beam2050

last year I had 2 straight weeks of freeze. knocked pretty much everything to the ground. except for the pups on various plants. pups ranging 4 ft. and smaller depending on species.

this year 1 night of lite freeze and on/off again frosts. knocked my large manzanos to the ground also my pisang Ceylon and viente cohol. and again pups 4 ft. and smaller, brushed them selves off and are putting out leaves even in between frosts.

why the main plants and not the pups also??? one would think it would have been the other way around. its like they fill up with water, cant do anything with it and rot.

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npk of wood ash 0/1/3 to 0/3/7

npk of banana leaf ash 1.75/0.75/0.5

pouncingfox

Can't speak from experience from those varieties, but from what I've been reading on the viente cohol (considering it as a possibility here), it sounds like they fruit rather quickly but very low tolerance to cold. So that might have something to do with it.

Not sure about your microclimate, but in my setup, with a 3x3 pit garden in the center of bananas planted in circles, I can imagine the pups possibly enjoying a few extra degrees of heat from the composting action that the taller plants might not enjoy (because I haven't covered them)

cincinnana

Pups are closer to the ground where it is warmer and get the residual ground heat.
In the north pups are usually last to get frost damage in the fall months, while the 15 footers get the frost damage.

Spring has sprung down there

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pjkfarm

Or maybe the chemistry is different - the majority of our nursery material is hardier when young - we think that this is because these plants when they evolved figures out that early in the year it wold be colder, so changed their chemistry to account for this - as they grow older, less risk of cold, so thy no longer need that "antifreeze". This goes for both annuals as well as perennials - shrubs, trees, etc. Of course bananas today are tropical, but like Sikemmensis or basjoo, some of them had cold beginnings (or maybe all of them, with just some evolving into true tropicals, but not loosing that early genetic trait?

beam2050

thanks but I am talking pups 3 to 4 ft. high surviving when mother 2 or 3 times larger in diameter is at this time probably dead. for me last winter was an education in what plants I have that survive cold temps, not freezes, plants like the viente cohol.

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npk of wood ash 0/1/3 to 0/3/7

npk of banana leaf ash 1.75/0.75/0.5

beam2050

there again pups 3 to 4 ft. high.

some beautiful days, bananas are springing to life. wonderful. but I keep getting [once a week]] temps in the mid 40's slowing things down a little. be 47 Tuesday I think.

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npk of wood ash 0/1/3 to 0/3/7

npk of banana leaf ash 1.75/0.75/0.5

beam2050

guess I will have to give them a shot of peppermint schnapps before it gets cold.

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npk of wood ash 0/1/3 to 0/3/7

npk of banana leaf ash 1.75/0.75/0.5

cincinnana

My understanding is Jagermeister could be more suited to your zone.
It has a higher ppm of rpm .

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beam2050

gotta have rpm its a must

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...................................................

npk of wood ash 0/1/3 to 0/3/7

npk of banana leaf ash 1.75/0.75/0.5