Winterizing method
 

So, with Summer looking like it may never come in 2010 (a bit of sarcasm but might be reality), I can't help but think about winter already.

Here is what I have used so far and what I am going to do going forward.

Winter 2008/'09 - chopped off leaves on bananas and wrapped several times with frost cover from american nettings. Although the coldest was 27F on one night, it was extremely effective and deep inside the P-Stems stayed green and dry.

Winter 2009/'10 - used FreezePruf.... big mistake as we all know now. Luckily with record cold I haven't lost anything although some of my stuff took a beating.. Hibiscus is just now recovering

Winter 2010/'11 - For tall P-stems, I am going back to using american nettings stuff. But I am rolling out a ton of umbrella greenhouses this winter. According to some, they are extremely effective and in fact can get too hot in the winter months and thus damage plants with heat.

Here is a picture of one:



I'm sure that almost everyone here grows more tropicals than just bananas. Therefore this seems to be the absolute best way to overwinter Plumeria, Hibiscus, ginger, etc. (or Bananas under 4 ft). Instead of having to wait until spring to recover, you can have an even more impressive summer display.

My only issue is the price. They average about $20-30 each. So I am going to be seeing if there is a way to custom build any. (I need about 25 in various sizes) It seems they use clear vinyl and I'm not sure thickness is that important considering they work by having a wide base on the ground which is where all the heat comes from at night even when it is really cold.

Clear Vinyl Fabric

or

Flat Poly Sheeting

It seems like you can probably build a 4.5'x3'x3' one for about $5. In fact there is a possibility with little ingenuity can make them big enough for large items like bananas. I think if they were sealed would work EXTREMELY well (depending on climate zone of course), and might even keep the plants growing through winter. Just gotta build them so that the plastic does not come in contact with the plant since its a good conductor of cold.

Thoughts?

Re: Winterizing method
 

Sounds like a great ideal, keep us updated on your progress.

I thought about using one of the big patio heaters in one area where I have a few of my favorite bananas. Normally, we only have a few nights that it gets frost and only for a couple hours in the early morning.

Dave

Re: Winterizing method
 

Did I miss something, somewhere along the line? What was the big mistake with the FreezePruf?

Re: Winterizing method
 

It didn't work at all so basically I left everything unprotected last winter and I was out $100.

Re: Winterizing method
 

I used frost blankets and christmas lights for some of my bananas. Although they had zero damage, the electric bill jumped. I bet Plastic would be a great choice for smaller plants and loose less heat than frost blankets. I really want to build a PVC/plastic structure for next winter, but worry about what my HOA would think... :D

Re: Winterizing method
 

I noticed that an issue with frost blankets is if you wrap it around the plant, it doesn't get any heat from the ground so it doesn't help that much (unless you apply an internal heating source as you did)

Thankfully, I'm OK with just keeping the P-stem green as bananas leaf quickly in the spring