csdude55

I'm in zone 7A, near Greensboro NC.

I bought a blue java from a local last July. It was a few feet tall, and by the end of the season it was around 7' tall.

We had a relatively mild winter, so I opted to pack the roots with mulch (with the idea that if it got too cold then I could cover it with a small greenhouse, or I could dig it up as a last resort).

Last month I removed all of the dead leaves, and now I have a stalk that's about 2 - 2 1/2' tall, a bit mushy at the top but the bottom 12" or so are harder. I removed the excess mulch, but not so low that I'm exposing the roots or anything.

So now I'm on pins and needles, waiting to find out if it survived the winter! My irises are mid-bloom, my callas are coming up, things are popping up everywhere :-)

Any guess on when I should expect new growth from the blue java?

smeash

I would think you should have seen growth by now. If you overwintered it with no frost blanket or protection other than mulch, it may have to start from the soil line again. I would cut the pstem back until you find healthy green tissue and go from there

cincinnana

Fast answer......when your ground temperature becomes constant......say 72-.

Could be off a few degrees.....
Your plant wants a good warm tropical enviroment.

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csdude55

@smeash, I'm not sure that I would recognize "healthy green tissue" :-( Am I going to hurt anything if I leave it as-is, or will that cause a problem?

@cincinnana, the ground temperature here can't possibly be near 72 yet... the outside temperature is 47 right now! Which is a big drop from the 60 that it was 2 nights ago, but I just finished putting everything back in the greenhouse :-/

Weather in this area is weird like that, though. Last year we had 80 degree days in April, followed by a frost on May 15!

So unless you all tell me otherwise, I'll just let it ride and not panic until June or July. Am I correct in assuming that I should pick back up with the liquid fertilizer, though?

smeash

If your temps are still that low, then I wouldnt do anything. Cincinanna is correct about temp.. I was assuming you were in a warm area with spring like temps. I personally would not fertilize until i saw growth. You can leave the plant as is until its warm in your area, at that time you may need to remove dead/soft tissue to allow the new leaves to emerge.

wstrickland1

Just saying that if we get a frost down here now I will permanently retire from all things bananas

Akula

This Spring seems a bit cooler than we have had in recent years in the Southeast. My plants seem to be growing pretty slow vs. prior years.

wstrickland1

So weird how it's been so far south of us (Charleston, SC) this year. We've been in the mid to upper 80's since early March. Not every single day but many. Overnights have been upper 50's and lately lower 60's, A frost right now would crush my spirit.

smeash

Agree 100%.. Gulf water temps are about 10 degrees low for this time of year as well.. been a cool spring!

csdude55

Our rule of thumb in my area is not to plant anything until May 1, because we ALWAYS have a warm April followed by a late frost. More experienced gardeners laugh at all the people flooding Lowes in April!

So last year I started planting on May 2, just for it to all be destroyed on May 15. I don't remember EVER having one that late in the year, either :-O

I just read that the local weather is calling for frost Friday morning... better stock up on trash bags so I can cover all of my perennials!

https://www.gowilkes.com/weather/

csdude55

Thought you all would be interested... I finally saw growth TODAY!!! July 11, 2021:



The oak tree sprout was there, too, so I left it for a size comparison. It's maybe 2" tall :-O

sirdoofus

Excellent, congrats, I am glad its still alive!

I had a similar issue with HH here, finally dug the corms out 3 weeks ago or so only to find a small shoot coming out the side of one of them. Its now happily growing in a pot.

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twotallgirls

That's good news! its been awhile since I lived with cold temperatures but I do remember frosts weeks after our last frost dates back in the day. So hard not to jump the gun.

If I may inquire, are those cicada body shells / husks in your picture? If so, I bet those would be great new type of fertilizer this year!

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Blue Java, Raja Puri, Goldfinger FHIA-01, Mona Lisa FHIA-02, Sweetheart FHIA-03, Pitogo, Saba, Dwarf Cavendish, Super Dwarf Cav., Namwa, Brazilian, Mysore, Dwarf Red, and a mystery or two

smeash

Congrats.. maybe next year wrap the plant with frost cloth and mulch it heavily. That looks like it killed it to the soil line. Where are you located?