dmas

I'd just cut it down to below muck. Actually if it was me I'd probably pull it from the pot so it is bare root, cut it down, put on the copper, and put it in my basement in a paper bag where it is very cool and dark...then plant it outside in the spring. I've had decent luck overwintering bananas like that. Good thing about a banana is that it should come right back good as new when summer comes. If you get rot like that on a palm and the spear pulls out the plant is toast. Good luck.

timmko

I cut them down to almost ground level and pulled them out of the pots. Some of the soil was compacted and very wet. I added a bag of perlite per plant and mixed the soil well. THe very wet soil I will leave sit to dry. Using what I had I replanted 3 of the corms and the 4th (wettest) I had to leave sit until some of the dirt dries up a bit. Will the 3 I planted be ok if the soil is still damp? I also put a layer of copper on the cut off tops to prevent fungus. Any other suggestions? All I can do is hope they make it!

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Kostas

Did you wash away the wet muck from the roots before replanting? That is very important when you want to reestablish plants with rotting roots/corm. I would do that and then let them dry bareroot for a day in a dry place and then plant in NEW very well drained soil(such as cactus soil) or even plain perlite till it grows some healthy roots. That way,they have much better chances

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Lancelot

I keep most of my bananas, palms, and a fig tree down in my basement with some flourescents on timers for 10 hrs of light. Water only when the ground is dry a couple inches. The temps down there are about 50 - 55. Most of them grow very little, except the Basjoo which still puts out a new leaf about once a month. The big change is moving them back to the outdoors in the spring. I have a back porch with fiberglass panels, which warms up the room quite a bit when the sun shines. When the weather outside warms up enough, I start taking them out for brief, then longer times to get them used to natural light. I may loose some of the winter foliage, but the new leaves grow quickly and the plants take off and soon look quite nice. This is my third summer for bananas, and I've successfully overwintered now twice. I keep adding to my collection, and I may have to come up with other ways to overwinter. I have not tried cutting them down and storing like cannas yet. I feel as long as I can keep them alive as is, that is what I should continue to do. I do keep a few bananas indoors year round, and some plants I will keep up in the warmer areas all winter. I don't have enough southern exposure windows for all to share.

brandylorton

That is just a common problem there. The space related problem also happens with the indoor growing and particularly with bigger plants like banana it is a common problem.

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