Experience in deep planting Basjoo?

Olafhenny · 09-20-2011, 06:09 PM

Okay, I have the hole dug, a big bag of mushroom compost ready, another one of peat moss and I am set
to proceed with sticking this banana…

basjoo size for leaving outside?

...into the ground, except for some concerns and I would like to hear from somebody with experience
in deep planting.

What happens to the production of pups, if they have to fight their way up through >1 foot of
overburden? Can they make it???

I am satisfied, that I can winter my Basjoo at normal planting depth by sufficient mulching, but
would prefer the added safety for the case, that I may be some day unable to mulch in time.
I am also intrigued by the experiment of tossing the Canna into the same hole with 1 foot cover and
additional mulching to see what happens to it in spring. My guess is, that will come up very late if
at all.

Thanks,
Olaf

kaczercat · 09-20-2011, 06:22 PM

how deep is deep i planted mine 1.5 feet. i added lots of mulch /compost to my basjoo patch last fall and in the spring they came up 2 main plants from last year plus a new pup. it may take them an extra week but they will find their way up. what zone are you in?

Olafhenny · 09-20-2011, 10:22 PM

Hi Matt,

thanks, that makes me feel a lot better about it.

You did not say however, what the measure
of 1.5 feet is to; the bottom of the hole?; the corm or the previous top of soil 9 (in the pot)? I am
aiming to have the present top of soil 1 foot below the new surface. Above that I will fill the hole mostly
with a light weight mix of mushroom manure and peat moss, to provide excellent insulation and
make it easy for the new pups to penetrate. The hole is now 22 inches deep and the soil depth in
the pot is 12 inches. I am counting on the soil depth from the pot to collapse to about 10 inches
when transplanting, thus giving me 12” of extra cover.

I do not need a lot of pups, because I am running out of space, but I am hoping for enough to
continue the ‘line’. Thus my concern.

Best,
Olaf
PS: I live in Penticton, BC, Zone 6.
I tried a couple of times to get this into my profile but it did not 'take'.

sandy0225 · 09-30-2011, 01:29 PM

I just posted some pictures in my photo gallery of basjoo that I planted a foot deeper two years ago and last year. The pups had no problem coming up at all that I can tell. The one I planted two years ago now is a mat with 9 stalks!

Olafhenny · 09-30-2011, 04:12 PM

Thank you, sandy, that was very helpful. I have meanwhile planted mine. More on that shortly, since I am in a rush now.

Best,
Olaf

stevelau1911 · 09-30-2011, 10:01 PM

They definitely have no problem sending up pups when they are planted 1 foot beneath soil level. I have 2 plantings from last year, and they've been pupping like crazy this year. If you can get them even deeper, it may be even better as long as you back fill it in with lighter materials like peat moss, mulch and anything but clay soil.

The only problem with having it planted so deep is that it's very hard whenever I dig for pups because I have to go all the way down to get them.

Here's the thread that shows their progress
Musa basjoo growth after 2 seasons

Olafhenny · 10-05-2011, 07:38 PM

I have now, a few days ago, planted my Basjoo/ Canna Tropicana combination. Because they had been
in a pot which was much larger than I have seen used here in proportion to the size of the Banana plants,
I expected, that there would be quite a bit “unused” soil left in the pot. That was not the case. As a
result the bottom of the pot soil did not “crumble” away as I had anticipated and the plant did not sink as
low into the hole, I had dug, as I thought it would. The upshot of all that was, that the original top of
soil level ended up only 9 inches below ground level and not 12 inches as planned. I compensated for
that by filling a large area around the plant about 5 inches deep.

I am no longer worried about new pups making it through all the deep fill around the Basjoo, all the
encouragement I received in this thread took care of that (thank you) and I filled the hole above the
original soil level with equal parts of peat moss, rotted mushroom manure and sandy garden soil.
Interesting will be to observe how the Canna will make out. I anticipate, that, if it makes it at all, it
will come up quite late in the season and will lag behind the ones, which I will start in the second half
of March indoors.

If you stay tuned until next spring/summer, I will let you know.

tommyg · 10-05-2011, 08:05 PM

This is some great info guys.

T

09-20-2011, 06:09 PM	#1 (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 : 259,847 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Experience in deep planting Basjoo? Okay, I have the hole dug, a big bag of mushroom compost ready, another one of peat moss and I am set to proceed with sticking this banana… basjoo size for leaving outside? ...into the ground, except for some concerns and I would like to hear from somebody with experience in deep planting. What happens to the production of pups, if they have to fight their way up through >1 foot of overburden? Can they make it??? I am satisfied, that I can winter my Basjoo at normal planting depth by sufficient mulching, but would prefer the added safety for the case, that I may be some day unable to mulch in time. I am also intrigued by the experiment of tossing the Canna into the same hole with 1 foot cover and additional mulching to see what happens to it in spring. My guess is, that will come up very late if at all. Thanks, Olaf __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

09-20-2011, 06:22 PM	#2 (permalink)
kaczercat kaczercat's Photo Gallery Location: Southern ON Find me on the map! Zone: 5b 9b Name: Matt Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 1,874 BananaBucks : 232,765 Feedback: 3 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,116 Times Was Thanked 2,111 Times in 750 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 11 Times	Re: Experience in deep planting Basjoo? how deep is deep i planted mine 1.5 feet. i added lots of mulch /compost to my basjoo patch last fall and in the spring they came up 2 main plants from last year plus a new pup. it may take them an extra week but they will find their way up. what zone are you in? __________________ Matt

09-20-2011, 10:22 PM	#3 (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 : 259,847 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Re: Experience in deep planting Basjoo? Hi Matt, thanks, that makes me feel a lot better about it. You did not say however, what the measure of 1.5 feet is to; the bottom of the hole?; the corm or the previous top of soil 9 (in the pot)? I am aiming to have the present top of soil 1 foot below the new surface. Above that I will fill the hole mostly with a light weight mix of mushroom manure and peat moss, to provide excellent insulation and make it easy for the new pups to penetrate. The hole is now 22 inches deep and the soil depth in the pot is 12 inches. I am counting on the soil depth from the pot to collapse to about 10 inches when transplanting, thus giving me 12” of extra cover. I do not need a lot of pups, because I am running out of space, but I am hoping for enough to continue the ‘line’. Thus my concern. Best, Olaf PS: I live in Penticton, BC, Zone 6. I tried a couple of times to get this into my profile but it did not 'take'. __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

09-30-2011, 01:29 PM	#4 (permalink)
sandy0225 Northern Tropics sandy0225's Photo Gallery Location: Muncie, Indiana zone 5 Find me on the map! Zone: zone 5 Name: Sandy Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 1,718 BananaBucks : 385,105 Feedback: 31 / 97% Said "Thanks" 38 Times Was Thanked 1,801 Times in 682 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 9 Times	Re: Experience in deep planting Basjoo? I just posted some pictures in my photo gallery of basjoo that I planted a foot deeper two years ago and last year. The pups had no problem coming up at all that I can tell. The one I planted two years ago now is a mat with 9 stalks! __________________ Sandy Burrell Northern Tropics Greenhouse 1501 East Fuson Road Muncie, IN 47302 www.northerntropics.com specializing in bananas, heirloom tomatoes and water gardening plants~ check out our new online store at our website!

09-30-2011, 04:12 PM	#5 (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 : 259,847 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Re: Experience in deep planting Basjoo? Thank you, sandy, that was very helpful. I have meanwhile planted mine. More on that shortly, since I am in a rush now. Best, Olaf __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

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09-30-2011, 10:01 PM	#6 (permalink)
stevelau1911 stevelau1911's Photo Gallery Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 458 BananaBucks : 150,405 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 51 Times Was Thanked 561 Times in 258 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 24 Times	Re: Experience in deep planting Basjoo? They definitely have no problem sending up pups when they are planted 1 foot beneath soil level. I have 2 plantings from last year, and they've been pupping like crazy this year. If you can get them even deeper, it may be even better as long as you back fill it in with lighter materials like peat moss, mulch and anything but clay soil. The only problem with having it planted so deep is that it's very hard whenever I dig for pups because I have to go all the way down to get them. Here's the thread that shows their progress Musa basjoo growth after 2 seasons __________________ I'm in zone 6 upstate NY, specialize in growing temperate cold hardy bamboos(mainly phyllostachys) and starting to get into bananas. my picture website is http://www.flickr.com/photos/31489820@N02/ http://stevespeonygarden.blogspot.com/

10-05-2011, 07:38 PM	#7 (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 : 259,847 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Re: Experience in deep planting Basjoo? I have now, a few days ago, planted my Basjoo/ Canna Tropicana combination. Because they had been in a pot which was much larger than I have seen used here in proportion to the size of the Banana plants, I expected, that there would be quite a bit “unused” soil left in the pot. That was not the case. As a result the bottom of the pot soil did not “crumble” away as I had anticipated and the plant did not sink as low into the hole, I had dug, as I thought it would. The upshot of all that was, that the original top of soil level ended up only 9 inches below ground level and not 12 inches as planned. I compensated for that by filling a large area around the plant about 5 inches deep. I am no longer worried about new pups making it through all the deep fill around the Basjoo, all the encouragement I received in this thread took care of that (thank you) and I filled the hole above the original soil level with equal parts of peat moss, rotted mushroom manure and sandy garden soil. Interesting will be to observe how the Canna will make out. I anticipate, that, if it makes it at all, it will come up quite late in the season and will lag behind the ones, which I will start in the second half of March indoors. If you stay tuned until next spring/summer, I will let you know. __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

10-05-2011, 08:05 PM	#8 (permalink)
tommyg sunroom gardener Location: Worcester, MA Find me on the map! Zone: 6 Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 252 BananaBucks : 40,957 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 83 Times Was Thanked 234 Times in 165 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 13 Times	Re: Experience in deep planting Basjoo? This is some great info guys. T __________________ Blog: http://sunroomgardening.blogspot.com Photography biz:http://www.tomasharanphotography.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tomasharanphotography Worcester, MA

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