Thinning my musa basjo mat
 

I have had two mats of musa basjo for about 10 years and they are doing great here in North Carolina. My problem is they are too prolific and the mat needs to be thinned. The are purely ornamental, meant to give the backyard a tropical look. The only time I do any maintenance is in the fall when I cut them back. i have thinned the "herd" before but it really seems to cause many more to sprout which makes the problem worse. Any low maintenance ideas that may help me?

Re: Thinning my musa basjo mat
 

Are you just cutting them back, or separating the pups?

What part of NC are you in? I'm in Charlotte. There are several regulars on here from the Tarheel State.

Re: Thinning my musa basjo mat
 

Doug, I'm located in Clayton, just outside Raleigh. I usually let the pups grow up on their own and they have seemed to spread into my wife's "area". I'm thinking next spring to cut back the offending plants as they sprout and keep them cut back until either they give up or I give up. It may be a moot issue because I didn't cut them back at all this year.

Re: Thinning my musa basjo mat
 

Oh okay; couple guys up your way.

Just cutting them back will let them spread. Take a shovel and chonk them off at the base like you plan on re-potting, and then either give or throw away. There are a lot of vids on YouTube that show this in detail.

Honestly, I'd just dig them up and stack along the road with a sign that says, "Free Banana Trees." I'll bet they'll be gone in two days.