What to do after cold damage?

Vette-kid · 12-11-2017, 09:46 AM

We had an abnormally cold few days with about 4 hrs below freezing one night and about 2 more the next, highs around 40 during the day. I have one dwarf Orinoco that is flowering and I have the bud bagged. All of my plants are now showing some cold burn, leaves are dark and limp. I expected some damage, but the question is how should I handle it at this point? Cut off the leaves? Leave it alone? Our temp is good from about February to November, december and January are hot or miss with the occasional below freezing (this is snot the longest I have seen in 9 years). So how should I handle the recovery?

edwmax · 12-11-2017, 07:00 PM

The plants are done for. Some of the Orinoco may grow new leaves if the temps warms up for a week or two. The plant with the bud can't grow new leaves. How big are the fingers? You might be able to salvage them for cooking.

What to do? ... Wait until spring, then plant more Bananas. OR, wait until spring to see which plants survive & grow back; THEN plant more Bananas anyway.

Vette-kid · 12-11-2017, 07:31 PM

What's odd is there is another d Orinoco a d cav and a super d cav with no damage. The dwarfs are both stunted from being in a shady location and look great. But the bananas in full sun look burnt. Ground temp was 55 at lowest, so I'm sure the corms are fine. The super d is in a pot not 20 feet from the plants with damage.

The ice cream actually had a leaf pushing out that is still rolled up, so I'll see what it does. All the pups appear OK, which is also odd in my mind.

Jose263 · 12-11-2017, 07:43 PM

probably has something to do with which plants had frost on the leaves -

JCA433 · 12-11-2017, 08:17 PM

Banana plants in shaded spots such as under tree branches are protected better from frost over night especially if the temperature is not more than a few degrees below freezing.

sputinc7 · 12-11-2017, 08:48 PM

If it is just leaf burn from frost, which is what it sounds like, it seems to me they should continue growing new leaves once the temps come up later this week. If the leaves are burnt off the flowering one, it may not make bananas, but I wouldn't cut them as I remember someone on here ripening bunches with no leaves from just the reserve power in the corm and PS... Never give up until they rot off the stem...

Akula · 12-11-2017, 09:44 PM

If you have any green left on the leaves you might put a frost cloth on the plants during the next temperature drop. Frost cloths are very effective if the temp drops a couple of degrees below freezing for a short period of time especially so on clear nights when the heat gets sucked up into the heavens.

I have just about all my nanners under frost cloth. I didn't cover a couple of two foot pups to see what happens...exposed namwa pups did okay but my raji puri pup turned bronze. Poor thing.

I used 1.5 oz Agfabric frost cloth.

Vette-kid · 12-11-2017, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sputinc7

If it is just leaf burn from frost, which is what it sounds like, it seems to me they should continue growing new leaves once the temps come up later this week. If the leaves are burnt off the flowering one, it may not make bananas, but I wouldn't cut them as I remember someone on here ripening bunches with no leaves from just the reserve power in the corm and PS... Never give up until they rot off the stem...

Oh I haven't given up. I'm pretty confident that most winters here are mild enough for the cold hardy varients. In fact, it wasn't until we were below freezing for a good 4 hours that I saw any damage. The night we were down there for less than 2 they seemed fine. But such events are pretty rare here.

Vette-kid · 12-11-2017, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Akula

If you have any green left on the leaves you might put a frost cloth on the plants during the next temperature drop. Frost cloths are very effective if the temp drops a couple of degrees below freezing for a short period of time especially so on clear nights when the heat gets sucked up into the heavens.

I have just about all my nanners under frost cloth. I didn't cover a couple of two foot pups to see what happens...exposed namwa pups did okay but my raji puri pup turned bronze. Poor thing.

I used 1.5 oz Agfabric frost cloth.

Thanks, I'll check that out!

cincinnana · 12-14-2017, 08:57 PM

wow..cold hurts..

Generally for me the first few freezes will SUPERFICIALLY destroy most of the visible foiliage.. I am in zone 6-

What happens is somewhat/kinda predictable.

Here is push from Nov 15th. to December 12th.

.

Untitled by Hostafarian,
on Flickr..

.December 12th.

Push growth
by Hostafarian,
on Flickr

And I have fruit hanging....

Mid December by

Hostafarian,
on Flickr

The end of season happens at the most inconvenient times..........LOL

Vette-kid · 12-14-2017, 09:30 PM

Thanks, makes me feel better. Mine aren't that rough. But now we may be moving so in going to have to dig some up to take with me anyway.

kaczercat · 12-14-2017, 09:56 PM

I am in a similar state where some of the leaf tips have got cold damage and died back. I will wait for the extreme cold to pass and then trim it back putting the leaves around the base and wait.

cincinnana · 12-14-2017, 10:13 PM

Soon you will be back in fat city....
Most temporary freezes will only damage superficial structures.......but give the freeze another 3-6 hours...more cold damage will happen.

Most of my container plants have been subjected to adverse conditions indoors and outdoors which the novice Gardner might not expierience.
Some by design and other by neglect......but all has been observed.

Same plant in photos......in Oct

Basjoo flower by
Hostafarian,
on Flickr

Jose263 · 12-15-2017, 06:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cincinnana

Soon you will be back in fat city....
Most temporary freezes will only damage superficial structures.......but give the freeze another 3-6 hours...more cold damage will happen.

Most of my container plants have been subjected to adverse conditions indoors and outdoors which the novice Gardner might not expierience.
Some by design and other by neglect....

I'm Zone 9A Gulf coast Mississippi - nana mats are all in-ground. A few years ago I winterized every year. Now, not so much. I decided that the effort outweighed the benefit. Usually the pstems on the north side of my mats suffer the most cold damage and seem to help protect others.
I visited the Univ of Ga experimental nana patch in Tifton Ga this year. There were numerous bunches hanging. The patch was planted orchard style with plants closely spaced. It appeared that the interior nanas were better protected .

edwmax · 12-15-2017, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jose263

I'm Zone 9A Gulf coast Mississippi - nana mats are all in-ground. A few years ago I winterized every year. Now, not so much. I decided that the effort outweighed the benefit. Usually the pstems on the north side of my mats suffer the most cold damage and seem to help protect others.
I visited the Univ of Ga experimental nana patch in Tifton Ga this year. There were numerous bunches hanging. The patch was planted orchard style with plants closely spaced. It appeared that the interior nanas were better protected .

While your observation was in reference to freeze/cold damage, I read a reference a while back that stated the same opinion for hot sun damage on banana plantations in South America. ... Banana bunches (if any) are not harvested from the exterior sun damaged plants, but only bunches from the interior shaded plants. Basically the exterior rows are sacrificial plants to provide protection for interior banana plants.

My nana plants are planted a little closer together and in locations for shade protection from the hot afternoon sun in South Georgia.

Vette-kid · 12-17-2017, 09:25 PM

Trying to post pics of the damage. Not sure they are working though. Someone let me know.

Flower still look ok to me and looks like some little nanas coming in! Bad news is we are moving early February now. If this house doesn't sell I can still get to them though. Planning to take as many plants as I can.

https://flic.kr/p/HE73Yg
https://flic.kr/p/22y7oio

edwmax · 12-18-2017, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vette-kid

Trying to post pics of the damage. Not sure they are working though. Someone let me know.

Flower still look ok to me and looks like some little nanas coming in! Bad news is we are moving early February now. If this house doesn't sell I can still get to them though. Planning to take as many plants as I can.

Hee...hee ....hee

The madness .... the madness ... the madness ....
It never ENDS!

beam2050 · 12-18-2017, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edwmax

Hee...hee ....hee

The madness .... the madness ... the madness ....
It never ENDS!

eat a banana, cover your face with fresh banana leaves for an hour. mist often.

it helps.

HMelendez · 12-18-2017, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beam2050

eat a banana, cover your face with fresh banana leaves for an hour. mist often.

it helps.

walkinbeam you strike/did it again!......LMAO!.....

edwmax · 12-18-2017, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beam2050

eat a banana, cover your face with fresh banana leaves for an hour. mist often.

it helps.

Obliviously, spoken from experience!

12-11-2017, 09:46 AM	#1 (permalink)
Vette-kid Location: NW Florida Find me on the map! Zone: 8b Join Date: Apr 2017 Posts: 119 BananaBucks : 8,184 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 146 Times Was Thanked 117 Times in 60 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	What to do after cold damage? We had an abnormally cold few days with about 4 hrs below freezing one night and about 2 more the next, highs around 40 during the day. I have one dwarf Orinoco that is flowering and I have the bud bagged. All of my plants are now showing some cold burn, leaves are dark and limp. I expected some damage, but the question is how should I handle it at this point? Cut off the leaves? Leave it alone? Our temp is good from about February to November, december and January are hot or miss with the occasional below freezing (this is snot the longest I have seen in 9 years). So how should I handle the recovery?

12-11-2017, 07:00 PM	#2 (permalink)
edwmax Location: Cairo, Ga Find me on the map! Zone: 8b Join Date: Aug 2016 Posts: 1,347 BananaBucks : 24,900 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 760 Times Was Thanked 2,099 Times in 1,046 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 253 Times	Re: What to do after cold damage? The plants are done for. Some of the Orinoco may grow new leaves if the temps warms up for a week or two. The plant with the bud can't grow new leaves. How big are the fingers? You might be able to salvage them for cooking. What to do? ... Wait until spring, then plant more Bananas. OR, wait until spring to see which plants survive & grow back; THEN plant more Bananas anyway. __________________

12-11-2017, 07:31 PM	#3 (permalink)
Vette-kid Location: NW Florida Find me on the map! Zone: 8b Join Date: Apr 2017 Posts: 119 BananaBucks : 8,184 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 146 Times Was Thanked 117 Times in 60 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: What to do after cold damage? What's odd is there is another d Orinoco a d cav and a super d cav with no damage. The dwarfs are both stunted from being in a shady location and look great. But the bananas in full sun look burnt. Ground temp was 55 at lowest, so I'm sure the corms are fine. The super d is in a pot not 20 feet from the plants with damage. The ice cream actually had a leaf pushing out that is still rolled up, so I'll see what it does. All the pups appear OK, which is also odd in my mind.

12-11-2017, 07:43 PM	#4 (permalink)
Jose263 Jose263's Photo Gallery Location: Gulf Coast Mississippi Find me on the map! Zone: 9a Name: TJ Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 473 BananaBucks : 23,706 Feedback: 6 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,016 Times Was Thanked 641 Times in 326 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 140 Times	Re: What to do after cold damage? probably has something to do with which plants had frost on the leaves - __________________ Growing: Orinoco, Rajapuri, Dwarf Cav, SDC, TT, Dwarf Red, Dwarf Namwah, Tall Namwah (aka Ice Cream), Dwarf Brazilian, Veinte Cohol, California Gold, Double Mohai, NOT-Goldfinger, Gran Nain, Velutina

12-11-2017, 08:17 PM	#5 (permalink)
JCA433 Location: Homestead, Florida Zone: Zone 10 Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 323 BananaBucks : 51,125 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 421 Times in 157 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 4 Times	Re: What to do after cold damage? Banana plants in shaded spots such as under tree branches are protected better from frost over night especially if the temperature is not more than a few degrees below freezing.

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12-11-2017, 08:48 PM	#6 (permalink)
sputinc7 Location: Palm Bay, Florida Find me on the map! Zone: 9b Name: Steve Join Date: Mar 2016 Posts: 1,281 BananaBucks : 36,044 Feedback: 3 / 100% Said "Thanks" 329 Times Was Thanked 2,155 Times in 884 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 277 Times	Re: What to do after cold damage? If it is just leaf burn from frost, which is what it sounds like, it seems to me they should continue growing new leaves once the temps come up later this week. If the leaves are burnt off the flowering one, it may not make bananas, but I wouldn't cut them as I remember someone on here ripening bunches with no leaves from just the reserve power in the corm and PS... Never give up until they rot off the stem... __________________ If you lose your head and give up, you neither live nor win. https://sputinc7.wixsite.com/covwc Varieties I supposedly bought: Manzano, Cavendish, Blue Java, Sweetheart, and Gros Michel. What it seems I actually have: Brazilian, Cavendish, Namwah, Dwarf Red, Gros Michel, Pisang Ceylon, Veinte Cohol and SH 3640, and American Goldfinger. FHIA 1, Paggi and FHIA 17... Always room for one more.

12-11-2017, 09:44 PM	#7 (permalink)
Akula Location: Pensacola, Florida Find me on the map! Zone: Zone 9a Join Date: Jul 2017 Posts: 153 BananaBucks : 733 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 279 Times Was Thanked 222 Times in 93 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 47 Times	Re: What to do after cold damage? If you have any green left on the leaves you might put a frost cloth on the plants during the next temperature drop. Frost cloths are very effective if the temp drops a couple of degrees below freezing for a short period of time especially so on clear nights when the heat gets sucked up into the heavens. I have just about all my nanners under frost cloth. I didn't cover a couple of two foot pups to see what happens...exposed namwa pups did okay but my raji puri pup turned bronze. Poor thing. I used 1.5 oz Agfabric frost cloth.

12-14-2017, 08:57 PM	#10 (permalink)
cincinnana Container grower Location: Southwest Ohio U.S.A Find me on the map! Zone: HZ 6/5 Microclimate - Elevation 750 feet- 228.60 meters Name: Cin Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 3,539 BananaBucks : 882 Feedback: 3 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,087 Times Was Thanked 6,671 Times in 2,600 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1,279 Times	Re: What to do after cold damage? wow..cold hurts.. Generally for me the first few freezes will SUPERFICIALLY destroy most of the visible foiliage.. I am in zone 6- What happens is somewhat/kinda predictable. Here is push from Nov 15th. to December 12th. . Untitled by Hostafarian, on Flickr.. .December 12th. Push growth by Hostafarian, on Flickr And I have fruit hanging.... Mid December by Hostafarian, on Flickr The end of season happens at the most inconvenient times..........LOL __________________ Cincinnana's Photo Gallery Last edited by cincinnana : 12-14-2017 at 09:06 PM.

12-14-2017, 09:30 PM	#11 (permalink)
Vette-kid Location: NW Florida Find me on the map! Zone: 8b Join Date: Apr 2017 Posts: 119 BananaBucks : 8,184 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 146 Times Was Thanked 117 Times in 60 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: What to do after cold damage? Thanks, makes me feel better. Mine aren't that rough. But now we may be moving so in going to have to dig some up to take with me anyway.

12-14-2017, 09:56 PM	#12 (permalink)
kaczercat kaczercat's Photo Gallery Location: Southern ON Find me on the map! Zone: 5b 9b Name: Matt Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 1,842 BananaBucks : 138,641 Feedback: 3 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,042 Times Was Thanked 1,970 Times in 721 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 11 Times	Re: What to do after cold damage? I am in a similar state where some of the leaf tips have got cold damage and died back. I will wait for the extreme cold to pass and then trim it back putting the leaves around the base and wait. __________________ Matt

12-14-2017, 10:13 PM	#13 (permalink)
cincinnana Container grower Location: Southwest Ohio U.S.A Find me on the map! Zone: HZ 6/5 Microclimate - Elevation 750 feet- 228.60 meters Name: Cin Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 3,539 BananaBucks : 882 Feedback: 3 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,087 Times Was Thanked 6,671 Times in 2,600 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1,279 Times	Re: What to do after cold damage? Soon you will be back in fat city.... Most temporary freezes will only damage superficial structures.......but give the freeze another 3-6 hours...more cold damage will happen. Most of my container plants have been subjected to adverse conditions indoors and outdoors which the novice Gardner might not expierience. Some by design and other by neglect......but all has been observed. Same plant in photos......in Oct Basjoo flower by Hostafarian, on Flickr __________________ Cincinnana's Photo Gallery Last edited by cincinnana : 12-14-2017 at 10:25 PM.

12-17-2017, 09:25 PM	#16 (permalink)
Vette-kid Location: NW Florida Find me on the map! Zone: 8b Join Date: Apr 2017 Posts: 119 BananaBucks : 8,184 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 146 Times Was Thanked 117 Times in 60 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: What to do after cold damage? Trying to post pics of the damage. Not sure they are working though. Someone let me know. Flower still look ok to me and looks like some little nanas coming in! Bad news is we are moving early February now. If this house doesn't sell I can still get to them though. Planning to take as many plants as I can. https://flic.kr/p/HE73Yg https://flic.kr/p/22y7oio Last edited by Vette-kid : 12-18-2017 at 12:44 PM.

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