Valenciaguy

Can you store an ensete like you can a Musa where you cut off the leaves and leave one and then store it in a cool place?

nucci60

I asked that question onthis forum before. Mr.bungalow replied that you can. He said they have been doing it in england fior a century. find some english garden forums and ask them.

mrbungalow

I have a large ensete sitting in the basement. It has been there, bone-dry since october. The top-part of the stem is now slightly soft, but the rest of the plant is firm. I suspect it might be a little too warm down there, I think you ideally want it a few degrees above freezing and not too much over 10 degrees C/ 50 degrees F. The ensetes seem to like growing, even at cold temps.

Someone said keeping the plant bone-dry over winter can cause the roots to die back and make the "wakeup" difficult. Maybe adding a few drops of water over winter could be beneficial, but overdoing this will probably make things worse!

People have overwintered ensete this way for years, I think the most important thing is size of the plant. You will have trouble trying to overwinter a small plant this way.

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bigdog

Did it last year and the year before with no problems. Both times, I kept the banana plants completely dry. They were small, and dessicated a bit, but recovered very quickly in the Spring.