Bananas.org - View Single Post - Time to put the bananas to sleep for the Winter

bananarama2 · 10-12-2010, 04:24 PM

Back again! The main problem with overwintering plants is trying to put them into a state of "suspended animation" as it were, since the current conditions do not encourage or support active growth. With bananas, being tropicals that are probably 90% moisture, it's a tough call between preventing freezing and encouraging rot. Active growth stops around 14degrees C, so storing between maybe 5 to 10 degrees C would seem ideal, along with maintaining just enough moisture content to sustain green plant tissue survival would seem to be key. Peat moss works well for this, since it absorbs moisture, keeping the actual plant surfaces dry, but maintains a humid zone around the plants. Newspaper has a long history of being used just the same way, to pack around things to wick moisture away from surfaces. Keeping direct moisture away from the newspaper is important however. Packed around the corms of bananas in a suitable above freezing location could have real potential.....IMHO! Anything that might work to help banana survival for those who have to overwinter in cold climates!

10-12-2010, 04:24 PM	#268 (permalink)
bananarama2 bananarama2's Photo Gallery Location: The drier, sunny East Coast of the West Coast, on Vancouver Island Find me on the map! Zone: 8a to 8b (?) Name: Rik Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 165 BananaBucks : 15,502 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 102 Times Was Thanked 221 Times in 96 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 25 Times	Re: Time to put the bananas to sleep for the Winter Back again! The main problem with overwintering plants is trying to put them into a state of "suspended animation" as it were, since the current conditions do not encourage or support active growth. With bananas, being tropicals that are probably 90% moisture, it's a tough call between preventing freezing and encouraging rot. Active growth stops around 14degrees C, so storing between maybe 5 to 10 degrees C would seem ideal, along with maintaining just enough moisture content to sustain green plant tissue survival would seem to be key. Peat moss works well for this, since it absorbs moisture, keeping the actual plant surfaces dry, but maintains a humid zone around the plants. Newspaper has a long history of being used just the same way, to pack around things to wick moisture away from surfaces. Keeping direct moisture away from the newspaper is important however. Packed around the corms of bananas in a suitable above freezing location could have real potential.....IMHO! Anything that might work to help banana survival for those who have to overwinter in cold climates! __________________ If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.