I have been reading threads for a while and finally became a member... don't know what took so long.
I'm recently settled in SW FL and finally getting my hands into the famous, ant-filled, nutrient-poor, sandy loam and putting down some roots... literally
! Having gardened and farmed in New England, Florida gardening is a welcome change and shock at the same time. This will be my 3rd winter here in Florida, but I didn't have any bananas in the ground until this year. So... in HZ 10a does anyone have any tips about protecting bananas enough during cold blasts so that they will continue to leaf out and not be set back by the potential frosts (which seem to be light frosts if we're lucky)? I was planning on the Christmas light trick, but my plants are getting too large to cover with material or plastic... about 7 or 8 feet tall now. If it did dip into the the 20s, I don't think the Christmas lights would bring up the ambient air temperature enough to prevent the leaves from getting burnt without a plastic covering too. I only have dwarf Cavendish in the ground right now, so it wouldn't be a big loss if they did get zapped. But this is sort of a test winter because I will be putting in some harder to find cultivars that I have growing in pots right now. Any tips or tricks appreciated.
