v1rtu0s1ty

I know it's very early but I need to take some notes down.

Should we let frost kill it before we dig them and put them exposed in the dark basement?

Thanks!

Bananaman88

Personally, when I lived in St. Louis, I moved mine in just before the first predicted frost. I'm sure you really didn't mean "kill" it, rather let frost damage the leaves, correct? I would rather cut the leaves off myself if the plan is to let it go dormant for the winter than to expose it to cold.

v1rtu0s1ty

Yes, you are correct. I really meant "let frost damage the leaves". Ok then, I will monitor the temperature. And if there are any signs of first hard frost, I will dig it and make it dormant in the basement.

Thanks for the info.

saltydad

But doesn't the cold exposure help put the plant into dormancy?

__________________
Men In Nursing- "A Few Good Men"

"Gardening is the purest of human pleasures." - Francis Bacon





"If by a liberal, they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind; someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions; someone who cares about the welfare of the people, their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, their civil liberties; someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicion that grips us; that is what they meant by a liberal, I am proud to be a liberal."
John F. Kennedy, September, 1960


http://flickr.com/photos/saltydad/ and
http://community.webshots.com/user/saltydad
http://s751.photobucket.com/albums/xx151/saltydad/

Bananaman88

I suppose you may have a point there. I'm not sure just how much it affects them, though, since as a tropical plant, they wouldn't go dormant in their natural environment due to cold. I wouldn't think they'd have anything genetically that would equip them to "recognize" cooler temps and start shutting down. Then again, something certainly induces dormancy.

As long as the plant isn't subjected to overly cold temps, a light frost that only burns the leaves should do no lasting damage to the plant itself. I was only stating my preference not to subject the plant to frost if I could help it. Hope this clarifies what I meant.

v1rtu0s1ty

I saw a 2005 thread earlier about overwintering bananas. From his picture, looks like he didn't wait for the frost to damage the leaves. I remember he said, he's been doing it for years.

So, I think I can dig it before the frost happens. Does it make them dormant when we dig them and put them in a dark area in our basement with corm exposed?