Terri

Last spring I spent 3 weeks carefully hardening off my Mekong Giant banana. It was overcast the entire time, which is common in my area. I worked the plant up to 6 hours a day.

Then the sun came out and an hour later the leaves were mush. I am pretty sure it would have worked out better if I had just cut the top off and planted the corm. The plant did not recover its good looks for over a month.

Any advice? This plant lives in the ground most of the year, and in the Fall I pot up a pup and bring it inside until all danger of frost has passed. When I bring the pup outside again it is usually 2-3 feet tall. Every year the leaves die back and then the pup re-grows.

a.hulva@coxinet.net

It would be helpful to know where you live.!!

Terri

Oh, I live in Kansas. We tend to have wet, cool overcast springs that last 3-5 weeks, followed by sunshine and heat. Lots of heat.

cincinnana

Terri,

While I also over winter indoors and then introduce my plants outdoors in spring.
I usually do have any major issues other than the plants petioles not being able to withstand the wind.
A box fan blowing over the plants on high has somewhat helped out to strengthen the petioles.

When my banana plants go outdoors I will do another post.

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Nicolas Naranja

When I am hardening my TC plants I put them on the northwest side of the house for 2 weeks and then move to full sun.

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Some people go bananas, I went plantains.

Terri

Cincinnana, how long do you run the fan on them before you set the bananas out?

Tytaylor77

It seems even overcast used to burn mine. I used to sit them under a tree a week (mostly full shade) then i would plant them and sit a lawn chair over them for a week or so. It would provide half shade and block some direct rain from washing sand away. Worked great. Just always have a backup chair so you can sit and watch it grow!!

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cincinnana

FIrst, many forum members have great ways of doing this.
And they all work well.
Pick and chose what is easier for you to do.

I have recipricating fan going most of the time for air movement between containers.
You may run the fan of your choice as you like, just give it a shot .

You want simulate a breeze over the leaves to make them waver and expierience stress. (and build up muscles)

It seems that leaves which push in the winter indoors are not as robust to the elements and will break and bend with the slightest wind and heavy rain, mine do.

When you say mush in your original post, What do you mean?
Like mushy mush or just bent leaves.

You and I are in the same zone.

You can start putting your plant outside in part sun when daytime temps are in the mid 40's -50's to acclimate them, but bring them at night when cold. I will start doing this now.

Your latitude is about the same as mine so our growing conditions exactly the same.

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