Winter Care
 

Hey guys,

So yeah its only August but winter is coming up and last year my banana tree died. So this year iwas wondering, how do i take care of my banana tree? I live in central texas which is zone 8A. Our coldest temps are upper teens but on average night temps are like upper 30s:08:

Re: Winter Care
 

If you mulch heavily it should help insulate the ground where the corms are so they don't freeze.

Re: Winter Care
 

So I live in central Alabama and want to keep my Cavendish in the ground. I hope it lives through our mild winters here as well.

Re: Winter Care
 

The more insulation you can add the better and even better if you can keep it dry when it's not actively growing.

Re: Winter Care
 

That's the sixty four thousand dollar question. If you have to over winter outside. Those of us who live in zone 3/12 always have to deal with that question. Kevin lives in northern Indiana and gave me his method which I intend to follow. He says to cut off at bottom, heap on lots of mulch, cover with black plastic, heap on more mulch. If it works for him it should work for most. I feel like if the roots.can stay in the ground or in a pot, that would be preferred. I have bare rooted in the past with so-so results. Any other suggestions welcome.

Re: Winter Care
 

Living in central Ohio I either have to mulch plants outdoors or repot and take plants indoors.

the plants I take in have all leaves cut off, roots removed and stalks cut just below the leaves. I place the stalk and corm in a dark basement corner with black plastic to keep out light. The ensete seem to do real well and pick back up pretty quick in the spring and early summer.

The last two years my basjoo which is located close to the house has remained in the ground and done extremely well. I cut off the stalk at about ten to twelve inches, build a wire fence around the area, mulch with straw to a depth of three feet then mulch with leaves which squash down the straw, cover with plastic. Four of the five main stalks survived the last winter with a lot of new pups this year. Hoping to repeat the process for years to come.