Saba and the Winter.
 

This year I've decided to leave my Saba in the ground a long with my "Ice Cream" but I was wandering if it needs protection in a zone 8 coastal area. I live 1 mile from the ocean.


I can put a wire cage around it with dry pine straw but if it's not needed then why do it ? =] Thank you for your help.

Re: Saba and the Winter.
 

I would protect if you get below 20F for lond durations. Apparently they can handle some pretty good cold, but you want to save as much of the trunk as possible so it doesnt die back to the roots. The Saba is definitely more cold tolerant than the Ice cream banana. I hear reports of the Ice Cream banana being more of a zone 9 plant, but with protection, you can probably grow it in a zone 8

Re: Saba and the Winter.
 

brad..im not in your situation..wish i was many times.. winter is here ..
weve had hard frosts last 3 days .. but :) i have all my tropicals out now
your biggest saba i got from you is one nice plant now!!! YEA
im overwintering in cool basement..im sure will do fine..
good luck with your sabas!!!!
if ya have any big roots for sale next yr.. hint hint.. keep me in
mind ..:)

Re: Saba and the Winter.
 

Brad ----------- I know that NANAMAN lives 1 block from the ocean and gets little, if any, cold damage.

One mile in zone 8 -- I don't know. Guess it depends on ocean water temps and prevailing winds.

Dan

Re: Saba and the Winter.
 

hmm well it hardly goes below 20F here so perhaps it will be fine.

Re: Saba and the Winter.
 

I ive in zone 9-b Daytona beach. We had an extremely cold winter last year. I also live only a mile and a half fromthe ocean. My mat of 8 large Saba trees only 4 died down to the grown and the other 4 only half way down. We got down to 23°. Usually I only loose all of their leaves. It is actually the same situaton with my ice cream and praying hands in that cold temp.
Salute'
rick

Re: Saba and the Winter.
 

If it were me, I'd set up that cage and fill with the pine straw. What have you to loose? Best thing about doing that is, you'll be able to sleep better on those few cold nights of below freezing temperatures.

Re: Saba and the Winter.
 

I live in 8b/9a a few less than ten miles from the Gulf of Mexico and I protected my Saba with a 5' tall cage that was wrapped in plastic and then filled with leaves. I did not loose the 5' tall p-stem but it took a long time in the spring for it to start growing. So long a pup came up and is almost the same height as the old p-stem.

Re: Saba and the Winter.
 

haha You guys act as if this is a small plant, no no no this plant is about 20 feet tall!
the psuedostem is about 15 feet tall itself! .
Should I just put the cage around the base ..at the corm?