favour of outdoor wintering. __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them. Last edited by Olafhenny : 10-17-2013 at 09:01 PM.

10-23-2013, 07:55 PM	#32 (permalink)
wheelman1976 Zone: 6 Name: Doug Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 129 BananaBucks : 44,463 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 92 Times in 60 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 2 Times	Re: Prepping basjoo for winter Well everything is cut down and fitted into my 1 inch foam square cones. I wrapped the PS with some fiberglass insulation, not enough to fill it completely, but something to say the least. I covered them with one trash bag to keep my duct tape seam tape from getting wet and letting lose and then mounded some dirt around the base. With that bag over top will I have an issue with humidity/moisture inside or won't it matter? I did take the smallest ones and potted them up since I didn't think there was much there to weather the winter. We'll see how those go. Another question on my brazilians, do I still want to water them even though I am sticking them in my back furnace room where it is dark 24/7?

10-23-2013, 08:54 PM	#33 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 246,326 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Re: Prepping basjoo for winter That sounds great, have you got any pictures? That bag over top is just what was needed. If the plastic does not touch the PS directly, there is no concern the fiberglass will keep the PSs nicely cuddled __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

10-24-2013, 07:33 PM	#34 (permalink)
pushak513 Zone: 6-7 Name: Mike Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 191 BananaBucks : 24,296 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 204 Times in 95 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Prepping basjoo for winter I put tomato cages around them and fill with straw..put a plastic grocery bag on top to keep water out some what and there fine every year. I made some cages alot taller this year so I dont cut back so much stem..

10-24-2013, 08:54 PM	#35 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 246,326 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Re: Prepping basjoo for winter I wonder, Mike, if this is really reliable in a cold winter. I have done that tomato cage thing in my first winter as augmentation to the base mulching, to save as much as possible . See the funny man here: My Banana Experience (or lack of it) It did not work for me, though I used leaves instead of your straw, which may be more effective and did not protect it against moisture. Still, you appear to be walking close to the precipice. Having said that, I do not think your corm is in any danger __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

10-25-2013, 10:16 PM	#36 (permalink)
wheelman1976 Zone: 6 Name: Doug Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 129 BananaBucks : 44,463 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 92 Times in 60 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 2 Times	Re: Prepping basjoo for winter I'll try to take some pics sometime in the near future. I still have about 10 hours of digging up cannas and five palm trees I need to build boxes for yet before the snow flies so I'll be out in the back yard quite a bit in the next month.

12-04-2013, 09:31 AM	#37 (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: 8,784 BananaBucks : 886 Feedback: 7 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,865 Times Was Thanked 11,706 Times in 4,870 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1,943 Times	Re: Prepping basjoo for winter This is a link to my post which is in the wrong thread. The photos display the mulch method, that myself and others use in zone 4 through 8. In my opinion this method is the most economical and practical, and you can use anything as the protective layer of insulation. I will update this thread in the spring once the plants are actively growing. Hibernating a basjoo __________________ Cincinnana/Hostafarians Photo Gallery 🌴

12-21-2013, 10:49 AM	#38 (permalink)
duluthga Find me on the map! Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 21 BananaBucks : 30,709 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 37 Times in 13 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Prepping basjoo for winter I'm in NE Atlanta and the way I prepare my Basjoos for Winter is to do nothing! The leaves will get hit with frost and hang down along the trunks protecting them from the cold. My top leaves were close to 30' high in the Fall. So far, I've been lucky using the do nothing method. The warm weather types either are cut off at the ground and mulched or dug and stored in the garage. No need to have soil on the root ball or water them. Good Luck!

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