wim

I've followed a thread on another forum about using bark chips to protect plants during winter. Here is how it's done:

Make a cage of fence wire around the pseudostem. Make it wide enough so there is air between the PS and the wire +- 20 cm. Cover the wire with "vliesdoek" (felt cloth ?) it protects the plant from wind and rain, and will keep the bark chips in). Make another cage around the first one, with the "felt cloth" on the inside, keep a distance of 20-30 cm from the first cage. Fill the space between the first and the second cage with bark chips. Cover the whole with two layers of bubble plastic.

The "felt cloth" will protect the bark from getting wet, prevents it from falling trough the holes in the fence wire and allows wind to move through, thereby preventing rot.

The advantage is that the bark chips can easily be spread along the plants in spring, whereas straw, and the leftovers, can be as mess, especially when it is windy. Straw will also rot when it is wet, and collapse. Even wet bark chips won't collapse and the air chamber between the bark and the PS will prevent the PS from rotting.

I guess you can use whatever you prefer to fill it up: dried leaves, straw, ...

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With kind regards
Wim