Max363

Moja rodzina wychodziła z założenia Polski do SZA w 1895 i kiedy odwiedzam Kraków i *Bialystok*, nauczę się (poznał; dowiedział się) jak podobny klimat był tutaj. JA bardzo jestem zasugerowane przy jak dobrze wy byliście zdolne rosnąć (uprawiać; stawać się) banany inne tropikalne rośliny (zakład) w waszej przestrzeni. Gratulacj&! Wielki praca (roboczy)! <--- Internet Polish translation of my message! ;-)

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Funkthulhu

Took a moment over the weekend to "clear out" the tub of banana corms/stalks. They all look long dead and the tops were completely dry husks. I'd never overwintered any of my bananas in anything other than pots, but I was out of pots (and room) so I just piled them in a 60 gallon tote and stuffed them in a cold corner of the basement. I honestly was hoping maybe one or two would pull through to planting in April or May.

You can imagine my surprise when I started stripping off dead leaves from the pseudo-stems that all of them are still very much alive inside. Aside from one Zebrina that black rotted off at the bottom, all my half dozen small mats are in excellent hibernation. Even my elephant ears, which didn't really have any bulbs to speak of when I dug them up, are still smooth and firm under the husks.

Looks like I have to re-till their area and look forward to an even bigger banana year in 2015!

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"Ph'nglui musaglw'nanna Funkthulhu R'Omahaea wgah'basjoo fhtagn"
"In his house at Omaha, dread Funkthulhu plants bananas."

siege2050

I still wanna know how to reactivate the dang bananers lol. I got tall orinoco's under the house and I am really uncertain when to kickstart them this spring. Last frost here is usually about april 15th. HEEEELLLLLLLP! Do I put them out before that? Do I wait till the 15th and will they take a surprise frost? I know the stems are hardier than the leaves, or do I wait until the first of may and get a really late start? Keep me from killing my 10 foot naner stems!

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sman87

What is the soil temp of those bananas under the house? Last year I bought a heat mat and thermostat to "reactivate" the soil so the corms and roots begin regrowth. If the soil temp is hovering around the low 50s or 40s beneficial bacteria that maintains and regulates plant growth goes dormant. Consider waking up your plants from the "bottom up" when the plant senses the soil is warming it begins to send out fresh new white roots for nutrients, regaining some vigor. When this happens start introducing some sunlight or lighting to coax some early photosynthesis. When I tried this it took about one or two months that brought me up to the last frost of the season to transplant outside.

sman87

You might have to try storing just the corms or the bulb of the banana. If leaving them outside is too risky or not an option this can be a solution storing the corms will take up a lot less space (softball to grapefruit size) keeping them in a dry cool area with some periodic ventilation will keep the corms from rotting. You may have to start growth from scratch but 2nd year plants regrow much faster even from square one.

GardenBee

Hello:
Yes I back temporarily...

Enjoyed reading your thread BigDog, and the pics were self explanatory. Thanks and for the first time this year I will place them (8 plants) in the crawl space) and hopefully next year I will have a bunch of bananas!
Isn't wonderful that people are still responding to your thread!
Thanks again BigDog.


[IMG]http://C:\Users\HAMPTON\Pictures\Sandra\Garden\Bananas.org[IMG]

[IMG]http://C:\Users\HAMPTON\Pictures\Sandra\Garden\Bananas.org[IMG]

Denverian

I'm still unsure of what to do this fall. Last fall, I wrapped the stalk in bubble wrap and then covered it in plastic. It went limp in late winter, but it shot up new growth from the ground this summer. I'd say the new growth (lots of pups) got to 3' max. So I bought a new Basjoo and it's done very well this summer. About 6' tall anyway.

If I bring it in, it'll go in a dark basement storage room. It's not especially cool in there, but probably remains in the lower 60s to upper 50s in winter. That's where I store all my Elephant Ear bulbs in bags in winter, and they do fine.

Other option, try wrapping again, but wrap insulation around it, then cover with plastic. Last year it froze in early November, so I chopped off the top, sprayed the stalk with fungicide, and let it dry out for a week or so before covering it.

Any suggestions from an expert? I'm in Denver, and it typically gets down to 0 or a little below at my house. Last winter the coldest I got was 6 above.

scottu

forget the bubble wrap and use something that breaths, you want it to stay as dry as possible when dormant, no condensation etc. then just cover it enough with leaves etc so it does not freeze!! and yes you need to cover all with black plastic to keep rain ect away

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Viva La Banana

Kevin2685

Mulch straw and heavy duty tarp works very well for me. I leave a couple of the bottom edges not staked down so it can breath some. They are a really hardy plant.

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Currently growing

Musa basjoo
Dwarf orinico
Variegated dwarf namwah
Aeae
Patupi
Veinte cohol
Musa lasiocarpa (golden lotus)
Musa velutina
Raja puri
Mekong giant
Double cavendish
Super dwarf cavendish
Truly tiny
Musa laterita
Ensete maurelli

Denverian

Thanks! I was thinking of a stake on either side after wrapping in insulation, then cover with plastic, to keep strong winter winds from bending it around.

Once it freezes, how long should you wait until you wrap it? Typically, we could get a hard freeze, and then have days where it stays above freezing. Shouldn't it be exposed to cold a bit to go dormant prior to wrapping?

geissene

I just wait until the first frost comes that kills all of the leaves. Then start wrapping the stem. You shouldn't have much growth after that, but you can keep the top uncovered for a few weeks just to see if it keeps pushing.

Denverian

I haven't checked Home Depot yet, but wondering if they sell insulation by the foot. Or maybe an entire roll is cheap? I have no clue.

geissene

A roll of R-30 might run you 20 bucks. (Sometimes its on sale) You can do at least one plant with a roll, depending on how much P-stem you protect. I was able to save a 4' stem last year.

I used fiberglass rolls last year, because I had some leftover from an attic project. I don't recommend it... it's messy and the fibers are bad to breathe in. Plus if it gets wet, it gets mold.

I'd suggest foam insulation, leaves, straw, old bed sheets, or if you insist on roll insulation perhaps you can find some made from cotton or anything non-fiberglass.

Remember to put some green mouse food inside your 'hut' so they don't eat your banana corms.

sputinc7

Make a wire cylinder with chicken wire around your plant and fill it in with leaves and such. Put a few mothballs in plastic bags with small holes in them to repel mice and other critters... After winter is over, pull out the mothball baggies and you have leaf mould mulch all ready to go. Just be sure to overfill it because it will shrink over time in the weather.
When fiberglass insulation gets wet it loses most of it's R value.

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If you lose your head and give up, you neither live nor win.

https://sputinc7.wixsite.com/covwc

Varieties I supposedly bought: Manzano, Cavendish, Blue Java, Sweetheart, and Gros Michel.
What it seems I actually have: Brazilian, Cavendish, Namwah, Dwarf Red, Gros Michel, Pisang Ceylon, Veinte Cohol and SH 3640, and American Goldfinger. FHIA 1, Paggi and FHIA 17... Always room for one more.

scottu

i cover all, after your choice of insulation, with black plastic and put rocks and such around the edges, keeps all dry and stops the light, have never lost one outside yet.

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Viva La Banana

Denverian

I thought I was on this site somewhere pictures of someone uncovering a p-stem in the spring and they'd used the roll type insulation. But yes, it was covered in plastic to then keep it all dry.

How cold do you get in Pennsylvania? I'm in Denver and it typically will get a little below zero once or twice each winter. Typical lows will be in the mid to upper teens, average highs are mid 40s. So it won't be exposed to say, a week straight without ever going above freezing.

I lost the p-stem last winter, but lots of growth around it came back. Last winter, it seemed to turn to mush around March. But I only had it wrapped in bubble wrap. Everyone seems to agree that it needs something breathable, then covered with plastic.