Transplanting questions for Basjoo and pups...
 

Hello all. Zone 5a here in NE Ohio. I have 2 Bajoos that I bought early last summer and kept them in 15" pots since then. Stored them in the greenhouse all winter, had some heating problems, but they came out great in the spring. Kept them in pots because I wasn't sure where they were going to go around my deck until it was built. The deck is built now and I have a spot picked out for them. They are about 4 feet tall now with 4-6 pups each, the largest being about 14".

Questions:

First, what mixture of soil should I use to transplant them? For potting, I believe I used a mixture of potting soil, peat moss and sand with maybe a little top soil mixed in....pretty well draining soil. Will they transplant better if I keep the soil the same? These are going in ground level planter boxes inset in the deck. I used 2x6's for the sides, so the soil level will be slightly higher than the surrounding soil, but the corm will still be lower than the level of the deck if you understand me. I also use miracle grow in them every few days and water them every day to every other day.

Second, I want to end up with a little "grove" of bananas, so can I separate the pups and plant them a foot or so apart from the main one or is it just better to leave them attached? If so, what size do they have to be to separate them?

Third, one of the pups looks different than the others. It looks like a long vine with just one leaf at the end of it. Will this transplant too?

Thanks in advance for all of the help.

Pyro

Re: Transplanting questions for Basjoo and pups...
 

I like to plant them a foot deeper than they naturally grow, that way you don't have to mulch them with anything. We're in zone 5 too. I would remove the pups at planting time if they're that big, and pot them up to grow on until they're big enough to plant a foot deeper too, like around 3 feet tall. If that takes until September, then overwinter them potted and plant them in the spring.