Kylie2x

This is such a wonderful thread.. I thought I would bump it up for everyone to share...Thanks James for making it available in the other post..

Robi

Hi Guy's

I'm new to this group and I live in Belgium(Europe). Can I dig out my ensete maurellii, dwarf cavendish, ensete glaucum, musa basjoo the same way that is shown in the fist message? I do have a basement. I'm al so looking for some different species of banana's. So if you are selling or want to trade. Please tell me.

Banana's rule

bigdog

Robi, in my experience, the Ensete bananas store very well in the basement. Not too sure about Dwarf Cavendish, but I don't think the pseudostem holds up too well over the winter. The corm should be fine though, and grow back pretty quickly in the spring (I've done it with Super Dwarf Cavendish for years). I've only tried it with Musa basjoo once, and only because I was moving and didn't want to leave it behind. The pseudostem dessicated quite a bit, but it grew back fine the next year.

Jimzone7

Thanks Bigdog for this thread, I'm new to this site and growing bananas, but I know the info you've posted is the best & clearest I've seen anywhere on the web. I haven't heard you mention your plans for your book in awhile, I hope you're still thinking about it.
In your last post I think you stated that when you lifted your basjoo to wintered over most of the PS died back.
I have 2- 6'(to the stem) basjoo and 6 pups, my main hope is to have as much size next year as possible. (I'm not even thinking about fruit yet)
I'm in zone 7
Should I lift it and remove some of the lower leaves and place it in my basement that will not freeze (probably 40 - 55 degrees) or should I cut it mulch it and leave it in the ground, but how will that affect it's size next season?
Jim

frankthetank

BigDog-

Have you ever buried bananas? My newest thought is just to bury a couple of my Basjoo corms (everything else is coming inside and staying in a spare bedroom) about 4 or 5 feet deep. I had to take out some posts near the house and now have some very deep "craters" that i thought would work perfect for corm storage. I would mulch with leaves or something to fill the hole in and then put a sheet of plywood over the top and maybe a tarp over that. Maybe i'll toss a wireless weather reciever in one of the holes over the winter to track the temp? Frost line around here doesn't go deep if there is snowcover.

bigdog

Jim, I'm glad to hear that it is helpful! The book idea is still just that...an idea. I'm in school at UT Knoxville full-time right now, so that eats up the majority of my time. Maybe one day. Thanks!

As for your M. basjoo, I'd leave it in the ground and mulch it really well. You can build a cage and fill with leaves like some do in order to save as much pseudostem as possible. The only reason I dug mine up was because of the move. Personally, I just mulch the base really well, then invert a trash bag full of leaves (with a hole big enough for the pseudostem in the bottom) over the top of the pseudostem (cutting the pseudostem back to a couple of feet). Digging it up also means that it will take much longer for it to re-establish in the spring.

Frank, the thought has crossed my mind, but it's more work than it's worth for me. Dragging them under the house is pretty hard work, but somehow I think burying them would be even more difficult.

natedogg1026

Big Dog, Great pics and explanation! Same method I use here in Kansas. This year I'm gonna try one of those, kids toboggan sleds. Ya know, the plastic one's you get at Wally world. Tie a rope on that dude, load it up, and pull a load under, several at a time. We'll see how it works. Its gotta be easier on the back. But the thought of wintering other borderline hardy plants under the house is pretty smart. What about bulbs or elephant ear tubers? What do ya think about wintering these that way: Plumeria, Majesty palm, and hardy potted plants? And my last question is, my Siam Ruby. I got it about a month ago from P.D.N. its about 2ft. and has put on two leaves so far. Do you think it would be too fragile or has it grown strong enough? The reason I ask all this is because I don't have the space to bring all of them in and am seeking an alternative method. Thanx!! --NNNNNNNNNAAATTTEEEEEEEE

__________________
Banana's are a safe addiction. Right?Maybe I need classes.

JoeS475

Nate, I can't speak for the other plants, but Siam Ruby is worth making space for. My gut says it won't store well at all, although we'll never really know until someone tries. But any 2' banana is probably too small to make it.

My 2 cents,

~Joe

__________________

bigdog

Nate, out of the plants you mentioned, the ones I know you can store like bananas are Plumeria, EE bulbs and other bulbs. In fact, I have a couple Plumerias that are going under the house this fall too. If you try that with your Majesty Palm, however, you will find a really dead palm in the spring, lol! I don't know about the "hardy potted plants" you mentioned, you'll have to be more specific.

Oh, and I surely wouldn't try it with a young 'Siam Ruby'! I'd wait until I had several feet of pseudostem before even thinking about it. With the prices down and availability up now, I guess it wouldn't be such a tragic loss as it would have been about a year ago. They are TC plants also, so there isn't enough corm for it to store energy in.

DaveK

I read JoeReal's post and I also brought my plants in the basement for the winter. I have a grow light on them and the temp. right now is about 70 F and 58% humidity. I have some small plants about 1ft tall, a basjoo a raja and a candavish I also have 2 plants that are about 3 ft tall that I have no idea what they are. This my first year overwintering, It's been a couple of days and the 2 larger plants are loosing some leaves, is this normal? The temp at night before I brought them in was in the high 40's for a couple of days so I don't know if there some shock damage. My question is should I leave the light on and will they continue to grow in that environment? Thanks

bigdog

I would leave the grow light on them, Dave, but greatly reduce the watering to almost none. Just water when the soil is bone-dry and the plant starts to look stressed (and then use some lukewarm water). They may grow a very little bit, but that's not really the goal. The goal is just to keep them alive through the winter until next spring. Good luck. It is more difficult with plants that size, but entirely possible.

frankthetank

I kept a SDC in a cold bedroom (temps in the 50's) without ANY light except for the window and it did fine. I don't remember EVER watering it for the entire winter! and i also don't remember it dropping any leaves. Same will happen this year, except now i've got even more. I don't try for winter growth, just keeping them alive is good enough for me. Too expensive to give them the growing conditions they would like (up here it is!).

mikevan

Below 55F or so, nanners stop growing altogether so that would work if you can maintain that cool temperature or thereabouts. It gets warm in the winter here in Texas, so I have to resort to greenhousing or wrapping.

Be well,
Mike

shopgirl2

Just a suggestion: when another member offers something meant for only one individual, shouldn't this be announced over private mail, rather than making the offer in the general forums where others might feel slighted?

Just a few cents worth,

Peace.

__________________
I do my thing and you do your thing. I am not in this world to live up to your expectations and you are not in this world to live up to mine. You are you and I am me, If by chance we meet, it's beautiful, if not, it can't be helped. (Nietzsche).

shopgirl2

have you thought of using cheap roofing paper and wrapping the bananas in it? I mean, the whole plant. That ought to keep them well insulated and warm. Wrap the banana tree lenthwise until you have used the whole width and staple the paper.

__________________
I do my thing and you do your thing. I am not in this world to live up to your expectations and you are not in this world to live up to mine. You are you and I am me, If by chance we meet, it's beautiful, if not, it can't be helped. (Nietzsche).

bencelest

I would suggest also to keep this conversation going as it is.
This helps me a lot and it is educational for everybody who needs the help we all can get with the questions.
I can not think that an individual will feel slighted by reading any of this questions.
One individual can ask a question and I am sure he/she not the only one who has problem. The majority of us beginners do also.
Over the years I learned a lot in this forum.
So far noone complains about this.

Also my 2 cents worth.

Benny

__________________
Banana Nut

scooterbug

DITTO what Benny said ! ! ! !

__________________
Daddy sez ...........
"Never argue with an idiot. They bring you down to their level, and then
beat you with experience."

microfarmer

I've found a couple nice trades by 'listening in' to random posts and asking questions about someone's extra pups.

__________________
My new hero...

frankthetank